Thank you so much Qantas, Alan and staff. . However, you might assume the two would come from the half dozen older yet-to-be refurbished planes. And we think that's sufficient to make good money and the economics work on that business.. Qantas are not mucking around . Although all 12 A380s will remain in hibernation, the six which have been upgraded with the latest business class seats and inflight lounges would be first to return to the skies. Compare a range of products that will provide rewards and benefits to frequent flyers. Sharp-eyed flyers reckon they had the next refurbished A380 nailed. The upgrades to the rest of the fleet are set to be finished by the end of 2020. The new interiors, complete with a stunning new first class cabin, had been fitted to just six of the 12 aircraft, amid plans to operate the type for at least 10 more years. There is a trip report by VolvoMike on Flyertalk stating he flew a non-refurbished A380 in F on Qantas on 2/5/22. Over the weekend, VH-OQD Fergus McMaster made the journey from storage in California to Sydney, landing back home on Monday morning local time. 9. The airline is also set to resume the following seasonal domestic routes this month: Qantas said that across its domestic network the group is now operating at 95 per cent of pre-Covid levels. Emirates, which is by far the largest operator of the A380, however, remains committed to the plane, as does British Airways which has no plans to retire its fleet ahead of schedule. The level of confidence Joyce is showing in the A380 is heartwarming, given the lack of support the giant jumbo is receiving in other quarters. Vannus, Im not sure if youre aware but the majority of Australias population, which lives in just two states VIC & NSW, are currently in lockdown and have been for some time and expect to remain in lockdown for quite sometime. The desert is the ideal location for Qantas A380s because the dry environment protects the aircraft from the damaging effects that humidity can wreak on a grounded plane. Qantas' A380 business-class cabin currently features a 2-2-2 layout. I also don't like the tail and the use of kangaroo anymore. And the carrier recently announced plans for new flights between Sydney and Rarotonga in the Cook Islands, starting on June 29, 2023. Two more refurbed A380s have recently come out of storage from Victorville to be used on QF1/2 from 19th June. Give me the A380 anytime over 787 when in economy though. It is too Australian, for customers who are primarily not actually Australian. We have been replacing the bigger aircraft with the 787s. How long will it take to refurbish Qantas' entire fleet of twelve A380s? The first of Qantas' refurbished Airbus A380s will begin flying in September, with the remaining 11 A380s in the carrier's fleet set to be overhauled through the end of this year and next. My problem is that Qantas seriously tries too hard to be Australian when it comes off as unauthentic. By the weekend, the tempo of flying was really picking up. The last of Qantas A380s flew to the desert last September after completing a multi-million-dollar retrofit in Dresden, Germany. Eagle-eyed planespotters were anticipating the return to service of the second Qantas A380. The decision to reactivate the Qantas A380s with VH-OQB and VH-OQD is a slightly odd one. Busiest Easter long weekend for air travel since before the pandemic. Despite sending the majority of the airlines A380 fleet to long-term storage in the desert, Joyce has repeatedly stated that the carrier will look to reactivate its entire fleet of A380s when the pandemic subsides. If they stored them at Alice Springs they would have to make them airworthy again just to fly them to Mohave for scrapping. For the first time since then, VH-OQB took to the skies at 1:54pm on 19 August as flight QF6013, and took the 11-hour journey to Dresden Airport in Germany. one upper Whilst airline chiefs across the world are saying that there is no future for the A380 to return into service, Qantas feels confident that the superjumbo will return. Signing up with Executive Traveller only takes a second and lets you In the meantime, Qantas has been operating special repatriation flights between London and Darwin where passengers spend two weeks in hotel quarantine before being allowed to return home. The A380 is where passengers want to be for long and ultra long haul. Manufacture/ Distribution of the vaccine worldwide, time related just as I'm sure a priority list will be established. The iconic jumbos were due for retirement by the end of 2020 in favour of new Boeing 787 Dreamliners, but that timetable has been brought forward six months, with the last red-tailed Boeing 747 departing Sydney at the end of June, bound for Mojave's aviation 'boneyard'. However, Qantas has been smart in its parking strategy. In particular, President Carrot-top is making noises about a 6 month timeline, whilst big pharma are talking a slightly more realistic timeframe of 9-12. Well send you an email containing the activation link. With its full-length double deck, the A380 offers almost 6,000 square feet of usable floor space, about 40% more than the second largest airliner, the Boeing 747-8. However, CEO Alan Joyce has said today that he fully expects to bring back every A380 to the fleet, and can reactivate them as quickly as three to six months if needed. Until that time arrives, Qantas fleet of 12 Airbus A380s are currently sitting in long-term storage in the Mojave desert where they are likely to remain until 2024 when Joyce hopes travel demand will have returned to pre-pandemic levels. PrimeFlight GSE Maintenance is a leading provider of Ground Support Equipment (GSE) maintenance, fleet maintenance, and facility maintenance services with operations across the US. Whats the chances of VH-OQA being donated to a worthy Australian Air Museum? Plus, your own feed of TPG content. I get they are a bit tight for space currently at Alice, but thought I read somewhere that they could increase capacity very quickly if required. It's completely free and we'll never pass your information on to Its obviously up to the government exactly how and when our international borders re-open, but with Australia on track to meet the 80 per cent trigger agreed by national cabinet by the end of the year, we need to plan ahead for what is a complex restart process.. Maybe if London and LA aren't in a position to get QF A380 operations, Tokyo will be. We'll run a soft credit check to find special offers, but it wont affect your credit score. If this comes to fruition and the USA becomes a viable destination within the next 12-15 months, QF management may have to re-think their idea of leaving middle seats free and taking an unpalatable hit on 65% loads. Aotearoa New Zealands best under-the-radar winter experiences, How to survive the worlds longest flights, in style, Enjoy up to 20% bonus points in Velocitys latest transfer promo, Tasting Australia: 12 dining experiences worth travelling for, 5 reasons you shouldn't bin your boarding passes, What to do when an airline cancels your flight, New ways for airlines to win your business, Australia's airport mask mandate will soon come to an end. The aircraft are located close to key maintenance bases, which means reactivation can be brought forward rapidly, if demand trends suddenly upwards. Which is the best Star Alliance lounge at Sydney Airport? I saw QF29 flying into Hong Kong yesterday, the usual A330. A Qantas A380 flew to Abu Dhabi on Monday after spending several weeks in Los Angeles. They have facilities for maintenance, storage and scrapping. The planned refresh includes touch-ups to both first and economy classes, overhauled business and premium-economy products and mechanical maintenance good for 10 more years of service for the airline's superjumbos. below, then click 'Submit'. How long will it take to refurbish Qantas entire fleet of twelve A380s? We think we will reactivate all of the A380s. Updates to the first-class product include material changes to modernize the look of the suites. Meanwhile Jetstar will begin flights with three new A321 neo aircraft in the coming weeks, initially on domestic services and its routes between Australia and Bali. The A380 takes off right at the end of the footage. Youtube channel LA Flights has some nice footage of the jet pushing back in Los Angeles on Saturday evening. Absolutely idea. These photos show the oversized 'foot nook' for seats in the A380's two bulkhead rows, those being rows 11 and 16/17. Loved by Emirates By far. In total, Qantas expects 10 of its 12 A380s to be back to performing regularly scheduled services by early 2024, while the remaining two are to be retired. With Qantas forecastingits international network to reach only 50% of its pre-pandemic capacity duringthe 2021-2022 financial year, Joyce said the A380s "dont have any use during this period of time. If your email is already registered you will have provided it to us previously for one of our events/webcasts/newsletters. parties. So much space. Here are the best watches of the year: should you care? He sang its praises in terms of range and economics too, saying, The 787 is such a good aircraft, it can replace the entire A380 and 747 network in terms of range, with smaller aircraft and unit costs that are even better than an A380.. On refurbished A380 aircraft, the Premium Economy cabin has 60 seats in a 2-3-2 layout. That plane is followed by a Qantas Dreamliner - both bound for Sydney. The first of the airline's 12 A380s will enter maintenance next month and is set to return to the skies in September. And communicating Australia is more important than Nancy Bird Ansett or Longreach. There is an issue between Cloudflare's cache and your origin web server. Economy aisle would have been better. Cos they seriously never got the uniform right cos they never bothered to tailor it. In basic economy, travelers can expect new seat cushions and improved inflight entertainment. There are two maintenance facilities being used for refurbishments, including one in Abu Dhabi. ", Joyce said he doesn't expect the Qantas' international network to restart "in any real size from July next year", with those flights led by the smaller Boeing 787 and Airbus A330 jets ", to establish the network as fast as possible.". for at least three years," Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce confirmed to media during a press teleconference following the announcement of a, its international network to reach only 50% of its pre-pandemic capacity during, the 2021-2022 financial year, Joyce said the A380s ", dont have any use during this period of time. The work is primarily done at an Airbus facility in Dresden. It's scheduled to fly tonight from London to Singapore, and the seatmap reflects that (here's the business class seatmap, showing the new 1-2-1 configuration, compared to the old 2-2-2 configuration). Travel onboard the A380 is just so superior to alternatives and I will be now be looking at Emirates for our regular trips to Switzerland & UK particularly as EK will be introducing PE next year. Well send you an email to re-activate your account and enter a new password. Can anyone clarify if it is the newest 6 that are refurbed or a mix?..if its a mix doesn't make sense they'd refurb the older iterations as I understand some had issues. We know the demand will come back, its just a matter of time Weve had this forecast for some time that we dont see that occurring until 24. I get butterflies when United's vid flashes a moment of Singapore's skyline. It is also reasonable to factor in a lull over Christmas and the New Year. More bums on seats equal more dollars in Qantas pockets. Theyre directed towards the big premium market. If it ain't Boeing I ain't going ". Cloudflare Ray ID: 7c0aa9882e88e847 . Six still sport previous generation cabins. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit, Executive Traveler (formerly Australian Business Traveler), Business Suite that Qantas currently offers on its Dreamliner flights, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. So you don't like the 'Australian-ishness' of the branding but the cabin crew uniforms from Ansett and Jetstar are OK because they 'fully embued (sic) Australia' and 'come off as so much more Australian and classier'? I know it needs to be viable but I wouldn't be too hasty in ditching the fleet. Wonder if G would get an upgrade as that would be 6. "Were reconfiguring the A380s nearly as we speak, the (first) aircraft goes in next month and comes out September," Joyce said to the publication, adding that he expects the effort to be completed by the end of next year. The first refurbished A380 will start flying at the end of September and three more will take to the air by the end of the year. More bums on seats equal more dollars in Qantas pockets. By the end of this upgrade, well have next-generation seating across our entire long-haul fleet of A380s, A330s and 787s.. Over Wednesday and Thursday, VH-OQB operated four flights over Sydney, each of approximately one hour's duration. I believe Alice Springs currently has no capacity for additional parked aircraft at the moment though it intends on doubling the capacity in the short term. As there are twelve Airbus A380s in the Qantas fleet, there is still a good chance you'll receive the old configuration for the time being. Both were instead grounded at Qantas purpose-built A380 hangar at LAX. Didnt receive an activation email? I thought they were only using the ones that had the makeover? The cost of flying the A380s to Mohave compared with ASP is relatively minuscule given the overall cost to the business of parking them for three years. ", Joyce said he doesn't expect the Qantas' international network to restart "in any real size from July next year", with those flights led by the smaller Boeing 787 and Airbus A330 jets "to establish the network as fast as possible.". Im not sure what sort of tourism you think operates under those conditions. Qantas doesn't fly at all between Melbourne and Dallas. Its also worth noting that time of the year is one of the busiest times for international flights in and out of Australia. The refresh included installing new Business Class seats and expanding the Premium Economy cabin. "We're parking the A380s for at least three years," Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce confirmed to media during a press teleconference following the announcement of a sweeping three-year 'post-Covid recovery . And I'll be mothballing my QFF card, and firing up the Emirates Skywards instead (or whoever keeps flying the A380). The flights typically comprise a loop out southwest towards the Wingecarribee area before turning back towards Sydney, running out over the Royal National Park, and going out to sea before heading back into the airport. The Qantas operation across the Pacific right now is a mess. Was hoping someone might have some info on the timings of the Qantas A380 refresh, have heard that the program will kick off early . And the similar scheduling windows that worked for Australia are unique. It's not known which two A380s will not return to service. We flew to London in a refurbished Business Class in February and it was amazing. . As a result, the web page can not be displayed. If you have not received the activation email, simply enter your email address below, then click 'Submit'. The route is currently being done by the refurbished OQD & OQK aircraft. Signing up with Executive Traveller only takes a second and lets you The airline has already refurbished six; VH-OQD, VH-OQG, VH-OQH, VH-OQI, VH-OQJ, and QH-OQK. Qantas A380s serve Los Angeles (LAX) and Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) in the US, as well as other destinations in the carrier's network. Username or email already exists! By breakfast time on Monday, the superjumbo was up in the air again. To be frank, I should have saved the points. What Alan Joyce needs to be aware of is a bill making passage through the US Congress which sets out specific and enforceable issues for safe distancing within aircraft flying into, throough and out of US air space. If they give these seats an extra couple of inches then I reckon you'd find the seats are very good expect for that cradle legrest. SQ is very Singaporean, from the moment you arrive at the gate for a SQ flight you feel that. Qantas' First Revamped Airbus A380s To Begin Flying in September, This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. Woomera has a strip that could easily handlen an A380. Thats directed our strategy by saying that we park the A380s.. 14 First, 64 Business, 35 Premium Economy and 371 Economy seats. The biggest overhaul is slated for the business-class product, which will be replaced with the same Business Suite that Qantas currently offers on its Dreamliner flights. If the seats are too close together in PE then how does the window seat person get out? Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Can I say I never liked Qantas safety video. My focus has changed a bit I guess now concentrating on leisure rather than business travel. I don't agree with the less than authentic Australian feel - I must say that whenever I was returning from a tedious business trip I really looked forward to my champers in the Qantas business class J - Felt I was on my way home! Your email address will not be published. Qantas might like to keep them flying over the busy periods. To help support the investigation, you can pull the corresponding error log from your web server and submit it our support team. Our plan was at the end of October, if the international borders were to open up, we could start 22 of the 25 destinations we had pre-COVID with smaller aircraft, smaller premium seats on it. So we do believe theres a need for that fleet. Not to mention the actual volume of space in your "single" seat - storage, proper table, excellent TV, ideal controls etc. Already have an Executive Traveller account? The group said that it will roll out a number of customer initiatives at airports over the Christmas holidays, with a focus on making journeys easier more details will be released on this shortly. Prestige and Profit, that's what will deliver a vaccine/'s from a US pharma/'s most likely by end of 2020, let's face it Armstrong walked on the moon 51 years ago. In fact, one aircraft just being reconfigured flew directly to the Mojave Desert, said Joyce at the time. 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Didnt receive an activation email? Joyce said that "roughly" one A380 will be redone each month. Find the right card for you. In short, about another year. Here's what to expect in Premium Economy on the Qantas A380: Qantas has told Simple Flying that they expect to refurbish the remaining 11 aircraft by the end of 2020. Is Qantas just gonna standardize its widebody fleet to 787s? Products with rewards and frequent flyer points on offer can be compared using our helpful comparison tables. My god Levinn there doesn't seem to be much about Qantas that you like? I can't edit the post. As noted, we can be pretty certain VH-OQI will be the next refurbished A380 followed by VH-OQL. See also: Qantas unveils replica Boeing 747-200 first class lounge in a museum. American, United and Delta are consistent for their inconsistencies. They'd spotted this plane doing some laps over Los Angeles in the runup to Saturday's transpacific flight. The fate of the second six will hinge on the projected recovery for Qantas' flagship routes to London and the US, and the outcome of a sweeping review of the airline's entire international fleet to reshape it around post-coronavirus travel demand. But we do think if you look at the Qantas network, there are going to be opportunities to deploy those aircraft. Photo: Qantas. Please view our advertising policy page for more information. Your IP: The superjumbo had covered 7,641 miles (12,297 kilometers) on this flight. The move suggests it could be among the first of Qantas A380s to return to regular passenger service, after being in storage since March 2020. 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Andrews first-hand knowledge of the challenges and opportunities facing Australian airlines adds exciting depth and color to his work. Its also worth noting that time of the year is one of the busiest times for international flights in and out of Australia. It went to Abu Dhabi three week ago and there has been no flight activity since. The schedule hasn't yet been updated to reflect this, but it should be updated shortly. Qantas Airbus A380 Premium Economy Seat Overview - Australian Frequent Flyer Qantas Airbus A380 Premium Economy Seat Overview Qantas A380 Premium Economy. We do have scheduling windows, because if you if youve ever been in LA, at between 10 oclock and midnight, you see six or seven Qantas aircraft departing to Australia, because its the only time that works with curfews, so instead of flying multiple frequencies right on top of each other. It is not that significant. Qantas is keeping mum. Even Qatar if they bring theirs back. WA is going to miss out millions of $ in tourism, but McGowan thinks he makes plenty of money anyway from iron ore, which the Chinese no longer want to buy. Back in October, Australian airline Qantas announced it would undertake a massive project to refit its fleet of 12 Airbus A380 jumbo jets with new interiors. You don't need to CGI stuff and try to show parts of Australia so desperately. Compare travel credit cards with Executive Traveller. Excellent. Speaking at todays CAPA Live event, CEO of Qantas Alan Joyce said that he fully expects to bring all the A380s back into service. A degree of common sense and seasonality makes approximating the delivery schedule roughly feasible, but trying to establish the sequence of aircraft being refurbished is a fools errand. The plane was moved in order to undergo a scheduled landing gear update, according to Qantas, and will remain in storage at Dresden Airport, before undergoing a refurbishment ahead of its planned return to service. That's according to Executive Traveler (formerly Australian Business Traveler), which sat down with Qantas CEO Alan Joyce for the latest details. Same with QF, as soon as you board it feels Australian. The only aircraft for me for Melbourne to London.Superior in every way . The final section of the new all-premium upper deck will feature 60 premium-economy seats. Since the middle of last week, that plane has made multiple take-off and landings from Sydney Airport. On Tuesday, October 2, 2019, it flew from Heathrow to Dresden as QF6005. From personal experience, they don't. Give your Qantas hate a spell mate. Because there's more to long term storage than what you mentioned. parties. Resend one to yourself here. He said, They have the most premium seats of any aircraft we have. Andrew is based in Sydney. Didnt receive an activation email? Already have an Executive Traveller account? There's nothing much wrong with the new Qantas premium economy seats, apart from that oddball 'cradle' arrangement for the legrest and footrest. In addition to larger screens and six additional seats in business, the updated aircraft will boast a 1-2-1 layout in business class, with aisle access for every seat. Looks like QF will scrap PER as a port, whilst its Premier wants to segregate his state from the rest of our Country. Just checked the floor plans VH-OQA,B,C,D,E,F,G,I,L ARE showing 14F 64B 35PE 371E, with the Sky bed Layout. If youve forgotten your password, simply enter your email address Such sad news. A Qantas A380, VH-OQA, departs from Melbourne Airport. all rights reserved, China issues report that Boeing sees as key to restart 737 MAX deliveries, ANA sells tickets up to 20 times cheaper due to an error in its website, Avolon completes delivery of 15 Airbus A320neo to Vistara, Boeing says 11 Chinese airlines have resumed operating 737 MAX. Qantas plans to reactivate 10 of its 12 Airbus A380s. It's completely free and we'll never pass your information on to 5 reasons you shouldn't bin your boarding passes, What to do when an airline cancels your flight, New ways for airlines to win your business, Australia's airport mask mandate will soon come to an end. The refurbishment will fit the cabin out with a compelling business class and a large premium economy cabin. Can't wait. For the time being, the aircraft will remain parked until such time as demand signals that its the right moment for them to return. Those seats are 11A, 11E, 11F, 11K, 16A, 16K, 17E and 17F. The airline said total revenue loss amounted to $16 billion for the full year due to COVID-related disruptions including prolonged international border closures and multiple waves of domestic border restrictions. Additional troubleshooting resources. To me, the customer it means I as a Singaporean, feel special. Already have an ET account? Earlier, in February, the Qantas chief executive said that it was heartbreaking to see the fleet stored in the Mojave Desert and insisted that curfews and expensive airport slots meant flying them will still be profitable. NSW has been hitting over 1000 infections a day with multiple deaths most days and hundreds in hospital. Am flying PE MEL-SIN mid October this year. We all know that Qantas is kicking off its A380 refurbishment with the first upgraded A380 to fly in September, see https://www.ausbt.com.au/qantas-a380-refurbishment.
