We have been replacing the bigger aircraft with the 787s. Alan Joyce, the chief executive of Qantas remains confident that the Airbus A380 superjumbo will remain an integral part of the airlines aircraft fleet even as other airlines jettison the double-deck planes. Compare the cost in points or miles to cash, and see which option is best. We spent a lot of money on them Once demand is there, they're going to be good aircraft, get back in the air and we can cope with this lower demand environment with some time by just parking them and using the 787 system.. I'm sorry ladies, the uniforms makes you look tired soccer moms. But we do think if you look at the Qantas network, there are going to be opportunities to deploy those aircraft. 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. Providing commentary for outlets including the BBC, CNBC, Reuters Thomson, and others, she works closely with IATA, AviaDev, and various airlines and suppliers to get the inside track on the global marketplace. Please include the Ray ID (which is at the bottom of this error page). The flights put crews and the aircraft through it their paces. VH-OQB will depart Sydney and operate QF11 to Los Angeles on Tuesday evening. It comes as the airline continues to prepare for international borders to re-open in December 2021, once Australia reaches its 80 per cent vaccination target. 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. Like the business suites, these products will also feature seats currently used in Qantas' Dreamliners premium-economy section. and A330 aircraft without adequate crew rests. It actually feels very authentic to me, faults and "she'll be right' attitude and all. Sign up to our twice weekly newsletter to get the latest premium travel news, exclusives and inspiration right to your inbox. Click to reveal Go figure. However, you might assume the two would come from the half dozen older yet-to-be refurbished planes. The Airbus A380 has failed to win the confidence of many other operators, including Air France, which brought forward the aircrafts retirement early because of 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. And its all going to be about cash when we start up international [flights].. 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. The Mandarin names are messed up and do not convey that it is an Australia airline. Some lucky Platinum One members have been offered an 'upgrade' to the First Suites, but the service has been at a Business level. Finally a refurnished lounge is set to open in Honolulu on December 16, following the unveiling of a new facility at Rockhampton airport last month. Well send you an email containing the activation link. Airlines; Airports; Hotels; Lounges; Frequent Flyer; Reward Programs; Technology; Motoring; Other; Reviews. The 12 A380-800s in Qantas' fleet will undergo refurbishments through . Woomera has a strip that could easily handlen an A380. Six still sport previous generation cabins. It went to Abu Dhabi three week ago and there has been no flight activity since. Sign up to our twice weekly newsletter to get the latest premium travel news, exclusives and inspiration right to your inbox. See also: Airbus A320neo, Boeing 737 MAX battle for billion-dollar Qantas order. Suggesting I and L are marked as the probably next to be upgraded. NSW residents are not allowed to travel more than 5km from home and Melbourne even has a curfew. If you have not received the activation email, simply enter your email address below, then click 'Submit'. The last of Qantas A380s flew to the desert last September after completing a multi-million-dollar retrofit in Dresden, Germany. I concur that I will always choose Emirates over Qantas if they have the A380 in service and Qantas does not(of course on QF paper). Log in below. Qantas needs a proper luxury brand designer (maybe Oroton)? Qantas loyalty bonus: should you choose points or status? If youve forgotten your password, simply enter your email address If the seats are too close together in PE then how does the window seat person get out? Thank you so much Qantas, Alan and staff. But if you have any insights, insiders tips or knowledge, wed love to know. After the hoopla surrounding the reactivation of the first Qantas A380, the return of the second A380 was a far quieter affair. The unrefurbished VH-OQB had been doing the SYD-LAX sector for some months, but departed for Abu Dhabi on 10th May for maintenance or refurbishment. The carrier has refurbished three. You don't need to CGI stuff and try to show parts of Australia so desperately. Posted on 5th April 2023 at 13:30. As an engineer the plane is inheritably unstable and placing rotational forces on the wings that no previous 737 has had to encounter. Qantas will reinstate its full First Class offering at the end of this month both on the ground and in the air as post-pandemic international travel steadily. Lead Journalist - Southwest Pacific -.A Masters level education and appetite for travel combine to make Andrew an incredible aviation brain with decades of insight behind him. Speaking at todays CAPA Live event, CEO of Qantas Alan Joyce said that he fully expects to bring all the A380s back into service. 787 and 330 into Asia much better. In terms of the A380, the forecast is still that demand will not pick up enough to sustain the superjumbo until around 2024. That will include international - in what ever form it takes. As a result, the web page can not be displayed. It is also reasonable to factor in a lull over Christmas and the New Year. It's the little finer touches that matter, and Qantas lacks sophistication and finess. There's nothing much wrong with the new Qantas premium economy seats, apart from that oddball 'cradle' arrangement for the legrest and footrest. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. That plane is followed by a Qantas Dreamliner - both bound for Sydney. 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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. VH-OQD departed Los Angeles mid-evening on Saturday for the 14 hour plus flight down to Sydney. Staff and onlookers swarmed Sydney Airport for their first glimpse of the superjumbo. You can use your existing password to login, or if you can't remember it, you can reset it using the link provided here. Cathay Pacific reopens Hong Kongs The Wing Business lounge, Land up to 20% bonus points in Velocitys new transfer promo. Hi Guest, join in the discussion on ", 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.". There will be 9 aircraft remaining. 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. "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. Your complete guide to Singapore Airlines WiFi, Tips to top up your energy levels on the road, Five things to look for when buying headphones for running, Gyms closed: Schwarzenegger shares his home workout tips, Get into the holiday swing at Australias top golf resorts, Thailand wants visitors to quarantine at golf resorts, Nine new golf courses you'll want to visit in 2020, Tuscany uncorked: Inside the wine regions renaissance, Bottle shock for wine lovers as Delta moves to canned wine, https://www.ausbt.com.au/qantas-a380-refurbishment. Can confirm my booking 1 July 2022 SYD-LAX (booked 2 weeks ago) x 2Pax business class, our seats have already been changed today from a 787-9 to a refurbished A380. There are two maintenance facilities being used for refurbishments, including one in Abu Dhabi. below, then click 'Submit'. In fact, one aircraft just being reconfigured flew directly to the Mojave Desert, said Joyce at the time. Two more refurbed A380s have recently come out of storage from Victorville to be used on . The Qantas operation across the Pacific right now is a mess. The airline has already refurbished six; VH-OQD, VH-OQG, VH-OQH, VH-OQI, VH-OQJ, and QH-OQK. You can scrap them at Alice Springs as well. There is an unknown connection issue between Cloudflare and the origin web server. Already have an ET account? What will happen to the first lounges I wonder. Looks like QF will scrap PER as a port, whilst its Premier wants to segregate his state from the rest of our Country. And the carrier recently announced plans for new flights between Sydney and Rarotonga in the Cook Islands, starting on June 29, 2023. Joyce, however, remained optimistic that rapid vaccination rollouts in the USA and UK both of which are key markets for Qantas would help the airline restart regularly scheduled international flights by the end of the year. Until the A380s return, the Dreamliner is picking up the slack. But what about VH-OQI? 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. I get butterflies when United's vid flashes a moment of Singapore's skyline. The aircraft are located close to key maintenance bases, which means reactivation can be brought forward rapidly, if demand trends suddenly upwards. The airline has already refurbished six; VH-OQD, VH-OQG, VH-OQH, VH-OQI, VH-OQJ, and QH-OQK. Initially Qantas won't be selling first class on the A380, but rather will be seating top tier . Please view our advertising policy page for more information. The summer school holidays are in full swing and the. Further, whilst Australians have been compliant in lockdown for the past 3 months, I doubt strongly that those same people will sit back and accept no international service from QF for the next 12 months when competitors are to be flying from October / November this year. Qantas haven't updated their seat maps for a while so they only show OQH OQK and OQK on their seat map. How long will it take to refurbish Qantas' entire fleet of twelve A380s? Didnt receive an activation email? News. Qantas has told Simple Flying that they expect to refurbish the remaining 11 aircraft by the end of 2020. The oldest Qantas A380 is VH-OQANancy Bird Walton, which arrived at Qantas in September 2008. In short, about another year. Then transit SIN, enroute Europe, including maybe some new ports there. 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! In April, Joyce said each aircraft could potentially come back into service in as little as three to six months. 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. 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. The first of the airline's 12 A380s will enter maintenance next month and is set to return to the skies in September. Log in below. By subscribing, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Statement. This is in competition with QSuites, SQ fugly but okay "lar" seats, EK pastel but at least bed is comfortable All this dark coloring is not seen in good light by Asian customers who, if Qantas wakes up, is actually their biggest customers. 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. Currently, Qantas has been operating its A380 fleet on services between Sydney and Los Angeles, offering only Business, Premium Economy and Economy cabins. Qantas plans to reactivate 10 of its 12 Airbus A380s. Qantas' First Revamped Airbus A380s To Begin Flying in September, This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. Even Qatar if they bring theirs back. During conference, Joyce confirmed that Qantas still plans to resume international flights beyond New Zealand from October, despite delays of Australias vaccination rollout which is seen as key to easing travel restrictions. The A380 takes off right at the end of the footage. That's the level of flexibility we have.. This loss shows the impact that a full year of closed international borders and more than 330 days of domestic travel restrictions had on the national carrier, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said. My favourite aircraft as a long haul passenger. Absolutely fabulous - layout, space, comfort 1-2-1. I hope that demand will allow QF to recommence A380 ops. To be frank, I should have saved the points. 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. The A380 is far more spacious and comfortable to fly in than the squeezy Boeing 787 nightmare plane, but it's the now-departed Boeing 747, yes, Queen of the Sky, that had most comfort. Scuttlebutt several days ago was that it would be VH-OQL, named Phyllis Arnott. I can see myself waiting until I can travel on the A380 again (preferrably Qantas but, if not, Emirates, Qatar or Etihad). The staff are magnificent, the food spectacular, the comfort superb. David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis. And the similar scheduling windows that worked for Australia are unique. It's completely free and we'll never pass your information on to Old unrefurbished A380, last minute schedule changes (a friends LA-SYD was retime to 0930!!) It's completely free and we'll never pass your information on to All 10 returning A380s will have their interiors refurbished prior to their return to service. VH-OAH,J,K ARE SHOWING 14F 70B 60PE 341E, WITH the newer stagger business seats. Operating at some of the country's busiest airports, we are dedicated to supporting the daily operational performance of airlines and service providers across our . An A380, thats fully or nearly fully written down, if it generates cash, will absolutely work. So I think WA tourism would be doing a lot better since theyre allowed out and about with no infections or deaths and have been all year. The only aircraft for me for Melbourne to London.Superior in every way . Absolutely no way of climbing over. A sad day for passengers. The aircraft was delivered to Qantas in December 2011. Additional employees and aircraft on standby to reduce disruptions. He commented, We think we will reactivate all of the A380s. We spent a lot of money on them. This post has been updated with new information. They haven't been added to the map yet, but those are the six. 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. Here's what to expect in Premium Economy on the Qantas A380: Additional troubleshooting resources. parties. What's wrong with the new seats? Qantas A380 refurb schedule, Executive Traveller is published by Business Travel Media Pty Ltd, a corporate authorised credit representative (#515763) of MGS FINANCIAL PTY LIMITED (#337568). The first A380 for Australian Carrier QANTAS arrived at Sydney's International Airport from Toulouse in France. I had to cancel a RTW classic reward booking utilising 2 Qantas A380 legs and now my focus is on the complete travel experience rather than getting from A to B as quickly, economically and as comfortably as possible. And its not just the revenue potential from the premium seats that makes the 787 attractive to Joyce. It's not known which two A380s will not return to service. Dreadful or amazing, take your pick. The Mojave was picked over a similar storage facility near Alice Springs because engineers based at Los Angeles airport are just a two-hour drive away making routine maintenance a lot easier. Cathay Pacific reopens Hong Kongs The Wing Business lounge, Land up to 20% bonus points in Velocitys new transfer promo. Is Qantas just gonna standardize its widebody fleet to 787s? Qantas Airbus A380 refurbishment schedule - Executive Traveller community discussion. This week Qantas launched flights between Brisbane and Tokyo Haneda, and will launch flights between Melbourne and Dallas this weekend (December 3), as well as flights between Sydney and Seoul on December 10. Etihad Airways has also said it will likely never fly the A380 again, while Singapore Airlines will retire seven of its A380s. Once demand is there, theyre going to be good aircraft, Joyce told a CAPA Live virtual conference last Wednesday. It is just a marvelous experience to fly Business in the upgraded A380's. By breakfast time on Monday, the superjumbo was up in the air again. below, then click 'Submit'. My focus has changed a bit I guess now concentrating on leisure rather than business travel. For the time being, the aircraft will remain parked until such time as demand signals that its the right moment for them to return. Check here before booking an award fare. Qantas has completed its refurbishment program for its A380s during their grounding. Whereas VH-OQD is refurbished with the latest top-notch Qantas cabin product, VH-OQB is not. These photos show the oversized 'foot nook' for seats in the A380's two bulkhead rows, those being rows 11 and 16/17. Didnt receive an activation email? When Qantas began ferrying its 12 A380s to the Mojave Desert for storage last June, many thought it would be the last time wed see the type fly for the Australian airline. Why send the fleet to the Mohave? That would be 5 with new fit out. Required fields are marked *. Qantas launches Brisbane-Tokyo Haneda route. On Wednesday, Australian Aviation revealed that one of Qantas A380s was flown from storage at LAX to a facility in Dresden, Germany, for maintenance ahead of its planned refurbishment. the SYD-JNB and SYD-SCL would follow., as for the A380, I see 6 culled, and maybe adding a few more 787-9. " Watch on. Qantas has announced it will return five of its 12 Airbus A380s to service ahead of schedule, as it prepares for international borders to re-open in December. All three remain unrefurbished. There's plenty of dry flat land, a railway and a major highway at the front door, plenty of vacant accommodation, an airport with flights to Adelaide every few hours just 70km away, a dry climate and most importantly, plenty of security. Got a points upgrade from Economy aisle to premium economy window. 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. I think Qantas is pretty good. Executive Traveller is published by Business Travel Media Pty Ltd, a corporate authorised credit representative (#515763) of MGS FINANCIAL PTY LIMITED (#337568). third 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. When that happens, he says that the 787 will be picking up the slack from the loss of the A380 and 747, with all but three of its pre-COVID destinations served. TPG's JT Genter reviewed Qantas' 787-9 business class last year and gave the product high marks. Here are the best watches of the year: should you care? Cloudflare Ray ID: 7c0aa9882e88e847 There is an issue between Cloudflare's cache and your origin web server. My god Levinn there doesn't seem to be much about Qantas that you like? Am flying PE MEL-SIN mid October this year. 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. If you have not received the activation email, simply enter your email address below, then click 'Submit'. Frankly, QF doesn't have sufficient B787-9's to sustain or even revive international routes from SYD, MEL, PER and BNE as virus numbers o/s begin to retreat. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. And for those looking to read the tea leaves as to how long the A380s might continue to fly for Qantas, Executive Traveler writes that the refurbishment "points to the spruced-up superjumbos flying through to the end of the next decade," at the least. The work is primarily done at an Airbus facility in Dresden. 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. More bums on seats equal more dollars in Qantas pockets. The airline is also winding up its Boeing 747 fleet, marking a fanfare-free end for theaircraft dubbed 'Queen of the Skies' by its fans, and which for decades was the backbone of Qantas' international fleet. No Title No Description. The seats being too close together is not an issue you should be experiencing when flying Premium Economy. The credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. The route is currently being done by the refurbished OQD & OQK aircraft. Sure not every flight was great, often depending on the crew but I found the comfort level (and wine selection!) Sounds like a real issue to me. we are heading back from our trip on a 787 -9 via LAX which I am really looking forward to. NSW has been hitting over 1000 infections a day with multiple deaths most days and hundreds in hospital. Give me the A380 anytime over 787 when in economy though. It was the last A380 Qantas received. Qantas will ground its entire flagship Airbus A380 fleet until at least the middle of 2023as the airline comes to grips with what's expected to be a prolonged downturn in international travel. Login now. Here are the best watches of the year: should you care? At the time, the airline didn't think they would be . 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. Sorry about the rant but Qantas needs to free itself from its traditions and brand itself better. The Airbus A380 touched down in wet and overcast conditions just after 06:00 on Monday. View the Airbus A380 seat map (PDF) 14 First, 70 Business, 60 Premium Economy and 341 Economy seats. 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. are being put into the Mojave Desert, where the environment protects the aircraft (because) we have the intention at the right time to restart them, but that is a considerable amount of time away.". I saw QF29 flying into Hong Kong yesterday, the usual A330. 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. The airline will also extend the range of its A330-200 aircraft in order to operate some trans-Pacific routes such as Brisbane-Los Angeles and Brisbane-San Francisco. Over the weekend, VH-OQD Fergus McMaster made the journey from storage in California to Sydney, landing back home on Monday morning local time. On Tuesday, October 2, 2019, it flew from Heathrow to Dresden as QF6005. By the weekend, the tempo of flying was really picking up. In basic economy, travelers can expect new seat cushions and improved inflight entertainment. Seat map. Qantas most on-time major domestic airline for seven months in a row. . The thrice-weekly service departs Sydney as flight . But if you consider the flat bed space - the four probably take the space of twenty seats (2 rows) down stairs. To help support the investigation, you can pull the corresponding error log from your web server and submit it our support team. Compare a range of products that will provide rewards and benefits to frequent flyers. Can I say I never liked Qantas safety video. I always base my international flying provider based on the highest comfort ad services first, hence those flying an A380 to my destination get first byte of my dollars. I can't edit the post. By the southern autumn, we might expect to see the refurbished A380s coming into service fairly regularly. Keep it simple, a la Delta, and speak with that cheerful accent that communicates Australia to one and all. 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. Thursday, 09 Jun 2022, 02:30:06 pm. These eight seats on Qantas' refurbished Airbus A380 offer maximum room for your feet. 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