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. Got a points upgrade from Economy aisle to premium economy window. Well send you an email containing the activation link. But we do think if you look at the Qantas network, there are going to be opportunities to deploy those aircraft. Compare a range of products that will provide rewards and benefits to frequent flyers. The airline has already refurbished six; VH-OQD, VH-OQG, VH-OQH, VH-OQI, VH-OQJ, and QH-OQK. Qantas will ground its entire flagship Airbus A380 fleet until at least the middle of 2023 as the airline comes to grips with what's expected to be a prolonged downturn in international travel. The airline had previously stated that while it was committed to retaining its A380 fleet, the four-engined jets were unlikely to return to service until 2023. An A380, thats fully or nearly fully written down, if it generates cash, will absolutely work. Excellent. Its been 10 months since Qantas sent its A380s to the Mojave Desert for long-term storage. Qantas hasn't released details of the A380's premium economy seat pitch but they have said the A380 would have the same premium economy seat pitch as the Boeing 787, and that's the real concern. 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). interact with our community. The Airbus A380 touched down in wet and overcast conditions just after 06:00 on Monday. This means there will no longer be a first class product on Qantas until 2023. Same with QF, as soon as you board it feels Australian. Cloudflare monitors for these errors and automatically investigates the cause. It operated QF1 from Sydney to Heathrow, departing Sunday, September 30, 2019, and arriving into Heathrow the next day. And its all going to be about cash when we start up international [flights].. Airbus 380 seat map | Qantas US 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. Qantas is keeping mum. Qantas is bringing its Airbus A380s back into service in January one upper at least with the 6 refurbished examples. As a result Qantas is bringing back a sixth refurbished A380 superjumbo into operation from the middle of this month, providing more operational resilience over the busy Christmas holidays. It's completely free and we'll never pass your information on to The new design, with cafe-style seating and tables, appears better suited for conversation and collaboration than the current single row of benches offered on A380 flights. The airline said this involves some technical changes to be finalised with Airbus. It's been 10 months since Qantas sent its A380s to the Mojave Desert for long-term storage. There are two maintenance facilities being used for refurbishments, including one in Abu Dhabi. 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. With about five weeks to go, VH-OQI should be the next refurbished A380 set to fly around the end of October. My favourite aircraft as a long haul passenger. I loved the so-called Emerald City at the front of the upper deck. Just so quiet and smooth. 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. We have been replacing the bigger aircraft with the 787s. Qantas A380 | Qantas AU 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. They haven't been added to the map yet, but those are the six. And beyond that, trying to figure out the refurbishment schedule and which plane is going where is speculation and not particularly useful. Like the business suites, these products will also feature seats currently used in Qantas' Dreamliners premium-economy section. An easy decision for the airline bean counters. It is too Australian, for customers who are primarily not actually Australian. Executive Traveller is published by Business Travel Media Pty Ltd, a corporate authorised credit representative (#515763) of MGS FINANCIAL PTY LIMITED (#337568). You don't have credit card details available. It was the last A380 Qantas received. 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. 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. Qantas CEO, Alan Joyce, is calling the process a , . Please view our advertising policy page for more information. Scuttlebutt several days ago was that it would be VH-OQL, named Phyllis Arnott. 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. Airlines; Airports; Hotels; Lounges; Frequent Flyer; Reward Programs; Technology; Motoring; Other; Reviews. Qantas have already confirmed the PE seats on A380 won't have more pitch than on the 787. My guess is the fourth A380 wont be sighted until early February at least. parties. No major loss in Business. The schedule hasn't yet been updated to reflect this, but it should be updated shortly. Woomera has a strip that could easily handlen an A380. Qantas News Room Qantas Bringing Back Airbus A380 In January 2022 In April, Joyce said each aircraft could potentially come back into service in as little as three to six months. See also: Airbus A320neo, Boeing 737 MAX battle for billion-dollar Qantas order. 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. Qantas reactivated another A380 in early November. If your email is already registered you will have provided it to us previously for one of our events/webcasts/newsletters. Exclusive: Qantas takes delivery of new 787 after 2-year delay, RAAF streamlines training for new recruits, AucklandBeijing flights to finally return, Leonardo Australia wins AS9110 certification, Baltik Air takes on Malaysia Airlines on AdelaideKuala Lumpur, Cracks that caused wing to break off biplane were hidden, Qantas A380s was flown from storage at LAX to a facility in Dresden, International borders to open in December, says Qantas. Lounge inside Qantas' newly refurbished A380 a game changer - News.com.au 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. Qantas resumes scheduled A380 flights between Sydney and Los Angeles on Tuesday, January 11. Signing up with Executive Traveller only takes a second and lets you 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.. That would be 5 with new fit out. ", 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.". "The aircraftare 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.". Well send you an email to re-activate your account and enter a new password. More bums on seats equal more dollars in Qantas pockets. How long will it take to refurbish Qantas entire fleet of twelve A380s? From a passenger's point of view, it's a lucky dip as to what plane you get. I also don't like the tail and the use of kangaroo anymore. "We're parking the A380sfor at least three years," Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce confirmed to media during a press teleconference following the announcement of a sweepingthree-year 'post-Covid recovery plan'. A380 Business was crap, droopy seats, 2-2-2 on most aircraft. oqh, oqj and oqk sorry. To describe the updated look in one word, let's try "debeigified". Hi Guest, join in the discussion on The route is currently being done by the refurbished OQD & OQK aircraft. Even the non-refurbed Business in the A380 is fine, but the refurb is fabulous! The seats being too close together is not an issue you should be experiencing when flying Premium Economy. As a result Qantas is bringing back a sixth refurbished A380 superjumbo into operation from the middle of this month, "providing more operational resilience over the busy Christmas holidays".. VH-OQA is the last of the 12 A380s for refurb and is scheduled for November 2020. But what about VH-OQI? Already have an Executive Traveller account? Cloudflare Ray ID: 7c0aa9882e88e847 By breakfast time on Monday, the superjumbo was up in the air again. Qantas confident its fleet of Airbus A380's will return. After being parked for nearly two years, the Australian carrier will once again be flying the popular superjumbo on its flight between Sydney (SYD) and Los Angeles (LAX) starting on Jan. 11. Well send you an email containing the activation link. There is an unknown connection issue between Cloudflare and the origin web server. The A380 takes off right at the end of the footage. 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. Qantas Airbus A380 refurbishment schedule - Qantas & Jetstar Your IP: Already have an ET account? 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. That plane is followed by a Qantas Dreamliner - both bound for Sydney. Airports that have slot restrictions, like Heathrow, where a slot is extremely expensive, then the aircraft works for that. . Eagle-eyed planespotters were anticipating the return to service of the second Qantas A380. After all, with the DFW-SYD A380 service pre-COVID19, it was de-rigeur to block >100 seats during much of the year due to weather. 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. But I am concerned that Qantas' shine as Australia's flag carrier may not resonate with a product that doesn't look decent enough to compete with others. How Long Will It Take To Refurbish Qantas' Entire A380 Fleet? 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But if you consider the flat bed space - the four probably take the space of twenty seats (2 rows) down stairs. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). You will be redirected to update payment method page. Well send you an email containing the activation link. In basic economy, travelers can expect new seat cushions and improved inflight entertainment. As some other commentators had said in previous forums, the video is more about making us feel good about ourselves but does nothing to attract or gain loyalty with overseas clients, of which those from Asia will prefer Asian based airlines on the basis of in flight service rather than just being patriotic to their own homegrown airlines. Even 1-2 inches extra in pitch would make all the difference. Give me the A380 anytime over 787 when in economy though. 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. Whether Dresden winds down over January or not, most of Australia does. To improve comfort on long haul flights, our fleet of 12 A380's are to be refurbished as part of a major cabin upgrade. Andrew is based in Sydney. For consistent product you have to fly Delta or United. There's a new premium economy seat product in the upgraded A380, which first debuted on Qantas' Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. Required fields are marked *. United are flying 787s with 2-2-2 business seating as well. 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. Resend one to yourself here. Qantas international flights: Airbus A380 superjumbos to return to English. case letter, and one special character. From mid-December, Qantas and Jetstar will reinstate international schedules between Australia and low-risk countries, including Singapore, the US, Japan, the UK, Canada and Fiji. third 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. Youtube channel LA Flights has some nice footage of the jet pushing back in Los Angeles on Saturday evening. However, Qantas has been smart in its parking strategy. 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. It comes as the airline posted a statutory loss before tax of $1.83 billion, largely driven by sudden and ongoing border closures in the second half of the financial year. 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. interact with our community. we are flying Singapore to London in October on an A380 and hopefully it's with the new business suite. The credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. I wish the best however I am not going on the max. 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. What's wrong with the new seats? As an engineer the plane is inheritably unstable and placing rotational forces on the wings that no previous 737 has had to encounter. At the time, the airline didnt think they would be needed again before around 2023 to 2024. Will fly ex DRW instead, which is better for eastern cities anyway to get to, will upgrade the QF pax facilities at terminal. The summer school holidays are in full swing and the. As a result, the web page can not be displayed. They'd spotted this plane doing some laps over Los Angeles in the runup to Saturday's transpacific flight. TPG's JT Genter reviewed Qantas' 787-9 business class last year and gave the product high marks. 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. On Saturday and Sunday, VH-OQB operated ten flights around Sydney. Even Qatar if they bring theirs back. 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.. And the similar scheduling windows that worked for Australia are unique. Qantas' new A380 business class reveals massive changes Already have an Executive Traveller account? Qantas A380 refurb schedule - Qantas & Jetstar - Executive Traveller Absolutely fabulous - layout, space, comfort 1-2-1. 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. Well send you an email to re-activate your account and enter a new password. The airline has already refurbished six; VH-OQD, VH-OQG, VH-OQH, VH-OQI, VH-OQJ, and QH-OQK. There are some of us that flatly DON'T buy this "mothball the A380 for 3 years". multiple take-off and landings from Sydney Airport. Signing up with Executive Traveller only takes a second and lets you 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. 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. 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. The thrice-weekly flights are a stop-gap measure to solve a problem caused by out-of-action 787-9 Dreamliner crews. The decision to reactivate the Qantas A380s with VH-OQB and VH-OQD is a slightly odd one. VH-OQB will depart Sydney and operate QF11 to Los Angeles on Tuesday evening. Hi Guest, join in the discussion on Qantas to mothball all Airbus A380s until at least 2023, Executive Traveller is published by Business Travel Media Pty Ltd, a corporate authorised credit representative (#515763) of MGS FINANCIAL PTY LIMITED (#337568). From personal experience, they don't. Just be happy our airline didnt fold during covid and have to get aircraft that spent two years in the desert in airworthy condition. 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. 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Qantas has been planning this refurbishment for a couple of years. I think Qantas is pretty good. We think we will reactivate all of the A380s. So it looks like the newer units got the upgrade. Qantas Will Revamp Biz Cabin in Refurbishment of A380 Fleet - The 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. I would have thought storing them in Alice would be better than flying to California to store them. The superjumbo had covered 7,641 miles (12,297 kilometers) on this flight. Here are the best watches of the year: should you care? 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. Go figure. Resend one to yourself here. The CEO added that the airline won't dedicate the spruced-up aircraft to one . First Look And Flight Photos Of The Qantas A380 New Interiors - Forbes Already have an ET account? By the end of this upgrade, well have next-generation seating across our entire long-haul fleet of A380s, A330s and 787s.. Most regular Qantas A380 passengers would recognise that an update is needed. Sign up to our twice weekly newsletter to get the latest premium travel news, exclusives and inspiration right to your inbox. Maybe some of the A380's going to Mohave are currently parked at LAX? The only aircraft for me for Melbourne to London.Superior in every way . Thatt's the same product as China Eastern, Shanghai Airlines, SAS etc who all debuted their products back in the earlier 2010s. 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. How long will it take to refurbish Qantas' entire fleet of twelve A380s? If demand increases beyond the 236-seat capacity of the Boeing 787-9, Qantas would likely add a second daily Dreamliner service onto the route enacting the same plan as announced in March 2020 when the Sydney-Singapore-London QF1/QF2 Airbus A380 service was set to be rerouted via Perth on a Boeing 787-9. Didnt receive an activation email? In fact, one aircraft just being reconfigured flew directly to the Mojave Desert, said Joyce at the time. We now have even more details from Executive Traveler on the rollout of the new interiors. Six still sport previous generation cabins. It's quite specialised. If it's BOEING 737 Max I suggest you will have the entire plane to yourself. If youve forgotten your password, simply enter your email address The aircraft was delivered to Qantas in December 2011. Log in below. Qantas has a full refurbishment on offer for the A380, including the updated 14-seat first class cabin that it has decided to keep downstairs on the double-decker, rather than replacing it with an upstairs cabin and new seats. parties. The carrier will also roster larger A330 aircraft onto flights between Sydney and Bali between December 5 and January 26, replacing the current B737s serving the route. It is just a marvelous experience to fly Business in the upgraded A380's. When flights to London eventually resume, those are expected to run only on the Qantas Boeing 787 between Perth and London, with Singapore downgraded to an end-destination served by Airbus A330s and Boeing 787s. The refurbishment will fit the cabin out with a compelling business class and a large premium economy cabin. We'll see Qantas' final eight A380s re-enter the fleet by the end of 2020. In short, about another 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. You don't need to CGI stuff and try to show parts of Australia so desperately. Qantas plans to fly the Airbus A380 3x weekly between Sydney (SYD) and Los Angeles (LAX) as of January 11, 2022. There will be 9 aircraft remaining. Im not sure what sort of tourism you think operates under those conditions. All 10 returning A380s will have their interiors refurbished prior to their return to service. Qantas Reactivates Its Second Airbus A380 - simpleflying.com Talking point: have you given up on airport WiFi? Granted, Qantas new Economy is kinda luxurious but Thompson Vantage XL? Until that time arrives, Qantas' fleet of 12 Airbus A380's 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. I will be very interested to see how long it takes for demand levels to increase enough to warrant the recommissioning of the A380's. The prospect of flying overseas might feel a long way off, especially in New South Wales and Victoria in lockdown, but the current pace of the vaccine rollout means we should have a lot more freedom in a few months time, said Qantas CEO Alan Joyce. For the time being, the aircraft will remain parked until such time as demand signals that its the right moment for them to return.