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Qantas to axe Melbourne-Dubai-London
May 5th 2017
Australia’s Qantas Airways has said it would axe its daily Melbourne-Dubai-London A380 flights when it launches nonstop Perth-London B787-9 services on March 24, 2018. Read More »
Qantas CEO, Alan Joyce, said on Australian television that the airline needs to “watch” its flights to Dubai following weakened demand as a result of Trump’s travel and electronics bans that also prompted heightened security checks for ex-Australia Middle Eastern flights. Qantas will maintain its daily Sydney-Dubai-London A380 flights.
In the interim, two A380s that operated the Melbourne-Dubai-London flights would be redeployed on high-demand routes to Asia, including Hong Kong and Singapore, Qantas said.
The oneworld member last week revealed the pricing for the nonstop Perth-London flights. It will charge a premium of as much as 48% in economy class and up to 62% in business class relative to one-stop options on rival carriers.
The nonstop flight will shave approximately 3-4 hours off the total travel time from Perth to London, compared to one-stop itineraries.
Year round return economy fares for the Melbourne-London and Perth-London routes start from AU$2,270 (US$1,679) but are expected to drop below AU$2,000 during sale periods. Year round return premium economy fares start from AU$4,450 between Melbourne and London and from AU$4,250 between Perth and London. Year round return business fares start from AU$9,890 return between Melbourne and London and from AU$9,725 between Perth and London.
Qantas has eight B787-9s on firm order, in addition to 15 options and 30 purchase rights. The first B787 is on track for delivery in November. The first two -9s will be dedicated to the Melbourne-Los Angeles route from December 2017, with the third and fourth aircraft dedicated to Melbourne-Perth-London service from March 2018.
