LONDON HEATHROW TO PERTH DIRECT

POST HedgeFundFlyer DATE October 28, 12:03

Three questions: Would you fly it? Can they make money on it? Should the ME3 [Middle East three] feel threatened by it? For me: yes I would, but only in business. I couldn’t face that long in economy or premium economy – I am 6’3. I love Perth and Western Australia and would welcome the chance to visit for a few nights or longer on the way to Sydney. I have no idea if the airline economics work but it must be a great opportunity for Perth and WA to become a gateway to Australia.

AMcWhirter October 28, 12:53

Would I fly it? No. Can Qantas make money on the route? That’s an impossible question to answer as it depends on fuel prices, currency values and so on. Ultra long-haul flights are fuel-inefficient (as Thai and SIA found to their cost with their A340-500 operations some years ago), but making money may not be a priority for Qantas on this particular route. Qantas may wish to gain the prestige of operating one of the world’s longest non-stop flights. Should the Gulf airlines feel threatened by it? No. Australia is considered a low-yield destination with many/most passengers travelling for leisure/ visiting friends and relatives. Would the latter be prepared to pay more for a non-stop flight? Most travellers would, I believe, be quite happy to fly indirectly if the fare were lower. Just as with Hong Kong-Europe there are many indirect options for Perth-Europe.

JohnHarper October 28, 18:47

I travel often to Australia but never to Perth. I can’t see the attraction of travelling on an ultra-long sector to then change to a domestic, often red-eye sector to get to the east coast when I can fly via SIN or AUH and enjoy better service on SQ or EY. The 787 is also a plane I now seek to avoid – it’s inferior to the A350 and I detest the feature that allows the crew to control the window dimming, one of the worst things ever invented (first world problem).

IanFromHKG November 14, 04:49

I’ve been on a plane for more than 18 hours due to a typhoon. I was in the CX Cirrus seat with superlative service, but that is just way too long to be in one seat – even a large one that turns into a flat bed! Having said that, would I prefer that to being turfed off a plane and hanging around in an airport? Hell, yes. If the fares were the same as for layovers, I would go non-stop in the blink of an eye. But somehow, I doubt they will be…