Emirates axes more trans-Tasman flights as Qantas takes over
By David Flynn, October 11 2017
Emirates will axe its Melbourne-Auckland and Brisbane-Auckland fights as of 25 March 2018, handing the bulk of its trans-Tasman flying over to partner Qantas.
The Gulf carrier currently flies its flagship Airbus A380 superjumbos daily from Melbourne and Brisbane to Auckland and back, and the international-grade business class seats and first class suites have proven popular with business travellers.
Qantas will fill the gap by boosting the number of flights across the pond in order to comply with the requirements of the original Qantas-Emirates alliance, which both airlines are seeking to extend to 2023.
This will include seven new return flights per week between Melbourne and Auckland and an extra two return flights per week between Brisbane and Auckland, with some of these moving from a Boeing 737 onto the larger and more comfortable Airbus A330 with its superior business class.
Read: Here is Qantas' new trans-Tasman flight schedule to Auckland
Qantas says its new trans-Tasman timetable will see flights "connect seamlessly to Qantas’ London services via Perth or Singapore" as the airline also looks to eat into the London-bound market of competitor Air New Zealand.
Emirates will retain a daily Dubai-Sydney-Christchurch Airbus A380 as its only trans-Tasman service and also reschedule its Australia flights "to create a better spread of departure times throughout the day", the airline said in a statement, aimed at improving connections at its Dubai hub.
Emirates CEO Tim Clark told Reuters that demand on its Australia-Auckland flights was reduced after the airline launched non-stop flights between Auckland and Dubai last year, leaving the superjumbo as too large an aircraft for the trans-Tasman hop.
“I guess if we had a smaller aeroplane we might not have” cancelled the New Zealand flights, Clark told Reuters. “The A380 is just too big for the market.”
Today's announcement marks the third set of trans-Tasman superjumbo flights on which Emirates has pulled the plug, following the July 2017 ditching of A380 flights between Sydney and Auckland in order to "optimise capacity on this route in line with changes in demand" on the highly-competitive route.
At the time the airline claimed it had no plans to drop the sibling Airbus A380 flights from Melbourne and Brisbane to Auckland, saying that Sydney-Auckland aside, "all other Emirates Trans-Tasman services will continue to operate as normal."
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.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
02 Jan 2015
Total posts 70
:( I will miss the A380 upper deck Mel-Akl
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
28 Sep 2012
Total posts 132
So QF future strategy might have the 789's replacing the 330's to Asia, and send the 330's trans-cont and trans-Tasman? Have a decent product on those two key routes, perhaps?
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
17 Aug 2012
Total posts 2204
They have 28 A330s (10 A330-300s and 18 A330-200s). These are probably coming off transcon, what with the end of the mining boom. While some B787-9s might indeed go into Asia--particularly on routes with heavy premium demand, like Tokyo-HND--one would expect the A330s to remain QF's Asia workhorse for a while longer.
03 Aug 2015
Total posts 58
Definitely more a case of A332's coming off domestic ops, I heard the other day VA was planning to almost end domestic ops for A330s within 2 years.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
19 Jun 2017
Total posts 41
QF159 is appearing as a new flight ex Melbourne - leaving 10 45am on an A330. QF151 looks like it's being upgraded from a B738 to A330, perfect for an overnight flight. Funny enough the QF reservations team has not eliminated QF8762... which I'll miss!
Air New Zealand - Airpoints
10 Aug 2015
Total posts 79
Yeah that red eye is brutal!! I swore I'd never do it again but unintentionally landed on it again a couple of weeks ago. Surprised how full that 737 was but the A330 lie flat would be strongly welcomed.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
17 Aug 2012
Total posts 2204
The schedule is interesting--it seems sub-optimal from the MEL end, and I expected that the early morning MEL-AKL flight and late afternoon AKL-MEL would get the A330, but it makes perfect sense at the AKL end, with the early morning and early evening services getting the A330.
Etihad - Etihad Guest
06 Apr 2012
Total posts 124
Will be interesting to see what ensuing changes there will be for the current EK434 (DXB>BNE) and return EK435 (BNE>DXB) a380 service. Can't see Emirates wanting to keep an a380 on the ground in BNE for 14½ hours every day.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
28 Oct 2011
Total posts 462
The story notes that EK will be adjusting the schedules for the Australian flights. You're quite right - they won't leave aircraft sitting on the ground in BNE, SYD and MEL all day.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
01 Aug 2013
Total posts 23
Will be interested to see what EK does with the SYD-BKK flight times now, I wonder if it will leave earlier in the day to compete with the QF flight
Emirates Airlines - Skywards
08 Sep 2016
Total posts 2
hoping EK does leave earlier to BKK..Arriving 1am is a pain. QF better timing but as a EK flyer I don't get upgrades on QF.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
10 Jan 2017
Total posts 40
No! Gawd, Anyone flew Qantas international? It’s striped back to bare minimum... everything is on request. It certainly does not compare to the inflight product offerings of Emirates who IMO is a true PREMIUM airline.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
12 Jun 2011
Total posts 148
I disagree, I think QF is still a very good premium airline, it an understated feel
29 Sep 2015
Total posts 4
^ understated product
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
08 May 2017
Total posts 13
Your joking ??? I flew Sydney - Queenstown once and it was THE WORST SERVICE EVER from check in to landing. Returned Air NZ and the difference was unbelievable.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
09 May 2011
Total posts 362
*you're
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
17 May 2014
Total posts 35
As I've flown QF international a couple times, no way their service is "bare minimum" and no way EK is a "true premium airline". QF's service is just as good and friendly, and the seat is IMHO superior than EK's one. I don't think it's too bad for the back of the plane either - I personally don't notice a lot of difference between the seats, maybe the IFE a bit but that's about it.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
09 May 2011
Total posts 362
I'd fly Qantas over Emirates any day, any time
26 Sep 2017
Total posts 38
I use both airlines' business class very often. I fly SYD-DFW on QF7 and 8 (4 times a year) and I fly SYD-DXB-BHX on EK 413/412 (3 times a year). I am gold in both airlines. What reason do you fly QANTAS over Emirates any day, any time?
Emirates Airlines - Skywards
14 Feb 2014
Total posts 33
well said
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
16 Apr 2013
Total posts 30
This relationship with Emirates certainly continues to be interesting.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
23 May 2017
Total posts 1
Aww that's a shame - the flight times (and bigger aircrafts) between MEL and AKL on EK are perfect. Hopefully QF keep a similar schedule.
08 May 2017
Total posts 9
It always seemed a bit overkill having the a380s going across the Tasman. Oh well - they will be missed dearly!
Etihad - Etihad Guest
06 Apr 2012
Total posts 124
Agree - it was kinda like taking a stretch limo down to the corner shops.....
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
29 Nov 2013
Total posts 475
It has always been a freight run for Emirates. Pax and cabin crew were a necessary distraction...
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
21 Mar 2013
Total posts 132
As well as cheap parking!
QF
04 Apr 2014
Total posts 209
It was nice while it lasted.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
22 Jul 2015
Total posts 14
Bugger. Glad I got to do MEL-AKL and back in J a couple of months ago. I couldn't understand the economics of it but was very happy to have the experience. It's quite special flying in the upper deck of these big birds especially in EK format. I spent most of the flight at the bar chatting to staff and a couple of other passengers.
Air New Zealand - Airpoints
12 Feb 2016
Total posts 22
Yep the trans tasman timing westbound was ideal for the A380 bar. But i never liked going through the transit security in AUS.
10 Jan 2017
Total posts 9
Shame, just about everything on Emirates was superior to Qantas - seats, food, IFE and more often than not service. Plus a good opportunity to access business and first cabins for a reasonable price.
11 Jul 2014
Total posts 13
Hawk the Qantas & Jetconnect 737s are identical apart from Nz crews on Jetconnect and the later delivered Qf 737s have the sky interior.
10 Jan 2017
Total posts 9
Ok, I’ve only flown JetConnect flights 2x and they have both been the amongst the worst flights I’ve taken. Terrible service, bad food and cramped. Refused to fly them since. The QF flights I’ve taken more recently have at least had good food (3 choices) and good (Australian) crews.
Air New Zealand - Airpoints
21 Jan 2016
Total posts 193
Jetconnect is 100% owned by Qantas and operates to Qantas mainline procedures. With Emirates retrenching from Trans Tasman flights and the introduction of A330's, you will see upgrade in services.
Emirates Airlines - Skywards
08 Sep 2016
Total posts 2
Unfortunately arrived on EK418 yest from BKK and flight was full and couldn't upgrade..There service in economy was crap.waited 2 hours to get drink or food...Should only be an hour at most to get trollys thru..
26 Sep 2017
Total posts 38
This was kind of expected, and very sad for many of us...QANTAS has been bleeding custom to Emirates since the early part of 2007 when Emirates brought their very superior A380 to these sectors.
Now it is with great loathing that I have had to book all my future trans Tasman flights with the inferior QANTAS airline, who offers more expensive seats, on either an A330 with business class seats a cheap copy of the Emirates style and no bar...or if you want to feel REALLY ripped off, a B737...lol!!!
Etihad Guest
23 Dec 2012
Total posts 4
I did read somewhere that because of the high ground fees at Sydney Airport, it was actually more cost effective to fly the A380s over to Auckland, even partially full of passengers/cargo, than was leave them stood idle for 14 hours.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
17 Aug 2012
Total posts 2204
I would argue that that made sense back when EK weren't flying as many frequencies into and out of Australia as they are now, so the schedule would've required parking an A380 on the East Coast for the whole day, but doesn't anymore, given they now run enough frequencies to do quick turnarounds, like the new afternoon arrival DXB-SYD forming the SYD-BKK-DXB flight.
QF
04 Apr 2014
Total posts 209
Shame also for Auckland airport who spent up big on gates to handle the 380’s.
10 Jan 2017
Total posts 9
They still have the direct Auckland-Dubai A380’s
Air New Zealand - Airpoints
21 Jan 2016
Total posts 193
The A380 gates at AKL are also used by by SQ when they fly the summer SIN/AKL/AKL services.
Air New Zealand - Airpoints
21 Jan 2016
Total posts 193
I doesn't suprise me that EK is pulling their Trans Tasman services except Christchurch. The A380 is expensive to operate on short haul international flights, as It was designed for long haul international flights.
There has been speculation for some time, that EK is thinking of operating AKL/LAX and/or AKL/SFO with A380's. as part of EK 'around the world' route project. Even Air NZ is aware of it. If this does happen, it would be great for QF, as AKL/LAX is still a missing link in their Trans Pacific services especially with AA only offering season services during our summer.
With the Amercia Cup been planned for 2023 in Auckland, the current speculation could become a reality. Watch this space.
15 Dec 2015
Total posts 20
If that happened, the US-based airlines would throw a tantrum.
26 Sep 2017
Total posts 38
Stop Press!!!
Further to my previous post, I am Gold with both QANTAS and Emirates and feel thus somewhat tied to use their services, but last week I absolutely didn't want to return on that (expensive and) noisy B737 that QANTAS offers as its direct business class replacement for the AKL-SYD EK419, so I flew Air New Zealand business....they use B787-9 with a cheerful light and airy cabin layout designed well for single travellers down the A side, and couples/families down the K side...and Air New Zealand food and service is of VERY high quality. It was an eminently more comfortable journey than my QANTAS journey.
16 Sep 2017
Total posts 6
Air New Zealand business food might be good, but the economy food on a flight a couple of weeks ago (AKL-MEL) was very, very ordinary. and shows signs of significant cost cutting.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
11 May 2017
Total posts 14
I've always found the quality of service and in-flight experience of AirNZ underrated. I feel they are a reasonably priced trans tas experience.
It's disappointing that their partnership with VA has deteriorated.
01 Dec 2011
Total posts 29
Just checked my flight to AKL on 30/3--changed from QF8762 on EK A380, dep 0810, to QF 153 on QF B737 800 winglets, dep 0730. So I'll have to get up half an hour earlier, glad I'm flying business class, on my way to S America, but with 4 nights in NZ
Emirates Airlines - Skywards
30 Nov 2015
Total posts 730
Devastated...Melbourne to Auckland will never be the same.
Emirates Airlines - Skywards
30 Nov 2015
Total posts 730
Might make my next trip to Auckland First Class instead of Business before the luxury of narrow body takes over, YUCK.
Emirates Airlines - Skywards
14 Feb 2014
Total posts 33
bye bye NZ might as well go to townsville and fly a broom
14 Oct 2013
Total posts 4
David do we know date for the last AKL-MEL flight... is it 28 February 2018???
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
07 Apr 2013
Total posts 146
Sydney Christchurch EK flights days are numbered too from what an EK flight attendant told me on the weekend. Enjoy it while it lasts.
25 Sep 2013
Total posts 1245
That'd be sad if true.
14 Oct 2013
Total posts 4
David never mind I have found the last AKL-MEL flight.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
21 Mar 2013
Total posts 132
Is it known whether these a330s will move into the Jetconnect stable?
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
17 Aug 2012
Total posts 2204
There are rumblings that Jetconnect cabin crews might be put onto the A330 flights but with mainline flight crews, as per the old AKL-LAX practice (and similar to current JQi practice on some of the Asian routes like MEL-SIN). We'll see.
12 Aug 2017
Total posts 75
All this is somewhat worrying, given the reported financial problems in the other ME airlines. I rather suspect that they grew too fast, with shiny new planes, and all those holidaymakers who wanted to come down-under have now done so.
10 Aug 2015
Total posts 125
This really brings the new EK430 departure from BNE at 2225 into play as there is no more a 2100 departure. Hopefully the 77L is upgraded to an A380 as a result.
09 Dec 2015
Total posts 13
What a pity, will miss the F suits across the ditch!
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
11 Oct 2017
Total posts 1
QF123 and QF126 between Brisbane and Auckland seem to have been Upgraded from a 737 to A330-2
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
04 Oct 2016
Total posts 37
The article said these services would connect seamlessly with London services through Perth and Singapore, does that mean a Qantas AKL-PER route is coming as a daily service, year round?
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
08 Aug 2016
Total posts 54
an AKL-PER would put Qantas on equal footing with air NZ for a one stop service from AKL to LHR. could be a game changer
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
27 Dec 2015
Total posts 2
What am I going to do now to boost my Status Credit points with Qantas? Those sale price First flights will be sadly missed ☹
Air New Zealand - Airpoints
21 Jan 2016
Total posts 193
I doesn't suprise me that EK is pulling their Trans Tasman services except Christchurch. The A380 is expensive to operate on short haul international flights, as It was designed for long haul international flights.
There has been speculation for some time, that EK is thinking of operating AKL/LAX and/or AKL/SFO with A380's. as part of EK 'around the world' route project. Even Air NZ is aware of it. If this does happen, it would be great for QF, as AKL/LAX is still a missing link in their Trans Pacific services especially with AA only offering season services during our summer.
With the Americas Cup been planned for 2023 in Auckland, the current speculation could become a reality. Watch this space.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
09 May 2011
Total posts 362
Are Emirates allowed to operate AKL/LAX?
25 Sep 2013
Total posts 1245
Would the NZ government ever allow that?
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
28 Jul 2016
Total posts 108
The routing would have to be DXB-AKL-LAX or DXB-LAX-AKL for it to be possible.
Emirates Airlines - Skywards
30 Nov 2015
Total posts 730
What will happen with the AKL EK Lounge?
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
19 Jun 2017
Total posts 41
I'm interested to see if QF FF will be able to access. From what we've heard, Emirates has been quite picky and has denied access to QF FF when flying in QF metal and wanting to use EK's lounges.
Emirates Airlines - Skywards
30 Nov 2015
Total posts 730
Rather puzzled why they are leaving the EK A380 SYD CHC, any suggestions, not long ago that was a 777 service and was never full.
26 Sep 2017
Total posts 38
With regard to lounge access (silvyvc's comment)...here's how I believe it works. If you're travelling on a QANTAS ticket and using an Emirates plane, you will be allowed in the Emirates lounge if your frequent flyer status with Emirates is gold or better. And the same applies in reverse. QANTAS will deny you access on an Emirates ticket unless you have QANTAS gold status.
17 Sep 2015
Total posts 388
Is there any chance that Taiwanese airline China Airlines will again operate its A330s from MEL across the Tasman sensing a better market once EK withdraws?
20 Oct 2017
Total posts 5
Sorry folks more bad news Qantas no longer flys a summer timetable from Perth non stop to Auckland.I was booked in business class and had my reservation cancelled yesterday. Qantas is now back to one international route out of Perth that is Singapore on a nasty 737-800.Perth to New Zealand is once again via the eastern states or on the other airline.Good news the new 789 is flying domestically MEL/PER
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