Qantas-Emirates alliance: how Germany, France flights will work
By John Walton, September 25 2012
If you're travelling to France or Germany after the Qantas-Emirates alliance comes into effect in April 2013, you'll have a raft of new one-stop flights opening up.
Qantas is axing Frankfurt flights, cutting its ties with Air France and reducing its reliance on British Airways' Heathrow hub as its European connection in favour of flying everyone apart from London-bound travellers through Dubai. In short, it's a new European flight revolution for Australian travellers.
With Emirates, seven German and French cities will have direct flights from Dubai by the time you're flying to Europe via Dubai, with most of the flights taking just under six hours from DXB.
And, of course, you'll have more options flying out of Australia to Dubai from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide.
That's an improvement on the current situation for Qantas passengers, who have a choice of:
- Qantas and Air France via Singapore to Paris
- Qantas via Singapore to Frankfurt
- Qantas and/or British Airways via Singapore (or, less often, Bangkok/Hong Kong) and London Heathrow
We've broken down how that situation will change for travellers heading to Germany and France.
Germany
Deutschland-bound Australian Qantas loyalists can breathe a sigh of relief: you have other options than the awful Frankfurt Airport, with its kilometres of miserable grey corridors.
Emirates will whisk you to four German destinations:
- Frankfurt three times daily
- Munich twice daily
- Düsseldorf twice daily
- Hamburg twice daily
What you'll find on board can vary widely depending on what plane is on your route. Refer to our illustrated guide to Emirates' business class seats to figure out what you'll be sitting on.
Frankfurt sees two 777-300ER planes and one daily A340-300 (EK043/044).
One of Emirates' Munich flights -- EK049/050 -- uses an Airbus A380, so if you're heading to Bavaria on business that's the one to pick. The other daily flight is a 777-300.
Spacious, private, fully flat beds in business class: the reason why you want to take Emirates' A380 if you can.
Düsseldorf flights use a mix of Boeing 777-300ER and 777-200 planes, while Hamburg is all 777-300ER.
But aficionados of the A380's super-comfortable business class seats -- not to mention its business class bar -- heading to northern Germany might also consider flying into Amsterdam on the EK147/148 superjumbo return service.
From there, it's a quick hop on one of the excellent international trains from the Netherlands into Germany.
Business class bar to while away the flight to Europe? We say "oui", or possibly "ja".
France
Emirates runs three daily return flights to Paris' Charles de Gaulle, with one -- the EK073/074 flight -- on the airline's Airbus A380 superjumbo.
Flights to the southern city of Nice are also on offer, with a daily flight from Dubai on an Airbus A340.
The airline will will also run five weekly flights (not Thursdays or Sundays) to France's second economic powerhouse, Lyon, starting in December and using an Airbus A340 plane.
If you happen to need to head to Lyon on a Thursday or Sunday -- or to other French cities -- there's no hardship in connecting on one of France's excellent TGV high-speed trains via the airport station at Paris Charles de Gaulle. Lyon also has a TGV station right at the airport.
With Air France's domestic flights network out of the Qantas picture, we expect more business travellers to use the TGV. Find out everything you need to know about the TGV in AusBT's tip-laden guide!
Read more: Australian Business Traveller's comprehensive coverage of the Qantas-Emirates deal includes...
- "Camelroo" 101: the basics of the groundbreaking new Qantas-Emirates alliance.
- Emirates Skywards frequent flyers earn tier points on all Qantas flights, while Qantas Frequent Flyers earn tier points on codeshare flights, with reciprocal lounge arrangements and other perks also on offer.
- What you'll find on board Emirates' flights -- and how they compare to Qantas -- in business class, Emirates's swanky first class, and down the back in economy class.
- How the Qantas-Emirates hookup -- and the Qantas-BA breakup -- will revolutionise business travellers' options for flying to the UK.
- Singapore changes from Qantas' main hub for Europe into an Asian destination in its own right: new flights, timings and more.
For more on the new Qantas-Emirates alliance, and how it'll affect your travel, follow us on Twitter: we're @AusBT.
Aviation journalist and travel columnist John took his first long-haul flight when he was eight weeks old and hasn't looked back since. Well, except when facing rearwards in business class.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
25 May 2012
Total posts 580
Emirates also flies into Nice!
03 Jan 2011
Total posts 665
Very true! I'd mucked up some code creating that map and it'd dropped off my list.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
10 Jan 2012
Total posts 259
You could also use GVA to get to the Lyon area if necessary. EK89/90 is Daily and operated by 77W/772. And if you had to get to Stuttgart, besides MUC, ZRH is about the same distance but at the moment the A380 isn't operating there, its 77L/77W.
03 Jan 2011
Total posts 665
Oh, absolutely -- the number of cross-border options in Europe is massive!
28 Sep 2012
Total posts 1
there're actually two daily EK flights to Hamburg: EK59/60 and EK61/62
03 Jan 2011
Total posts 665
Interesting -- looks like the (then up-to-date!) schedule I was working from has been updated. Thanks for letting us know!
QF
28 Sep 2012
Total posts 5
It's not all good news.
Currently QF has a very comfortable FRA-SIN-PER, out at 22:20, one stop and home at midnight. What are my options now? Two stops to get home or just fly EK. And lose a working day, no more night flights.
I've done 6 Emirates flights, none of which have been that great, not as good as QF.
03 Jan 2011
Total posts 665
Oh, I'm not saying that it's good news all around -- no airline news ever is! But on balance, and since that Qantas route would almost certainly have been cut anyway, at least you have options.
If you dislike the Emirates offering, you do still have the option of connecting via London onto the Qantas flights, or directly with Cathay Pacific if you still want oneworld points and status. (No cabin bonuses, alas.)
QF
28 Sep 2012
Total posts 2
"awful Frankfurt Airport, with its kilometres of miserable grey corridors"
FRA is my favourite airport in Europe and the reason I choose to fly LH more often for long-haul. Perhaps you need to spend some more time there John to truely appreciate the German efficiency at work there? :-)
03 Jan 2011
Total posts 665
Hi sudielasudes, and welcome to AusBT!
Alas, I have flown through Frankfurt seven times this year and found it absolutely dreadful every time.
From the confusing number/letter terminal combo to the grim, industrial decor with low ceilings to the walks of over a kilometre to the smoke-filled corridors from the smoking cabins to the deeply unimpressive Lufthansa lounges, it's among my top three worst hubs in the world.
I am all for German efficiency, but if you're looking for it in Frankfurt you're about 300km WNW of where you'll find it: Munich. Now there's a well-thought out airport.
Jetstar Airways - Qantas Frequent Flyer
02 Feb 2012
Total posts 17
I know those of us in Darwin are a barely measureable per cent of the Qantas market and an even smaller per cent of their international market, but the Link with Emirates really stuffs us. to date we could get to Singapore and then Qantas/BA/Air France etc to get to various destinations in Europe.
OK now we can still sort of do it by getting toHK and then Cathay-ing it to Europe, or one of the probably limited flights on BA, but as we can't get to AbuDhabi the Emirates network only does anything if we fly for four hours in the wrong direction! great for the points but it doesn't make for a happy traveller!!
QantasFF Platinum
16 Feb 2012
Total posts 153
Emirates also flies to HAJ (Hanover, Germany)
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