While Qantas has anointed Dubai as its new hub for flights to the UK and Europe under the landmark Qantas-Emirates alliance, the Red Roo says it’s not giving up on Singapore.
In fact, the airline says that business travellers will be better served by Singapore being treated as a destination in its own right rather than a transit stop on the Kangaroo Route.
Read: What the Qantas-Emirates alliance means for London and UK travel
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce is quick to pledge that Qantas “will increase dedicated capacity to Singapore and re-time flights to Singapore and Hong Kong to enable many more ‘same day’ connections across Asia.”
This process will begin with flight schedules between Australia and Singapore being adjusted to run at times better suited to travellers, rather than needing to line up to Singapore-London services which leave at midnight.
That said, the revised timetables will also seek to tie into Jetstar Asia services based at Singapore’s Changi Airport.
In addition to keeping current Australian flights to Singapore, codeshare Emirates flights will boost the total number of seats available on a Qantas ticket.
“(Emirates) flies from Singapore to Brisbane and to Melbourne” Joyce told The Australian newspaper last week.
“So we finally have our two flights on Singapore-Melbourne, we’ll have two flights on Singapore-Brisbane which we’ve never had before, and then we're going to re-time our Sydney flights, which go at the same time.”
At last week’s press conference Joyce assured Australian Business Traveller that planned upgrades to the airline’s Singapore and Hong Kong lounges, both of which are slated to be complete by year’s end, would go ahead.
Qantas is also tipped to introduce fully lie-flat Skybed II business class seats on its Airbus A330 flights to Singapore.
Keep up to date with the latest news for business travellers and frequent flyers: follow @AusBT on Twitter.
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.
28 Oct 2011
Total posts 650
'good things come to those who wait' ..better schedules...skybed mkII on a330s.. i'm a 'glass half full' kinda guy!! of course it still won't please some..each to their own!!
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
17 Jan 2012
Total posts 172
If they can do through fares from Australia to Singapore connecting on to the growing number of Jetstar Asia destinations, this should work well for them. And the same with Hong Kong with the planned Jetststar Hong Kong.
However personally, I would rather fly to Singapore on an SQ A380 than a QF A330.
10 Mar 2011
Total posts 526
I don't mind the A330 if it is going to be day flights. Then again... the MkII seats on the A330 could be interesting.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
25 May 2012
Total posts 580
As far as Brisbane-Singapore is concerned, Velocity is really cleaning up with 3x daily SQ and 1x daily EY flights compared with the soon to be 1x daily QF and 1x daily EK.
I struggle to see how Qantas will compete on this route especially with reduced through traffic and also if they maintain midday outbound, evening return.
13 Sep 2012
Total posts 5
Has Qantas always treated Singapore as a transit stop? Why? There are 8 flights to Singapore from Sydney and 4 of them are SQ. Have they always thought that everyone travelling to Asia is just 'transiting' through to 'other' places? Just bizarre.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
20 Nov 2011
Total posts 186
They havent always thought that, in fact just 6 months ago the timing of their flights to London mean that QF32 was a daytime flight SIN-SYD. However, given the nature of the time zone shifts etc. the vast majority of their flights to SIN/BKK/HKG were designed to line up with the onwards flights to Europe, as even 20 years ago the demand for air travel was for traaffic through/over asia, not to asia. The landing slots at LHR have been determining the QF schedule to/from SIN for quite a while. As such the current PER flights are fine on the way to SIN, but horrible on the way back. The current 3x weekly ADL flight leaves at 3pm, getting into SIN at ~8pm.
This has resulted in extremely limited availability of onwards connections to Asia with JQ and partners like Jet Airways. The new schedule should hopefully see morning departures from PER/BNE/MEL/SYD and perhaps ADL to SIN, with mid-late afternoon arrivals into SIN. That makes connections to India far more attractive as PAX will arrive at 10/11pm as opposed to 3:30AM when QF 51 flew SIN-BOM earlier in the year. I caught that flight last year and it was horrible way to arrive. In fact I made the decission to go for a Jet Airways codeshare next time. But where one of the A330's offer that flight with a 5pm departure from SIN, and a 8pm arrival in BOM (allowing time difference!) I would be much keener to use it, it would even make a midnight departure from BOM heading to SIN a reality.
This is just one example. But Fleet utilisation and attractive flight timmings should come from this change. The other suggestion I would make to QF is to extend the MEL or PER A330 flight to SIN on to PEK.....or a t the very least make the timming of the JQ PEK flight attractive to the QF flights arriving in SIN....
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
23 Aug 2012
Total posts 130
Just wondering if QF would install Premium Economy on their A330s??
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
17 Jan 2012
Total posts 172
I think I remember readin somewhere that there was no plans to do this. However the B787 would have Economy/Premium Economy/Business.
With the B787 pushed back years....I wonder if they might change their mind.
23 Aug 2011
Total posts 69
With EK operating SYD/BKK daily will QF stop flying this route?
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
17 Jan 2012
Total posts 172
TG are double B744 daily, so hopefully QF maintain their flight.
QF currently leave at 12.15pm lunchtime with EK departing in the evening at 6.45pm.
I can't see why they both can't operate. There is a lot of destination Thailand traffic from Australia.
25 Oct 2010
Total posts 24
I am keen to hear about this too. Just moved to BKK. Would be good to know QFs official word
04 Nov 2010
Total posts 670
This sounds better for me as a sometimes traveller to Singapore, I can't stand getting into SIN so late at night (although getting into sin late at night is another matter!). Would much prefer to be able to leave on a QF flight early in the morning, get to Singapore in the early evening.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
17 Aug 2012
Total posts 65
Is there any indication yet of the new flight times? I would love to see a QF day flight SIN-Brisbane, instead of the overnight. For points travel i don't mind going BNE-SIN in PE on the day flight if no Business avail, but I want the bed in J for the overnight return - It's been proving impossible to redeem points for Business SIN-BNE.
Often all that is available is business up and PE back.
24 Oct 2010
Total posts 2555
No indication of exact new times yes, RR - if there were, we'd have included them in the article. But you can bet that as soon as they're out we'll write them up here!
SQ
14 Sep 2012
Total posts 1
Am I missing something ? Does this mean that QF no longer flies the A380 to Singapore or HK ?
24 Oct 2010
Total posts 2555
The A380's currently assigned to Sydney-Singapore-London and Melbourne-Singapore-London will be rerouted via Dubai under the Qantas-Emirates alliance; the fate of the A380 to HK hasn't been specified.
05 Jun 2011
Total posts 38
The a330's are absolute dogs in their current configuration. In comparison to the likes of SQ388 and EK77W and BA on the route, these aircraft are a significant step behind the ocmpetition.
J class is well behind that of the SQ388 and the BA lie flat. New J seas are a must, as is increased pich in Y. Food and service also need to be improved if QF wants to keep charging a similar fare to SQ....
10 Jun 2011
Total posts 56
SIN is one of the top destinations for corporate travel from Australia - especially if you work for a US or global corporate. This is where the QF/EK codeshare agreement should start to see benefits for Asian travel - QF will be able to space their flights up to SIN more in line with what business travellers require
For SYD MEL and BNE they will still not be able to compete with SQ who operate up to 4 flights per day but so much of their traffic is onward connecting. What it hopefully means is you will get a double daily from SYD and MEL and and a retimed PER schedule
Connecting on to Jetstar Asia will not hold a lot of appeal for many business travellers when again you are up against the likes of SQ TG MH who offer full service onwards from SIN KUL BKK - would you really want to get on a low cost carrier to continue your journey from SIN to say Taipei another 4 hour flight - no business class, pay for every additional service on a small aircraft when you can get on a widebodied SQ TG MH CX aircraft full service with business class
It will pick up some of the leisure market - this is something QF have to be careful of what their competition can offer at the same if not cheaper price with all the benefits of a full service carrier. - but its absolutely a step in the right direction for QF
10 Apr 2012
Total posts 59
The First Thing I hope Changes are the Schedules.There's nothing worse currently than being told to check out of the hotel at noon to have to find somewhere to go for the day in Singapore before getting your Transfer or Taxi/MRT out to the Airport at the end of your holiday for check in to get your plane back to Australia.SQ must be cleaning up the market for South Australia with their 10 times a week services ADL-SIN-ADL and the Velocity/Star Alliance Assorted Programmes.I see the Billboards promoting this service on the Sir Donald Bradman Drive enroue to Adelaide Airport too.
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