dtm1

I used to fly this route fairly often, but my last few trips to the US have been via Eurpoe. I have not flown these legs since QF 107 became a dedicated internal flight.

I know in the old days, when QF107 came through from sydney, any slight delay in QF93 meant that I missed the QF107 connection (happened to me twice). I am booked on QF93 and QF 107 this Friday, with a commitment in NY on Friday night. What has been the experience of flyers in recent times? Is this now a "safe" connection? (or at least safer than it used to be).

cheers

Lonely Flyer

As long as you are not on unconnected tickets for each leg you are protected by backup from AA which QF will organise. This connection is prone to missing QF107.

dtm1

Thanks.

I am on a connecting ticket, and I have been put on the AA flight previously. However, my timing for arrival into NY is tight, and I need to land by 5.30pm at the latest. Getting an AA flight will miss that timing. I am just trying to decide whetehr to fly out on Thursday, although that has its own issues for me.

cheers

og

Only you can decide that, but I'd seriously consider going a day earlier if the Friday night thing is critcal. And, if you have a crappy flight and end up in whY for some sad reason, you'd probably prefer a day to get over it before the Friday night thing.

number_6

When it is that crucial, the answer is simple: fly the day before (unless that extra day in MEL is even more important). Statistically this connection will miss a few percent of the time, but backup within 4 hours so not a big deal (not like some routes that are a few days to the next flight!). The only "safe" way would be to fly MEL-AKL-LAX-JFK as that is the same plane AKL-LAX as used for LAX-JFK, so you are guaranteed the plane/connection to 107 but not the arrival time into JFK

dtm1

Thanks for the comments. Unfortunately, I am between a bit of a rock and a hard place, as I have a more important commitment in MEL the night before.

cheers

Himeno

The aircraft that operates QF107/108 LAX-JFK-LAX comes from SYD as QF141 then QF25 from AKL (the MEL-AKL leg of QF25 being a 737).

Lonely Flyer

PRAYER may help!!!!!!!

dtm1

I had not realised this. I thought that the LAX - JFK - LAX route was undertaken by 2 planes based in the US.

thanks

number_6

Which is why I wrote to you earlier "the only "safe" way would be to fly MEL-AKL-LAX-JFK as that is the same plane AKL-LAX as used for LAX-JFK, so you are guaranteed the plane/connection to 107 but not the arrival time into JFK"

You still have the risk that AKL-LAX is delayed, so you never arrive in LAX (happens maybe once a year -- the problem is that AKL doesn't have spare planes for transpac, unlike MEL and SYD). There is no 100% safe way (and believe me, I have tried them all).

dtm1

Thanks

I have arranged a back up plan, but less than ideal. Fingers crossed.

cheers

Himeno

QF107/108 used to operate with the same aircraft (a 744) SYD-LAX-JFK-LAX-SYD. However yields on the LAX-JFK sectors were not worth a 744 and the flight often operated to/from New York at under 50% capacity.

At the same time, QF25/26 (MEL-AKL-LAX) wasn't worth using a 744 either.
They downgraded the MEL-AKL leg of QF25/26 to a 737 (as most people going to LAX from MEL got the nonstop QF93/94) and rotated 747s between AKL and BNE via LAX (eg, AKL-LAX-BNE-LAX-AKL as QF25/16/15/26).

After a while of that, they shifted the 747 back to SYD-NRT and changed QF25/26 to an A330. Which could then continue on to JFK and improve loadings and yields on the LAX-JFK sectors of QF107/108.

They can't leave an long haul aircraft based in AKL or the US as they need to send it back to the maintenance base in SYD for checks every so often (as in 2-3 times a week).

number_6

Except the QF A330 maintenance base is in BNE ... hence the BNE-AKL-LAX-JFK routing of that A330. Never sees SYD in normal rotation.

Himeno

Course it does.

QF141 SYD-AKL 0615-1115 332
QF25 AKL-LAX 1410-0635 332
QF107 LAX-JFK 0850-1700 332
QF108 JFK-LAX 1830-2155 332
QF26 LAX-AKL 2330-0850+2 332
QF114 AKL-SYD 1225-1350 332