Originally Posted by
chornedsnorkack
Qantas does have SYD-SCL now. As QF gets more A380-s (which have a longer range than B747-400ER, let alone the rest of 747 fleet), what would be the next Latin American destinations? EZE? GRU? (GRU needs even longer range than MEX. And it cannot be done with 787-9: the big advantage of A380 is its 4 engines, so it is ETOPS proof and can fly in the empty South Pacific and Antarctic.)
QF only codeshares on LA metal SYD-AKL-SCL. QF flies its own metal SYD-EZE. 4 engines are have nothing to do with ETOPS (T = Twin Engines). Really, an ETOPS aircraft is probably a better bet in remote areas because of system redundancies, back-ups and reliabilities.
Edited: In any case, if QF were to fly a 744 to MEX, they would probably only run a flight down from LAX that would otherwise sit on the ground for 12 hrs. The existing codeshare deal is probably good enough for their needs.