Originally Posted by
steview111
I was always surprised QR didn’t tap up BA to start LHR-DOH-MEL. It’s a marketing dream, BA returns to Melbourne, they get a European airline back - the reality being they’re just QR codeshares and a way for QR to get more access to Australia. Would Australia really deny BA a second daily frequency?
The reality now is that BA don’t have the spare aircraft to do that. Finnair on the other hand…
You raise an interesting point, Qantas’ arrangement with Finnair for their A330s is a wet lease, so presumably not Australian staffed…
I think BA is only really interested in the North American routes as they are the most lucrative given the airframe utilisation, I’d read that Australia was never that profitable for them. However, in a JV with QR, that could all change. But again, they would presumably be blocked by the same rules that prevented QR.
The whole backdrop of this is the tension between QFs JV with EK outside of Oneworld, balanced against QRs relatively new membership and their increasing influence within the Alliance. Interesting that the QF/EK JV has kind of blown up since Al Baker became Chair of Oneworld…