A recent post (mostly) and some "Galley FM" (much less, given it's lack of reliability) got me thinking.
The post was the one (now rightly moved as it wasn't really BA related other than a link to using Avios) which highlighted how QR is having to jump through hoops to add additional capacity to MEL due to the Australian Government's refusal to allow extra capacity into "main" ports such as SYD/ MEL / BNE etc.
As someone who divides his time between homes in the UK and Melbourne I am very familiar with this story, as other posters in a similar situation will be.
Essentially for those not familiar with the post QR has had to schedule a flight which is marketed as DOH - ADL (Adelaide) - to which extra capacity IS allowed - which routes DOH - MEL with a very late night arrival in MEL and then a 6h stay on the ground in which passengers for ADL are not allowed to exit the transit area, and spend the time in a virtually closed airport (no Lounge access in the wee small hours of the morning
)
It routes ADL - MEL - DOH on the return, albeit it with a shorter "transit" time.
Essentially it is a "ploy" to add extra capacity to MEL without falling foul of the restrictions - Aussies or anyone with a valid ETA for Australia can exit in MEL (especially if they only have hand luggage, and the point of this post is not to into a discussion about short checking luggage etc)
It's more because I wondered whether with the extensive Code Share Agreement between BA and QR to Australia (think it stops short of a full blown JBA?) would allow BA to operate LHR - DOH - MEL, including on the basis of a lot of seats being made available to QR for the DOH - MEL sector (which would of course enable them to capture traffic transiting in DOH after originating right around their network)?
I am pretty sure BA still has traffic rights to MEL (and many other Australian destinations) that it is currently not using ?
(Please correct me if this is not the case).
The above would be a way for QR to increase capacity to MEL, and given the closeness of the relationship between QR and BA I wondered if there might even be some form of "cross subsidy" from QR to BA? (if this still meant the route would be profitable for QR)
I have no idea if there are regulatory limits on what % of capacity can be allocated to a codeshare, or if there is even regulatory oversight to this?
(For example if the Australian authorities would see a "disproportionate" % of the seats available on a BA metal flight between DOH and MEL being given over to QR Code Shares as being against the spirit of the current Qatar / Australia Bi Lateral, or even if they would have visibility to this?)
I probably wouldn't have paid too much attention to this if on my last LHR - SYD flight on BA about 6 weeks ago the (very experienced and excellent) IFL hadn't mentioned to me that the Captain on that flight had said he believed BA would be starting flying to MEL.
I also don't necessarily believe that "Cockpit FM" is any more reliable than "Galley FM"
But the two "strands" did get me thinking and I was keen to see what others might think -
in the specific context of QR being obviously keen to increase DOH - MEL capacity to the extent it is currently jumping through absurd hoops to do so.
(I am well aware as to why BA currently only flies to SYD, in terms of aircraft utilisation etc but am asking the question in the specific context of the above where QR might see a way to a "win / win by making it worthwhile for BA to do so. I am under no illusions that an LHR - BKK - MEL or an LHR - KUL - MEL is happening anytime soon)
I obviously have a vested interest given my Aussie base is in Melbourne and getting direct flights in BA metal would be very advantageous.
If that has clouded my judgement please excuse me
But in the context of the specific QR situation outlined above I thought I would see what people thought.