Major announcements today from Qantas including:

• JBV with IAG/BA to end.
• Major new partnership details with EK, including code sharing, FF plan coordination, schedule synchronization, etc.
• Europe - Oz routes to focus on DXB and not SIN; HKG and SIN to be foci for Oz-Asia services
• FRA service discontinued

Press releases:

http://www.qantas.com.au/travel/airl...5440/global/en

http://www.qantas.com.au/travel/airl...5441/global/en

http://www.qantas.com.au/travel/airl...5442/global/en

QF is going to have to get permissions from IASC and ACCC for this. Just checked both sites (looking for something else) and nothing yet.

Any guesses when the QF 380s between LHR and DXB will become bookable as oneworld awards?

Back on point. Is this the end of ONEWORLD? The break up of the BA/QF marketing deal can't bode well even though it does reflect the new reality of global flying patterns. Of course, this was inevitable once the Australian and NZ governments gave EK carte blanche to flood the two countries with cheap seats and syphon away customers from once-healthy national carriers. Let this be a warning to all countries who let the EK camel stick more than a snout into the tent!

No, this is a logical realignment of QF's international operations and international oneworld focus cities partially as a response to Malaysian joining oneworld. It just doesn't make sense for oneworld to have a focus city in Singapore with a major hub in Kuala Lumpur, so the kangaroo routes are being replaced. QF went shopping for a new international partner to fill that void and improve their revenue projections, it seems EK was their best option (though I would have expected EY).

Why do you think that Qantas and Air New Zealand should have some government/God given right to those customers?

QF and BA have put out a statement seemingly trying to stress (in addition to a few other things) that this is not the case. See my post on the QF forum:-

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/19266808-post45.html

Especially see this bit: "IAG chief executive Willie Walsh said: “...Qantas has made it clear that its international performance has been weak and the termination of the joint business won’t have any negative impact on IAG’s financial targets. The good relationship that we have with Qantas CEO Alan Joyce and his team will continue through our joint membership of oneworld”.

QF codeshares on BA for e.g. will remain.

xONE3 from SWP?
 

One interesting benefit ithat may result would be that a xONE3 ex/via SWP would now be possible. Dubai is in the Europe zone for the Oneworld Explorer fares! ;)

That ends in April 2013 as part of the terms of the QF/EK partnership is "co-ordination" of fares. This means EK and QF will have the same fares from Oz to Europe (or have mutual veto power on fares they might offer individually on joint routes). Presumably this is the benefit to EK from the QF relationship, as they don't get much more out of it :)

If anything this strengthens Oneworld, by raising fare levels ex-Oz and letting MH turn a profit :) :) :) Maybe the regulators will impose conditions to mitigate the anti-competitive effects, but QF has been building the fake losses story quite effectively. And Joyce let slip that the 787-9 options will be delivered in 2016 provided the EK deal is approved.

No chance. OW will just rule that DXB-Oz overflies Asia (just as ORD-India overflew Europe even if it did not).

As I posted in the relevant thread in the QF forum - I believe this was not the case (ORD-DEL overflying Europe) - see this post and the link it has to an old thread

But - as I said in the linked thread - in any case, we will have to wait and see with regard to QF's proposed SWP-Europe* non-stop flights

*Europe - as defined in the xONEx rules, i.e. including the Middle East

The old ORD-DEL flight would have allowed a xONE2, which doesn't exist. Thus, a xONE3 had to be charged.

Is this a typo? Everything I could find says SWP is an airport in Namibia.

It means SouthWestPacific...not airport code...

Yup!

See this thread: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/onewo...cket-faqs.html