number_6

Other airlines have done PE in UD, using 2-2 seating (pitch is 2/3 of J so should be able to get 50% more PE seats in a "better than today's PE" config. Not sure if there is a weight issue with the floor (but the PE seats are a lot lighter than the J seats). Seems like a nice config and a cheap way to improve PE while making the J cabin more uniform, esp. with A-zone added.

serfty

AirNZ happily does Upper deck PE - in a 3 x 2 configuration.

Platinum A332

Why not just get rid of F? I mean, if flying to LHR you will now be restricted to two flights a day and not four like now? Wouldn't F passengers want full flexibility across all flights on a route? QF should take CX lead and guarantee F across certain routes on all flights at a bare minimum, not half of all flights on a route - Just my A$0.02/US$0.0176

number_6

QF's plan seems to be to have F on LHR-SIN-SYD and maybe SIN-MEL (but probably not), and no F on LHR-HKG-Oz and LHR-BKK-Oz ... so all flights LHR-SIN have F on the A380 -- which seems like quite a good plan, and competes well with EK and SQ on the kangaroo route.

I think 12 A380 can do LHR-SIN-SYD and MEL and LAX-SYD and MEL for all flights, all days -- a big change from the current fleet of 6. It isn't an unreasonable fleet size for F service, and I doubt many airlines will be offering F in 2012 the way things are looking.

serfty

If you read post #91 and the release linked to you will note the following routes will continue to be serviced by First Class equipped 388:

• QF9/10 MEL/SIN/LHR
• QF31/32 SYD/SIN/LHR
• QF93/94 MEL/LAX
• QF11/QF12 SYD/LAX

m0hamed

Qantas staff circulation:

B747 UPGRADE AND A380 CHANGES ANNOUNCED Also announced yesterday was a $400 million investment to upgrade seats and inflight entertainment on nine Boeing 747-400 aircraft, and reconfigure the Airbus A380 fleet to meet the changes in international demand. At the end of 2011, work will commence to install the A380’s award-winning Business and Economy seats in the nine B747s, along with the A380’s state-of-the-art Panasonic inflight entertainment system. While the B747s will be converted to a three-class configuration, First Class will remain on 12 A380s to provide this premium product on daily services from Sydney and Melbourne to London via Singapore and Los Angeles. The changes will see:

• Nine B747-400s upgraded and fitted with the A380’s fully flat Skybed sleeper seat in Business, the Recaro manufactured seat in Economy and the Panasonic inflight entertainment in all classes
• First class cabins will be removed and Business seats installed in their place
• The three-class configuration will offer 359 seats (58 Business, 36 Premium Economy and 265 Economy), an increase of 52 seats overall
• 12 A380s will continue to fly with a four-class configuration, including First Class, but be refitted to reduce Business seating and increase Premium Economy and Economy seating
• The remaining eight aircraft will be delivered from 2012 in a three-class configuration and with no First cabin

Blackcloud

I wonder where they are going to put the extra WHY seats on the A380? PE seems like a no brainer by taking over the mini J cabin in front but for WHY? I could only think that the snack bars may go or a row of F goes. Any other ideas?

Brad Myer

Any truth to the news that an A330 mini cabin refresh which will begin shortly?

Intl A333/A332s will receive the new Panasonic IFE system and have the new (red) Y class seat covers plus the new A380 style carpet and curtains installed?

cova

My guess is that the entire A380 F section will be replaced with Y seats - the entire first floor becomes coach (like Emirates). (QF is eliminating F on the newer A380s). And the mini J cabin two rows will have added Prem Y. The rest of the J cabin remains with snack bars and mini lounge.

Plus if QF ever needed to add some F seats back in - they would use the forward mini-J cabin for F - like the Emirates configuration.

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

Hmmm... i wonder how long the cycle will take to complete the following:

- F cabins gradually phased out (starting)
- full flat seats in J (starting)
- PE seats increased (starting)
- PE seats move from 38' to 42' pitch
- PE seats move from 8 across to 7 across with 45' - 48' pitch (or to 6 across on uppder deck A380)
- PE seats move to angled lie flats with 55-60' pitch

Bingo - back to the three traditional classes we've always had!

5-7 years is my guess

Blackcloud

Yes this is the easy one for the 3 class 8 A380s but there was mention of reconfigurations of the 4 class 12 A380s. This is what I was talking about how is PE and WHY being expanded on these aircraft?

sxc

yes...with the respective fare increases too....

Chalkie

Great isn't it.

Get rid of real F on many routes.

Replace with F-lite (ie, lie flat J and jammies but no Krug or Dom). (I wonder how long it will take for it be called FirstBusiness or somesuch...)

Charge the same as or close to what real F used to cost.

Call me a cynic, but it would not surprise me in the least if that is what comes to pass.

Kiwi Flyer

This is what NZ have done - F/C/Y -> C/Y+/Y. Business premier priced like old F (and to be fair seating is better than old F), premium economy priced like old C and with business food & beverages, economy is economy.

number_6

Many other airlines have done this; starting with VS 20 years ago! So it is hardly a new trend -- VS has had J fares that were higher than BA J for years, for example. What is new is that competition into Australia is now doing this -- not just NZ, but DL and AC over the Pacific, maybe JL and all the Asian carriers on the kangaroo route pricing their J at QF's PE price point. So it is rather inevitable given the industry and alternatives; the QFF tie-in simply isn't strong enough ... hardly a surprise, given that QFF was one of QF's most profitable products last year, so it is a profit center rather than a customer loyalty bonus. Interesting question whether the yield deterioration is influenced by the QFF structure.