:D!

Personally the flight times suit my needs well.

I've never done UK-Aus via DXB since if it's going to be 24+ hours anyway, I might as well break it up and stay in HKG for a few weeks, whereas I have nothing to do in DXB except being a tourist.

However if I can get to Australian soil directly in 18 hours then it makes sense to do that, since I can also get stuff done on the day of arrival in Perth (provided that the flight actually arrives by 2pm) even if I decide to stay overnight, before continuing to my actual destination of SYD.


ITA shows Ł1100 Y, Ł2000 W, Ł4200 J for LHR-PER roundtrip and slightly more to MEL for April 2018.

I guess these are the sorts of prices you'd expect to pay for a direct flight outside of a sale.

However, despite the convenience of flying directly to Australia, I am not going to pay Ł4000 when it is possible to get J for under Ł2000 starting somewhere else in Europe (or even LHR with the recent MH fares).

If this was 5 years ago, I'd be tempted by the Y prices but I can barely cope with a 3-hour flight in European Y nowadays

TPJ

Not trying to be a troll, just pure curiosity:

I think for now the LHR-based F/A's cannot fly to AU, right? They can only fly to a non-AU intermediate point (used to be SIN, now DXB). So would they keep the LHR F/A base for a single flight to DXB? Ot they will negotiate with Unions to let the LHR-based F/A's to fly to PER? It would make sense as IMHO there is no QF Int F/A base in PER (so they would have to deadhead them from SYD/MEL).

Annalisa12

I just couldn't do the Perth to LHR trip, even in First. Way too far. I would rather take a few hours longer and have a break in the middle.

number_6

Presumably QF has already worked this out, my guess would be crew would work MEL=PER//PER=LHR//LHR-PER//PER-MEL (they can't work MEL-PER-MEL same-day so there is an overnight at PER no matter what).

shuuy

Why can't they work MEL-PER-MEL same-day? Not enough rest during the turnaround?

Numerous crew I've met would do SYD/BNE/MEL-PER-MEL/BNE/SYD ... Maybe not on the same plane.

I wonder if they'll cross train 787 / 330 crew (or 787 / 380).

Himeno

LHR crew would do LHR-PER-LHR and MEL crew would do MEL-PER-MEL.

JessicaTam

The MEL-PER flight gets in at 1720, a few hours after the flight to MEL leaves.

TPJ

Have the Unions agreed already? I think when they started the LHR base they promised Unions that AU-based F/A's will one flight to LHR (QF had 4 daily flight to LHR at that time, IIRC it was one of the SIN-LHR flights assigned to AU F/A's) plus FRA (now gone). Now they are about to lose even a second DXB flight...

BD1959

I recall chatting with a LHR based FA on a QF29 (HKG-LHR) once - she learnt I was off to the UK for a surprise milestone birthday for my mother. Later she handed me a bottle of champagne to give as a present, which I had to decline due to liquid restrictions on transiting to MAN. 10mins later was back with a box of chocolates.

Gestures like that are remembered and help "sell QF" for future trips.

Regards,

BD

og

The gestures seem less than some years ago. And despite the gestures, there are still too many negative things that stick in the mind.

kingstontoon

Hello all,

Does anyone know when business class awards may be loaded onto the new direct LHR-PER flights, or have the early ones already been snapped up? I'd be using AA miles but can't see any availability on either the AA or BA sites.

Cheers!

Kiwi Flyer

There is no F for PER-LHR nonstop.

Total flight time from Australia east coast (or NZ) is not much different from the current routing via DXB.

Catweazle

According to the Australian Business Traveler, J awards now look to be up for grabs for MEL-PER-LHR. Others have suggested that they can't see anything for PER-LHR though; strange.

Annalisa12

There is definitely no way I'd do it then. I need a stopover.

Dave Noble

I am not sure how business is that much more uncomfortable than 1st - both have horizontal flat beds

If you don't want to take it, then can always take another routing/airline

If in Perth and going to London, I expect that there are quite a few people who would like to knock a fair bit of time off with a non stop service