Future A380 routes?
 

Hello QR board, my first post here...

I understand QR has ordered 10 A380s with one delivered and another due shortly which will also go on LHR route.

Has there been any announcement/discussion/rumour on which other routes will get the upgrade to 380. My personal reason for asking is I have DOH-IAD-DOH booked in February and am wo seeing if there's any chance of a 380 aircraft swap.

Thanks in advance :).

CDG is supposed to be the next route starting in November. I think this is the only announcement that has been made so far.

Thanks w_p.

I do recall a statement about Sydney, but I can't find it now....

It was also previously suggested that JFK would be the third route (before the second LHR was announced), but there's been nothing further about JFK in a while now - don't think it's looking too likely for the immediate future.

I don't think JFK T8 is A380 capable?

Yeah, I think that might be the issue…! :D

Found the thread - here you go: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/qatar...ation-jfk.html

I thought I'd come to the BAEC forum by mistake when I saw MCS? and Swanhunter posting in the same thread. ;)

380 will almost surely operate to BKK.

I would also put it on PVG and CAN, but there might be bi-laterals issues for Ali Al Rais & Co. to sort.

Absent eastern destinations, JFK and perhaps either PHL, IAD or ORD might be worthwhile.

QR is receiving 4 388s this year I think, and another 3(?) next year

The way I think it will go is this:

First 2 will go to LHR. Third one to CDG. The 4th one probably LHR again.
I'm hoping no.5 and no.6 will be used for JFK.

Just my thoughts, happy to be corrected

Qatar doesn't serve Sydney, and have said several times in the past that until the curfew is lifted, they won't be flying there. To the best of my knowledge, they have made no further statements about it in the last while.

An Australian website, TravelDaily, exclusively revealed a year ago that Qatar would start Sydney. But, as you know, that was not true..

That Travel Daily is where I must have seen it.

I wish they would add SYD as the time into MEL requires an overnight stay there or if into PER, a 5 hour wait before a transcon with QF where it's slopey J if lucky! (I have never managed to get a QR/VA to price out even though it appears on the QR flight pick list for DOH-SYD).

I am sure that it is only a matter of time before SYD is added...

But I have been keeping my fingers crossed (I've learned NOT to hold my breath!) for that for several years now already!!!

If, and when, they do launch SYD, I wonder if they would start service with an A380....I suspect not. But who knows?

Service to SYD is a moot point. The Air Service Agreement between Australia and Qatar only allows QR to serve two of the following (SYD, MEL, BNE, PER). The night curfew makes SYD less attractive so that is why QR is flying MEL and PER, rather than MEL and SYD. However, if QR gets rights to add SYD they do have a proposed schedule and can make a flight work even with the curfew, but the Australian government is being restrictive at giving away traffic rights.

Commencing 05JAN15.

Any ideas when LHR will get the second A380? I read elsewhere they were getting one end of the year but then that was moved to CDG?

Well if yesterday's loading is anything to go by, then not for a while. I was fortunate enough to travel on the inaugural flight of Qatar's second A380 (A7-APB) yesterday to Doha (their first one is being used on Paris for the next week) and the aircraft was probably not more than 40% full. The upper deck economy must have had less than 20 people in... It did feel like a bit of a waste of fuel! Amusingly, not only was it the aircraft's first return flight, but it was also my first time on the A380. And I was really sad that we had to land in doha... I just wanted to keep going all the way to Bangkok on the same plane. The A380 feels like a flying hotel.
I will try and post a trip report of the flight soon :)

Rally eager to try it. I hope QR1 gets changed to a A380 as per their original plans.

I'm on QR3 tomorrow, which is supposed to be one of the 380s. Looking at the pattern on Flightradar it's most likely going to be A7-APA.
As I need to get up stupidly early to get it I expect I'll spend much of the journey asleep.

That would be a new one... I don't think QR flies to Sydney... Melbourne yes but given the new QF/Emirates Tie-in and in spite of the common OW QF/QR membership, the Australian authorities are not too welcoming of QR.

Future A380 routes?
 

For what I've gathered I'd say JFK will first see a QR A350 than the A380.

I've got a DOH-JFK in March so I'd love to see the 380 on that route as I haven't flown in one either, but I'd take the 350 as well for the experience. I'll keep looking back here to see what ya'll discover.

Indeed, but Air Services Agreements are not set in stone, and the current agreement is unlikely to remain unaltered for the rest of eternity. You can be sure that moves will be made to increase Qatar's access in the future.

Indeed, and as QF is giving up ground by the day on its international network, Australia will likely become far more willing to increase competition in coming years...

I don't think it makes sense for QR to deploy too much capacity to Australia because EK and EY already have the market stitched up.

A large number of Korean staff serving on my flight to doh on the 380 this week. Getting these folks ready for a possible ICN route.