Qantas launches ultra long-haul flights from Perth to Paris
Qantas has launched its latest ultra long-haul flight from Perth to Paris right before
the Olympic Games. The 17-and-a-half-hour Perth-to-Paris flight is the world’s sixth-
longest and shaves three hours off the fastest previous route. Initially, flights will
operate four times per week, then shift to three times per week starting mid-August.
This new route will add an extra 75,000 seats between Australia and Europe each
year.
Despite a lift in operational performance to nearly pre-pandemic levels and a series
of customer enhancements, including free Wi-Fi on international flights, an expanded
frequent flyer program, and revamped menus, Qantas tumbled out of the top 20 in
the annual Skytrax awards. This indicates that Vanessa Hudson still has much work
to do to elevate the airline’s brand. Known as the Oscars of the airline industry, the
Skytrax awards saw Qantas, once a regular in the top 10, fall from 5th in 2022 to
17th in 2023, and now to 24th in 2024. It’s a significant decline for Qantas.
Meanwhile, Qatar Airways reclaimed the title of the world’s best airline from
Singapore Airlines.
More bad news for Vanessa Hudson: ahead of a likely stock market float of Virgin
Australia, Qatar Airways, one of the world’s top airlines, is looking to buy a 20%
stake in her biggest competitor. This move would deepen and strengthen the existing
codeshare deal between Virgin and Qatar and has the potential to fast-track Virgin’s
international ambitions beyond Bali, New Zealand, Japan, and the Pacific. Qatar
Airways was blocked by the federal government from adding more flights last year.
Any deal between Qatar and Virgin would need the green light from the Australian
government.
On the legal front Qantas is still awaiting a Federal Court ruling on compensation for
the outsourced baggage handlers and a financial penalty for the airline. Qantas has
started contacting customers eligible for up to $450 in compensation after it sold
thousands of tickets on flights which had already been cancelled.
Meanwhile on the tech side Qantas is now using AI to track weather, save fuel and
schedule flights. It’s estimated the technology, called Constellation, has delivered a 2
percent fuel saving, equivalent to $92m on the airline’s $4.6bn annual fuel bill.
In other news, Qantas shareholders have sent a strong message to the board as
they debate huge executive bonuses, including ones for former CEO Alan Joyce.
Source: Qatar eyes deal with Virgin Australia by Blair Jackson The Australian June 27 th; Qantas’ $20m ghost flight comp to begin by Matt Bell The Australian June 29 th ;Qantas
warned over executive bonuses by Robyn Ironside The Australian July 3 rd; On the first
Qantas non-stop flights from Perth to Paris by Susan Kurosawa The Australian July 16 th