Showing posts with label Qantas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Qantas. Show all posts
Qantas to Add More Dallas/Fort Worth Flights
School holiday strikes for Qantas
TD breaking news:
Qantas engineers to strike next week
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Qantas engineers to strike next week
Qantas has just confirmed a notification by the Australian LIcenced Aircraft Engineers Association that its members will take industrial action next week, as part of their ongoing dispute with the carrier over pay and conditions.
The action will include rolling two hour stoppages in Melbourne next Mon, as well as a ban on overtime for all QF licensed engineers for the foreseeable future.
QF Group Executive Operations, Lyell Strambi, said the carrier was "currently assessing our contingency plans to minimise the disruptions to our customers".
He said union leaders had "shown their true colours by calling industrial action over the school holidays and then making a blatantly cynical offer for Qantas licensed engineers who are on strike to return to work for four times their normal pay.
"This reckless action comes on the day that Qantas normal flight operations have resumed and Qantas passengers are finally getting to their destinations following the disruptions caused by the volcanic ash from the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano in Chile," Strambi added.
Qantas is calling on the union to stop threatening to disrupt Qantas passengers and take part in a Fair Work Australia mediation tomorrow "to negotiate a realistic outcome".
More details in tomorrow's Travel Daily.QANTASLINK GROWS CAPACITY IN CENTRAL QUEENSLAND
QantasLink today announced it would add further capacity to three key markets in Central Queensland from mid-April.
QantasLink Executive Manager, Mr Narendra Kumar said the increased capacity would further meet demand from regional communities and industries including the resource sector as will as supporting the recovery of three important resource and tourism centres in Central Queensland where communities were affected by the recent devastating floods.
Extra capacity will be added to Mackay and Rockhampton from mid April and to Gladstone during May. These include:
- Eight new services between Brisbane and Gladstone adding approximately 600 seats at peak times, making a total of 99 frequencies and 7206 seats per week;
- Upgrading 11 return services between Brisbane and Mackay resulting in an increase of 572 seats making a total of 4,272 seats each week;
- Upgrading 35 return services between Brisbane and Rockhampton resulting in an increase of 208 seats per week, making a total of 7802 seats per week with 46.5 return services.
“QantasLink operates to 21 destinations across Queensland, more than any other airline, and more than any other state across our network,” Mr Kumar said.
“Regional Queensland has always been central to our operations and, following recent capacity increases, we are ready to extend this across even more of our network.”
Last month, QantasLink added approximately 5,000 additional seats per week across a range of Queensland regional routes, with the arrival of another new flagship Bombardier Q400. Over coming months, Barcaldine, Blackall, Bundaberg, Emerald, Gladstone, Hervey Bay, Longreach, Mackay, Moranbah, Rockhampton and Roma will all benefit from additional and upgraded services to and from Brisbane, with many flights operated by the 74-seat jet-like Q400s.
As the country’s largest regional airline, QantasLink is embedded in regional Australia. With a network of 55 metropolitan and country destinations across all states and territories, the airline also launched its first international, destination – Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea – in July 2010. Services linking Perth and Exmouth in Western Australia commenced on 30 March.
QantasLink has invested more than $850 million in 28 new Q400 aircraft since 2006, with the current fleet of 22 to grow to 28 over the next 18 months. The airline’s fleet also includes five Q200, 16 Q300 and 11 B717 aircraft, with a further two B717s recently announced.
QantasLink is also overseeing the operation of the Qantas Group’s recently purchased Western Australian resources charter airline Network Aviation. Its fleet of eight aircraft is also set to grow, with the addition of a further 10 Fokker F100s.
Note: For breaking QantasLink news via Twitter, go to http://twitter.com/qantasmedia
QantasLink Executive Manager, Mr Narendra Kumar said the increased capacity would further meet demand from regional communities and industries including the resource sector as will as supporting the recovery of three important resource and tourism centres in Central Queensland where communities were affected by the recent devastating floods.
Extra capacity will be added to Mackay and Rockhampton from mid April and to Gladstone during May. These include:
- Eight new services between Brisbane and Gladstone adding approximately 600 seats at peak times, making a total of 99 frequencies and 7206 seats per week;
- Upgrading 11 return services between Brisbane and Mackay resulting in an increase of 572 seats making a total of 4,272 seats each week;
- Upgrading 35 return services between Brisbane and Rockhampton resulting in an increase of 208 seats per week, making a total of 7802 seats per week with 46.5 return services.
“QantasLink operates to 21 destinations across Queensland, more than any other airline, and more than any other state across our network,” Mr Kumar said.
“Regional Queensland has always been central to our operations and, following recent capacity increases, we are ready to extend this across even more of our network.”
Last month, QantasLink added approximately 5,000 additional seats per week across a range of Queensland regional routes, with the arrival of another new flagship Bombardier Q400. Over coming months, Barcaldine, Blackall, Bundaberg, Emerald, Gladstone, Hervey Bay, Longreach, Mackay, Moranbah, Rockhampton and Roma will all benefit from additional and upgraded services to and from Brisbane, with many flights operated by the 74-seat jet-like Q400s.
As the country’s largest regional airline, QantasLink is embedded in regional Australia. With a network of 55 metropolitan and country destinations across all states and territories, the airline also launched its first international, destination – Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea – in July 2010. Services linking Perth and Exmouth in Western Australia commenced on 30 March.
QantasLink has invested more than $850 million in 28 new Q400 aircraft since 2006, with the current fleet of 22 to grow to 28 over the next 18 months. The airline’s fleet also includes five Q200, 16 Q300 and 11 B717 aircraft, with a further two B717s recently announced.
QantasLink is also overseeing the operation of the Qantas Group’s recently purchased Western Australian resources charter airline Network Aviation. Its fleet of eight aircraft is also set to grow, with the addition of a further 10 Fokker F100s.
Note: For breaking QantasLink news via Twitter, go to http://twitter.com/qantasmedia
Qantas To Recommence Direct Services To Tokyo Sydney
Qantas announced today it would resume direct services between Australia and Tokyo from Tuesday 19 April 2011.Scheduled services between Tokyo and Australia will recommence on 19 April 2011.
Qantas Chief Executive Officer, Mr Alan Joyce, said a range of factors had been taken into consideration before making the decision to recommence direct services.
"Qantas has been working closely with the Australian Government, as well as industry and health experts including the International Air Transport Association, International Civil Aviation Organisation, Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency and World Health Organisation to monitor the situation in Japan," Mr Joyce said.
"Together with the advice of these authorities and our own assessments, Qantas is now satisfied that infrastructure services have returned to normal in Tokyo and our crew will now be able to undertake appropriate rest breaks.
Services will commence normal scheduled services as follows:19 April 2011
•QF21 Sydney to Tokyo scheduled to depart at 2155 local arriving at 0630+1 local time
•QF22 Tokyo to Sydney scheduled to depart at 2045 local arriving at 0715 local time
Qantas currently flies daily from Sydney to Tokyo and three times per week from Perth to Tokyo.
Qantas recently announced that services between Perth and Tokyo will be suspended from 10 May 2011.
Passengers are advised to check qantas.com for the latest information.
Note: For breaking Qantas news via Twitter, go to http://twitter.com/qantasmedia
Qantas Chief Executive Officer, Mr Alan Joyce, said a range of factors had been taken into consideration before making the decision to recommence direct services.
"Qantas has been working closely with the Australian Government, as well as industry and health experts including the International Air Transport Association, International Civil Aviation Organisation, Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency and World Health Organisation to monitor the situation in Japan," Mr Joyce said.
"Together with the advice of these authorities and our own assessments, Qantas is now satisfied that infrastructure services have returned to normal in Tokyo and our crew will now be able to undertake appropriate rest breaks.
Services will commence normal scheduled services as follows:19 April 2011
•QF21 Sydney to Tokyo scheduled to depart at 2155 local arriving at 0630+1 local time
•QF22 Tokyo to Sydney scheduled to depart at 2045 local arriving at 0715 local time
Qantas currently flies daily from Sydney to Tokyo and three times per week from Perth to Tokyo.
Qantas recently announced that services between Perth and Tokyo will be suspended from 10 May 2011.
Passengers are advised to check qantas.com for the latest information.
Note: For breaking Qantas news via Twitter, go to http://twitter.com/qantasmedia
American Airlines and QANTAS Expand Codeshare Cooperation
American Airlines and Qantas, members of the oneworld® Alliance, today announced the next phase of their deepening commercial relationship, expanding the number of routes on which the airlines will codeshare between major cities across North America and Australia.
Qantas will codeshare on American Airlines flights to 28 new destinations from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), American's largest hub. American Airlines will begin codesharing on Qantas services between Sydney and Dallas/Fort Worth as well as domestic services from Brisbane to Adelaide, Canberra, Cairns, Melbourne and Perth.
The expansion comes ahead of the launch of direct Qantas services from Sydney to DFW, on May 16, and will give Qantas customers unparalleled access to a wide range of major cities across the United States, Canada and Mexico. New destinations include Chicago, Houston, Las Vegas, Miami, Nashville and New York (Newark) - as well as Calgary, Toronto and Vancouver.* Members of both airlines' loyalty programs - the American Airlines AAdvantage® program and Qantas Frequent Flyer program - are able to accrue and redeem miles/points across the combined networks of both carriers.
As announced earlier this year, Qantas and American Airlines will shortly seek regulatory approval for closer collaboration from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and other relevant authorities.
Group Executive Qantas Airlines Commercial, Rob Gurney, said, "The new codeshares will help maximize the benefits of the new DFW service for passengers and underpin the enhancement of the Qantas-American Airlines relationship. This is an important step for Qantas as we prepare to begin flying to Dallas/Fort Worth and seek to deepen our relationship with American Airlines.
"With the addition of 28 new codeshare cities, Qantas' network out of DFW will total 54 destinations when we commence services in May, providing unprecedented choice and convenience for Australians visiting the USA. Similarly, the Australian American Airlines and Qantas Expand Codeshare Cooperation and Deepen Commerical Relationship March 10, 2011 Page 2 tourism industry will have the opportunity to tap into a huge market of potential US visitors.
"Expanding our codeshare arrangement with American Airlines allows us to capitalize fully on DFW's position as a major hub airport for business and leisure travel.
As well as most major US cities, Qantas customers will be able to travel through DFW to Canada and Mexico, including such destinations as Toronto, Vancouver, Cancun and Mexico City.
"We have worked closely with American Airlines over many years, and with the commencement of services to Dallas/Fort Worth we look forward to taking our partnership to a new level," Mr Gurney said.
Virasb Vahidi, American's Chief Commercial Officer, said, "Our expanded codeshare relationship with Qantas makes it easier and more convenient for our customers to travel on the global networks of both airlines. We are pleased to give our respective customers unprecedented access to destinations across North America and Australia. We are focused on delivering more choices, easier connections and a better overall travel experience, and this expanded relationship with our valued partner, Qantas, is a great example of those efforts." Mr Vahidi added, "Our strengthened relationship will further enhance our position in the growing trans-Pacific market, as well as in the respective home markets of each carrier, and make oneworld a stronger global alliance. We look forward to more opportunities to deepen our relationship with Qantas in the future." The new codeshare destinations will be progressively made available for sale over the next month.
Qantas Announces Profit Result - Half-Year Ended 31 December 2010 and Qantas Group to Boost Aircraft Fleet
Solid recovery from GFC and other events
Strong growth across all operating segments
Highlights :
Underlying Profit Before Tax of $417 million - up 56 per cent on prior corresponding period
Revenue of $7.6 billion - up 10 per cent on prior corresponding period
Operating cash flow of $743 million - up 54 per cent on prior corresponding period
Cash balance of $3.3 billion
See attached for the full report
The Qantas Group also announced it would boost its domestic, resources charter and international fleets to support ongoing growth and operational efficiencies across its flying businesses.
Qantas Chief Executive Officer, Mr Alan Joyce, said a combination of new aircraft orders and leases, as well as lease extensions, would position Qantas, Jetstar, and the recently acquired Network Aviation, to take advantage of new market opportunities.
"The Qantas Group has a very strong, but still flexible, domestic and international aircraft order book,"Mr Joyce said.
"Today we are announcing significant moves that will build on this strength and meet our strategic needs in the short to medium across, particularly in the domestic and Asian markets."
Key points of the fleet plan update, which covers the period through to the end of FY13:
the lease of five additional B737-800s, and the extension of leases on two B737-800s, for Qantas
the lease of 10 additional A320s, and the extension of leases on 11 A320s, for Jetstar
the lease of one A330-200 for Jetstar
the purchase of 10 Fokker 100s for Network Aviation
the lease of two additional B717s for QantasLink
"With the domestic market continuing its strong post-GFC recovery and growth, the Qantas Group will need additional capacity to participate in this growth and maintain its profit maximising 65 per cent domestic market share," Mr Joyce said.
"Much of these fleet additions will be directed to this key part of our operations - across each of our premium and low fare airlines, as well as Network Aviation operating fly-in-fly-out resource charter services in Western Australia.
"More A320s, as well as another wide-body A330-200, will ensure Jetsar maintains its place as the country's largest low fare airline and, along with Jetstar Asia, is best positioned to continue to drive the Group's Pan-Asian strategy.
"Our intention from day one has been to grow Network, and today's announcement will increase its F100 fleet five-fold."
Last year Qantas launched a wide-ranging domestic refresh which includes inflight product changes, the roll-out of faster, smarter Next Generation Check-in and lounge upgrades.
"Qantas now has 33 B737-800s on order, including the five announced today," Mr Joyce said.
"Operating primarily on Australian domestic routes, but also across the Tasman, all will have this latest product offering, including individual seat-back inflight entertainment screens for all customers, further cementing the airline's 'best for business' market position."
Qantas' first domestic B737-800 with this new offering will be delivered in April, and the first to also feature new Boeing Sky Interiors, including mood lighting and improved overhead luggage space, will
arrive later this year.
QantasLink's B717 fleet will grow to 13 aircraft, ensuring Australia's leading regional airline is able to take advantage of new opportunities.
See attached for table of Qantas Group firm aircraft deliveries.
Note: For breaking Qantas news via Twitter, go to http://twitter.com/qantasmedia
Qantas to lift fuel surcharges
Source: Travelmole
Qantas is to increase its international fuel surcharges in response to rising oil and fuel prices.
CEO Alan Joyce announced the increases during a speech at the Melbourne Press Club today.
The extra surcharges will range between $20 and $50 one-way.
Qantas said it was the first such increase since January 2008 and follows a move by other airlines, including Singapore Airlines and British Airways, who have increased fuel surcharges this year.
“We don’t do this lightly, and it comes after four fuel surcharge decreases over the past three years,” Joyce said.
Joyce added that while the Australian dollar has appreciated by six percent over the past four months, jet fuel prices have risen by around 24 percent.
He said low-cost subsidiary Jetstar would address the fuel price issue via “selective changes to air fares and increases in ancillary revenue, including baggage charges”.
QANTAS Cyclone Yasi Update
Qantas has suspended flights to and from Cairns and Townsville airports until Friday 4 February following the closure of both airports today in response to Tropical Cyclone Yasi.
In light of the extreme weather conditions expected in northern Queensland over the next 24 to 48 hours, Qantas will not operate flights to and from either airport today (2 February) or tomorrow (3 February).
Qantas is monitoring weather patterns in the region closely and will make further operational decisions as the circumstances require. On Tuesday 1 February, Qantas provided six additional flights from Cairns to Brisbane to assist with evacuation efforts. Extra capacity was also provided out of Townsville.
Fare waiver options are available for Qantas customers holding bookings for flights to and from airports in the affected regions. These are listed on the Major Disruptions section of qantas.com and will be reviewed regularly.
Qantas is working closely with the Queensland Government and will provide as much as assistance as possible to affected communities over the coming days.
During the recent flooding in Queensland, Qantas increased capacity for regional areas and uplifted emergency services personnel and emergency freight, as well as offering considerable fundraising assistance.
In light of the extreme weather conditions expected in northern Queensland over the next 24 to 48 hours, Qantas will not operate flights to and from either airport today (2 February) or tomorrow (3 February).
Qantas is monitoring weather patterns in the region closely and will make further operational decisions as the circumstances require. On Tuesday 1 February, Qantas provided six additional flights from Cairns to Brisbane to assist with evacuation efforts. Extra capacity was also provided out of Townsville.
Fare waiver options are available for Qantas customers holding bookings for flights to and from airports in the affected regions. These are listed on the Major Disruptions section of qantas.com and will be reviewed regularly.
Qantas is working closely with the Queensland Government and will provide as much as assistance as possible to affected communities over the coming days.
During the recent flooding in Queensland, Qantas increased capacity for regional areas and uplifted emergency services personnel and emergency freight, as well as offering considerable fundraising assistance.
Qantas Statement - ATSB Report On QF32 Engine Failure
Qantas today welcomed the release by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) of its first preliminary investigation report into the QF32 Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine failure over Indonesia on 4 November 2010.
The report outlines the safety action taken by Qantas and states that the ATSB is satisfied with Qantas' safety response.
The ATSB has confirmed it is looking at a range of issues as part of what will be a detailed and lengthy investigation. The report has confirmed the seriousness of the incident and that, in spite of damage to some systems and components, the pilots retained control of the aircraft at all times and were able to land safely. The report says: "The ATSB is satisfied that the action taken by Qantas adequately addresses the immediate safety of flight concerns in respect of the operation of its A380 aircraft equipped with Trent 900 series engines".
Qantas continues to work closely with Rolls-Royce and Airbus, CASA and the ATSB on a comprehensive inspection program covering Trent 900 engines.
With CASA's approval, two A380s have returned to service with Qantas voluntarily applying a range of conditions that include not operating the aircraft across the Pacific until further operational experience has been gathered.
Qantas will continue to operate a full international and domestic schedule and expects to make further announcements about the return to service of more A380s, before Christmas, in the near future. In addition to the two aircraft that are back in service, two new A380s will be delivered and enter service in coming weeks, and another two are due for delivery in early 2011.
The aircraft involved in the QF32 incident will remain in Singapore for some time while Airbus develops and then undertakes a significant repair program. Sixteen Qantas engines require either modification to the latest standard or full replacement. Five of these have been replaced to date and all Airworthiness Directive and CASA requirements are being met.
As foreshadowed yesterday, Qantas has also completed the one-off Trent 900 oil feed stub pipe inspections on the first of the two aircraft that have resumed service. No issues as outlined by the ATSB were found, and the aircraft will operate to London via Singapore as scheduled this evening.
Inspection of the second aircraft has commenced.
Qantas will continue to work with Rolls-Royce, Airbus and CASA on its ongoing Trent 900 inspection program, and to support the ATSB's ongoing investigation.
Qantas A380 Update
Qantas will conduct further, more detailed one-off inspections of Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines on its A380 aircraft following the results of an additional examination of components from the engine involved in the QF32 incident on 4 November.
After discussions with the Australian Transport and Safety Bureau (ATSB) and Rolls-Royce, it was decided it was prudent to conduct further inspections of engine components, although there is no immediate risk to flight safety. This is in line with Qantas' conservative, safety first approach.
The examination took place at the Rolls-Royce facility in Derby, United Kingdom, and appears to provide a more definitive explanation for the engine failure that occurred on QF32. This resulted in a safety recommendation by the ATSB following discussions with Qantas, Rolls-Royce and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA).
The ATSB's recommendation is that these one-off inspections be conducted within two flight cycles, which provides a level of inspection over and above the current 20 cycle inspection required by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The findings apply to all relevant variants of the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine operated worldwide.
Qantas currently has two A380 aircraft in operational service, following the grounding of the fleet on 4 November. Both A380 aircraft will be inspected at the Qantas Jet Base in Sydney. Inspections will commence this afternoon.
Qantas will determine any further response after it has finalised the inspection regime and consulted with both regulators and the manufacturer.
Qantas does not anticipate at this stage that the inspections will have an impact on international services, however contingency arrangements will be in place, if needed.
The ATSB has described recent developments as follows:
Recent examination of components removed from the failed engine at the Rolls-Royce plc facility in Derby, United Kingdom, have identified the presence of fatigue cracking within a stub pipe that feeds oil into the High Pressure (HP) / Intermediate Pressure (IP) bearing structure. While the analysis of the engine failure is ongoing, it has been identified that the leakage of oil into the HP/IP bearing structure buffer space (and a subsequent oil fire within that area) was central to the engine failure and IP turbine disc liberation event.
Further examination of the cracked area has identified the axial misalignment of an area of counter-boring within the inner diameter of the stub pip; the misalignment having produced a localised thinning of the pipe wall on one side. The area of fatigue cracking was associated with the area of pipe wall thinning.
QantasLink Inaugural Cairns-Port Moresby Flight Takes Off
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| De Havilland DHC-8-400 Dash 8/8 of thetype used on QF191 |
QantasLink today celebrated the departure of its first international service, operating from Cairns to Port Moresby this morning. Flight QF191 left Cairns just before 7am and touched down in Port Moresby at 8.35am, heralding the first time Qantas has flown into the Papua New Guinea capital since 2002.
QantasLink Executive Manager, Mr Narendra Kumar, said QantasLink was very pleased to offer the new QantasLink Cairns-Port Moresby direct service, initially with a schedule of 12 weekly services.
“QantasLink has invested over $600 million since 2006 in a fleet of 21 new Q400 aircraft, and from today, one of these aircraft will be dedicated to the Cairns-Port Moresby route. At a cost of around $30 million for a Q400, this is a significant investment by QantasLink in the Cairns-Port Moresby markets,” he said.
Mr Kumar said the Q400 offered a superior flying experience, including larger seats, additional ceiling height and jet-like speed completing the journey between Cairns and Port Moresby in around one hour and 45 minutes.
He added that customers would also benefit from the full range of Qantas services such as an inflight food and beverage service, lounge access for eligible members and seamless baggage transfer and connection to other Qantas destinations.
The initial Cairns-Port Moresby schedule will be:
- twice daily Monday-Friday, departing Cairns at 5.45am on Monday and 6.45am Tuesday to
Friday, and departing Port Moresby at 8.15am on Monday and 9.20am Tuesday to Friday;
- a second afternoon departure from Cairns at 3.15pm Monday to Thursday and 4.15pm on
Friday, and from Port Moresby at 5.45pm Monday to Thursday and 6.45pm on Friday; and
- daily weekend flights offering an early morning departure and late afternoon return.
QantasLink is Australia’s largest regional airline, operating about 1900 flights each week to 55 regional and metropolitan destinations.
Issued by Qantas Corporate Communication (4089)
