Dragonsan
The Gold Coast market is very similar to the MCY market in that there are a good number of well heeled people with good amounts of disposable dollars to spend on air travel.
The problem is that there aren't enough of them as a percentage of each passenger load to be profitable to the degree QF mainline wants.
The vast majority of the seats to this day on the route are holiday low yield traffic and unfortunately that means the high yield stuff just isn't there.
This has a knock-on effect to the demographic of the passengers arriving at either destination. Check how many originally high end businesses in Noosa have closed their doors or changed their marketing approach after the incoming passenger profile moved from the Northern Beaches of Sydney to Penrith. Jetstar cometh - the bus traffic followeth.
Qantas mainline seeks high yield. These runs do not provide it domestically and have no business base to back it.
HNL is another case to be considered and for some reason is totally different. They still have a mainline presence.
I have a good number of clients who will avoid JQ like the plague and defer to the QF3/4 services on the elderly 763s. I do however find $7999.00 return J class on a QF 763 with no flat bed a little rich. HA are 6200.00 before tax/fees. Same aeroplane type.
With OOL and MCY at least the punters can go up to 90 minutes either way to BNE and pickup mainline.
On HNL I am finding they are deferring to the QF golden oldie rather than JQ.
Just my 2 bobs worth.
Best all
EWL
