Look at these articles. I know they are somewhat dated.
Be patient! Loose lips sink ships and whilst everyone else can see the overhaul and change of management at Qlink, the jets are on the way! We will know by the end of this year what is going on.
On the note of flying Q400s vs jets. Q400s much more complicated aircraft! (not to start a tire pissing contest!).
Qantaslink regional jet surge adds 717s to Queensland | Plane Talking
Bombardier CSeries on radar for QantasLink upgrade
QANTAS has its eye on Bombardier's new CSeries jet as a potential replacement for Boeing 717s flying for QantasLink.
While the airline is under no immediate pressure to replace the now discontinued 717s, acquired during its takeover of Impulse Airlines almost a decade ago, it is already canvassing potential replacements.
Bombardier, which currently has 90 orders and 90 options for the mid-sized single-aisle plane, is planning models CS100 (a 110- to 130-seater) and CS300 (a 130- to 145-seater).
The CSeries comes with new high-efficiency engines from Pratt & Whitney and is expected to enter service in 2013. The Canadian manufacturer is predicting the new plane will boost fuel efficiency and cut costs by 15 to 20 per cent , improvements that have prompted Boeing and Airbus to look at putting more efficient engines on their 737 and A320 workhorses.
The QantasLink fleet is already predominantly Bombardier and adding the CSeries would make sense, bringing it under one manufacturer.
Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce confirmed this week that the CSeries was a contender as a replacement for the 717s.
However, he said the airline would also look at similar sized new jets from other manufacturers. "We're keeping our options open," he said.
"We think the CSeries looks like a great aircraft. It goes up into the 160-seat range, it's got new engine technology and the seat costs on it are very attractive.
"As you know, Lufthansa have gone into it but we wouldn't rule out keeping an eye on Mitsubishi and what they're doing, and what Embraer are doing."
Aviation executives were expecting Airbus to announce at the recent Farnborough International Air Show it would re-engine the A320 but it stuck with its timetable of making a decision by the end of the year.
Boeing has also yet to announce a decision on whether it will re-engine or take the plunge on a new narrow-body aircraft.
The US manufacturer's chief executive, Jim McNerney, told reporters this week that customers were more interested in a 737 replacement than in a re-engined plane, although some supported this option.
"The decision framework for us, and we'll work through it for the balance of the year, is when does a new airplane come together in terms of the technology readiness and customer willingness to pay for one," Mr McNerney said. "We think that's the first question that has to be answered.
"If that is sometime this decade, then the case for re-engining weakens dramatically . . . if you did re-engine, you would be doing two major developments in the course of four or five years, which makes no sense. If, on the other hand, the new plane comes together much, much later . . . the case for re-engining strengthens."