isn't NAN right under SYD/LAX route ?
how long does a splash & dash take ?
Add 60-80 min to total duration from SYD to LAX ?
If it means being about to carry more freight & less fuel & being able to offer some cheaper fares, surely would be worth looking at.
NZ does it via AKL. Plenty of Australians fly NZ to U.S. mainland.
FJ does it via NAN now, but is not a quick stop.
SYD/NAN/LAX total transit on FJ now is approx 17 hours 40 mins with 3 hours on ground in NAN. Take out 2 hours & you're down to 15 hours 40 mins, whereas a QF SYD/LAX nonstop is 2 hours less.
Thinking further ahead, it would also mean that QF could reintroduce SFO & YVR (& other ports such as DEN) much like NZ does out of AKL.
Many Australians go to YVR via AKL & via NAN would be shorter.
It would be 1 way of offering cheap fares & getting ff points, or instead make one of the 2 daily SYD/LAX flights a JQ 787, so all those who are price sensitive fly JQ, but offer them some ff points, maybe 50%.