No point in trying to comment on yield it's too complex and something we are not privy to. Yes the base fares are low in some cases but how many seats are actually available at the base price... There are other factors to consider such as biz class loads, higher yielding eco pax such as those on flexible tickets etc, cargo loads...
isnt it often only 60-70% even in the 'best' months though?
They normally run around 80% (give or take a couple %) in the busier months. QR have already upgraded their frequency from 5x weekly at launch up to daily now.
I think what we're really seeing is EY and QR struggling to compete UK wide with the powerhouse that is EK and DXB. Neither have the draw of DXB to bump up O&D demand like EK do either. EY can tap into that slightly being UAE based, but QR are really on the back foot in that regard and that shows in their market share.