Current 350-1000 driver here

Is QF getting these aeroplanes with extra tank capacity?

Max fuel is 124.6t, MTOW 316t, DOW is about 155-156t, hence payload available is around 33t give or take.

At 6.5-7t per hour this is going to get very tight, especially in JFK with frontal thunderstorms in summer or snowstorms in winter

Good news is that out of SYD or JFK even on a hot day you can still make it at MTOW

You’re not factoring in the companies industry leading flight planning software capability and its years of experience.

On a side note, they’ll probably make more money from Airbus not being able to do it via contractual compensation than if they flew the route.

Yes they are getting an extra tank. Don’t know how big. This is the source of some of the conjecture on it all, as its structure has added some weight which Airbus is working on.

MTOW is currently at 319 tonnes with scope to go to 322 tonnes.

At 248 maximum pax config, Full pax plus bags and even a bit of freight is plausible.

A max capacity of 250 passengers will make the tickets prohibitively expensive and people will opt for a cheaper ticket with a stop over.

Singapore Airlines SIN nonstop to JFK is premium economy and business/first only. No standard economy. This in turn makes the cheapest ticket double the price of Cathay and Turkish etc.

If SYD to LHR non stop is $4k, but I can get it for 3k with a stop in Singapore/Dubai etc I am taking the stop.

People said the same things about Perth - London… there’s an entire thread of it here somewhere.

Yet it’s been a relatively big success.

These aircraft are able to be reconfigured if it doesn’t work. It’s not the end of the world.

The Perth to London nonstop is only about $300 dollars more than the competition. People will tolerate $300 for the convenience.

I think a lot of people are forgetting that business people want direct and fast. They don’t care about cost and comfort is irrelevant when you’re in a premium class.

Yep. QF29/30. A great way for junior filth like me to get to LHR and back.
MEL-HKG-LHR-HKG-MEL. 3 mostly daylight sectors out of 4, although the first was a midnight departure from Melbourne.
HKG-LHR & HKG MEL were both morning departures. LHR-HKG lunchtime out of London.
About as civilised as a London trip could get…..especially for a commuter.:ok:

A well respected Airline Networks expert twice tried to recommend to the board that this route be reinstated in addition to the QF9/10 Perth flights. After the second attempt he was sacked and escorted out of QCC immediately. I believe he wasn't out of work for long, such was his reputation in the industry.

And yet QF9/10 has the highest load factor of any QF route.

The problem with the 29/30 was that Qantas was restricted under 5th/6th freedom rights to a maximum uplift x HKG of only 50% HKG origin passengers. Having said that I thought it was the best option from Australia to London on Qantas.

I believe it was also the only departure where you had the full day available in Oz rather than departing at 2-3pm like the other Euro bound flights (via SIN and BKK).

If you read my response you would see that I addressed this fact.

Nearly $4K more on a Business Saver fare.

And yet, always full. 👍