Perth to London direct
 

It doesn't help if you are flying from Sydney or Melbourne

You would have the option to fly domestic to PER to connect, then avoid the Middle East, or HKG and its delays. Another chip at CX's market.

A comprehensive thread is running on this subject on the Aussie forum with the pros and cons.

Done to death over here: http://www.pprune.org/australia-new-...ml#post9606726

basically no one from Eastern Australia would even consider flying via Perth, and no one in their right minds would prefer a 17+ hour flight over something shorter.

If the main "benefit" is creating a direct flight to Australia, then Darwin would be a better choice, however the sandgropers are still pushing for Perth.

Imagine 17 hours in EY???
Horrendous!

Has the priceless benefit of avoiding Dubai though.

Who in CX really cares?

This isn't a market changer. From a technical perspective, it's interesting and perhaps speaks well of the B787-9. However, how many potential QF passengers take this flight instead of CX? Very few. The ME3 and mainland Chinese market entrants are far greater threats.

The CX product is not much, if any, better than its competitors, and the costs are higher, not being helped by upside down fuel hedges. The only thing CX has going for it is a sterling (yet deteriorating) reputation, a modern fleet, and a robust cargo network to supplement passenger revenue. CX better get its act together...

Amen to that. This is a niche flight, similar to SQ's attempt to go SIN JFK and vv with their A340-500's that carried, what, 250 punters. ?
The Chinese carriers are getting their collective acts together; if they can sort out the purgatory that going thru Chinese immigration, and the rolling goat f@ck that transitting Chinese airspace is, then CX with it's phenomenally high cost base ,to say nothing of it's f@cked up fuel hedging position, is toast. The company is flatlining as it is, what with the training ban etc. And the answer is highly unlikely to be to throw more money at it.

Why not go thru Darwin to London?

According to Great Circle Mapper the great circle distance SYD to LHR is 9188 mms and goes nearly directly over Darwin.

Th GC distance SYD-DRW-LHR is 9191 mms.

The GC distance SYD-PER-LHR is 9602, 411 nms, or nearly one hours flying time, longer than going thru DRW.

DRW almost never gets fog and Tindal is less than 200nms away as a viable alternative and DRW already has a combined INTL/DOM terminal.

I'll wager that most of the pax to LHR would come from the East Coast Oz with a limited pickup from PER in any case.

Cheers,
BH.

There are more British passport holders living in Perth and surrounds than the total population of Darwin..quite a ready market. it isn't all about the east coast.