Good News for Qantas and Emirates

Qantas and Emirates have welcomed the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s draft determination that proposes to grant authorisation for their partnership for five years. The partnership will provide customers with an international and Australian network, and frequent flyer benefits. ACCC approval is required for Emirates and Qantas to co-ordinate on pricing, sales and capacity. The ACCC has issued a draft determination, with a final decision due in March. The implementation of the partnership remains subject to the ACCC's final determination and regulatory approval in other jurisdictions. Since announcing the proposed partnership in September, Emirates and Qantas have started initial preparations that do not require regulatory approval, including connecting IT systems, designing frequent flyer benefits, and establishing an operational base for Qantas in Dubai.

New Qantas Offering

Qantas has taken the next steps towards establishing its new gateway to Europe and the UK, enabling customers to book flights through the global hub of Dubai for travel from 31 March, 2013. The revised Qantas routes, Sydney-Dubai-London and Melbourne-Dubai-London, come as the ACCC considers the proposed Qantas-Emirates partnership, which remains subject to regulatory approval.
The schedule changes do not involve co-ordination between the airlines and do not require ACCC approval. Qantas will start initial work with Emirates on its proposed partnership, following discussions with the ACCC and withdrawal of the airline’s request for interim authorisation.
The ACCC is considering the airlines’ substantive application for authorisation. Qantas has also made a series of other adjustments to its international flight schedule, focused on giving customers more choice and flexibility. Qantas services to Frankfurt will continue until October 2013 and flights to Singapore will be timed so that they connect better with onward flights within Asia.
 The new schedule will be available shortly on qantas.com and via travel agents. Qantas will contact passengers with existing bookings to Europe or the UK after 31 March 2013 affected by these changes, to offer them alternative flights. Customers with bookings prior to this date are not impacted by the change.

Qantas and SAA get Draft Approval

The International Air Services Commission is proposing to allocate Qantas seven services per week on the South Africa route for the next five years - but will only permit South African Airways to codeshare on the flights until 31 December 2014. The commission is concerned that the "duopoly environment" on the South Africa route greatly limits the intensity of competition, due to the basis on which each carrier charges the other for its block of seats, the weak competitive constraint imposed by third country carriers, and the knowledge by both Qantas and SAA that if they discount fares too aggressively, it might destabilise the arrangement.

Qantas Celebrates 60 Years of Flying Between Johannesburg & Australia

Qantas is set to celebrate a major milestone in its history, as the airline marks its 60th anniversary of passenger flights between Australia and South Africa on 1 September.
 Qantas first commenced passenger services to Johannesburg on 1 September 1952, when a Lockheed Constellation L-749A aircraft departed Sydney and arrived three days later on 4 September 1952. Following the first flight, there were fortnightly services on the route until 1957, when Qantas and SAA announced a partnership to operate flights between the two countries on alternate weeks. This agreement involved SAA operating DC7B aircraft between Johannesburg and Perth, and Qantas operating Super Constellations from Perth to Sydney and return.
Today, Qantas operates a daily non-stop flight service between Sydney and Johannesburg on a B747-400 aircraft, with a typical flight time of 14 hours and 10 minutes. The return leg is generally assisted by a favourable tailwind, with a typical flying time of only 11 hours and 45 minutes.

First for Qantas

Qantas Airways has commenced its Q Streaming pilot and the airline’s customers are the first in the world to experience this ground-breaking in-flight Wi-Fi entertainment technology.

Qantas customers travelling onboard the dedicated Boeing 767-300 across the Qantas domestic network, have access to the very latest in-flight entertainment technology. The wireless technology from Lufthansa Systems provides passengers with over 200 hours of entertainment, streamed direct to iPads supplied by Qantas while in-flight.

From mid-February customers will also be given the option of using their own laptop computer, smartphone, tablet or other Wi-Fi enabled device to view the content for the remainder of the trial.

Customers will be able to download the Q Streaming app from the iTunes store and those using their laptops will need to download Microsoft Silverlight prior to take-off. There will also be a content refresh during for the second phase of the trial, which will include movies added to the programming.

Qantas Remain Bullish

Qantas have announced that customers can book flights with absolute confidence and certainty, and that there will be no industrial action by the pilots’ union, licensed engineers’ union and Transport Workers’ Union for up to the next four years.

The Transport Workers’ Union has confirmed that it will not launch an appeal or stay against the decision by Fair Work Australia to terminate all industrial action.

New Rewards for Qantas Top Frequent Flyers

The most loyal Qantas customers will now be rewarded with the introduction of a new category of Frequent Flyer - Platinum One.

From November 7, Platinum One member benefits will include a dedicated contact number to link members to the Platinum One Special Service Team, assistance with access to additional Qantas Classic and Flight Upgrade Awards, confirmation of successful upgrade requests as early as seven days prior to departure, complimentary membership of epiQure (Premium food and wine club), and personalised gifts and experiences, ranging from a ticket to a Qantas sponsored event, to an experience inside a Qantas flight simulator and more.

Inaugural Platinum One members will be notified of their inclusion in the programme by 7 November. Each inaugural member will qualify for the exclusive new tier status based on flight activity throughout the year prior to 1 November 2011. Subsequent to 1 November 2011, Platinum One membership will be assessed based on flight activity during their membership year.

With regards international services, Qantas has also announced the ability to register for a Flight Upgrade Award at any time from booking, up until 24 hours before a scheduled departure, and up to 48 hours for Platinum members. All Frequent Flyers will be notified via SMS if their Flight Upgrade Award is confirmed, to allow customers maximum time to prepare. With regards domestic services, a domestic registration process will also be introduced for Flight Upgrade Awards where a member’s Flight Upgrade Award can not be immediately confirmed. SMS notification will commence domestically in line with the introduction of the registration process.