AUSTRALIA: Qantas Flying San Francisco-Melbourne Nonstop

Qantas introduced a brand-new 787-9 Dreamliner on its Los Angeles-Melbourne route, and now the Australian airline says it will bring the Dreamliner to San Francisco as well.

The airline doesn’t have a firm start-up date yet, but said it expects to begin new San Francisco-Melbourne flights with the 787-9 Dreamliner in late 2018.

There is currently no non-stop service in the SFO-MEL market.

Initially operating six days a week on the LAX-Melbourne route, the 14-hour 787-9 flights will complement Qantas’ existing daily A380 service, a spokesperson said– which means it will fly SFO Melbourne a few days a week, and LAX-Melbourne a few days a week.

Why split the route up like that?

My best guess is that the LAX-Melbourne flights have not been selling as well as hoped, so Qantas will try and beef up revenues by adding SFO legs.

Here’s our preview of the new Qantas aircraft, which will have 42 business class seats configured 1-2-1; 28 in premium economy, with a 2-3-2 layout; and 166 in economy, configured 3-3-3 and offering 32-inch pitch.

The San Francisco schedule is still undetermined.

Capacity between the U.S. and Melbourne will be rebalanced to match demand from the two California cities, meaning that the Dreamliner will fly from Los Angeles some days of the week and San Francisco other days, the spokesperson said.

Qantas CEO Alison Webster said in Melbourne that the company is seeing strong demand for San Francisco-Melbourne service, both from a tourism perspective and because of the business links between Silicon Valley and Melbourne.

As well, a significant number of our Melbourne passengers flying to Los Angeles already connect on to San Francisco.

Qantas’ only current San Francisco service is a 747-400 non-stop to Sydney, a route also flown by United.

The LAX-Melbourne route is being operated with the airline’s first newly delivered 787-9. The second will go into service in March, providing the first non-stop flights between Australia and Europe on a Melbourne-Perth-London routing.

The airline expects to take delivery of eight 787-9s by the end of 2018, with four based in Melbourne and four in Brisbane.


Tourism Observer

USA: Turkish Airlines Buys 30 787 Dreamliners From Boeing

Boeing and Turkish Airlines have announced a firm order for 25 787-9 Dreamliners with options for five more airplanes.

The firm order will allow Turkey’s flag carrier to further meet the growing demand at its home airport, Istanbul’s third airport, and improve the flying experience for passengers.

With this firm order, first announced as a commitment last September, Turkish Airlines becomes the 71st customer to buy the 787.

Together, these customers have now ordered more than 1,300 Dreamliners, the fastest-selling twin-aisle airplane in Boeing history.

We are pleased to finalize a landmark agreement that will bring significant benefit to Turkish Airlines and Turkey’s aviation industry, said M. İlker Aycı, Turkish Airlines Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee.

This firm order adds the 787 Dreamliner, one of the world’s most state-of-the-art airplanes, to our ever-expanding fleet in 2023, our Republic’s 100th year.

The 787 will significantly raise our passengers’ satisfaction and play an important role in our plans for our new hub, the new Istanbul airport.

This will accelerate the steady rise of our country’s flag carrier and support the growth of Turkish Civil Aviation.

Turkish Airlines has continued to expand its fleet of Boeing airplanes.

Recently, the airline grew its stable of 777 jets with a purchase of three more 777 Freighters.

The airline also uses electronic charts and some other services from Boeing Global Services to further optimize its operations and operational systems.

We are proud to extend our decades-long partnership with Turkish Airlines and we welcome them to the growing group of elite airlines who have made the 787 Dreamliner the most preferred mid-sized twin-aisle airplane today, said Kevin McAllister, Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and Chief Executive Officer.

We are confident that Turkish Airlines will enjoy the Dreamliner’s unmatched fuel efficiency, range, and superior cabin features.



Tourism Observer