Beoz

Looks like its those Chinese carriers giving Cathay the hard time.

http://www.smh.com.au/business/aviation/flying-for-less-via-china-flood-of-cheap-airfares-deals-blow-to-global-carriers-20161214-gtat8h.html

GarryP

Chinese carriers have been doing that for years. Their problem is long delays changing planes, and poor service (eg no comprehensive seat back TVs). Have they been upping their game?

I was thinking more the Emirates, Etihad, Qatar, etc. airlines - who've been pushing into the US<>Asia/Europe routes of late.

Wol

Don't know where you got that from! Did you mean that the burn rate is highest at takeoff? That would be obviously correct.

Extreme range flights have been on the cards for years but can come with attendant problems such as increased frequency of tech stops, offloadings due to weight and the like which can make the economics iffy.

The Qantas LHR - SYD direct demo years ago is often referenced: IIRC there were only a handful of souls on board, the aircraft was fuelled with specially cooled fuel and topped up at the end of the runway. And to the best of my recollection the arrival fuel state was a sixpence/halfcrown affair, too!

The latest jets are of course more fuel efficient: it will be interesting to see how the overall economics pan out.

Beoz

The internet. But your not disagreeing so we're all good then?

Wol

Ah - the internet!

Yes, I'm good although I wish I wasn't......

astera

Fuel-wise it will be uneconomical to do such a long non-stop route.

But there might well be other savings, such as no airport stopover costs, charging higher fares for the non-stop, etc.

Amazulu

Some on here may be interested in these really low fares to Australia, ex-UK

https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/289859

Good luck

Amazulu

Some very cheap flights to off the beaten track destinations in the UK

Dates are soon

https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/290063

moneypenny20

I just checked out the Syd - Norwich - Syd with two stops in Doha and then an eight hour wait in Manchester. If they stop at Manchester, why bother with the last leg? It would be quicker to get 'home' from Manchester than hang around eight hours then an hour down to Norwich and then two+ hours to 'home'. For that price, if I was heading back I might think about it, even with having to fly down to Sydney it's still a bargain. Not sure about Qatar Air though.

Beoz

I have flown Qatar a few.times. They are OK.

Question is, if you didn't board the return in Norwich, would that negate the rest of the flight?

Amazulu

This deal isn't for everyone but might suit those on a really tight budget who don't care about some inconvenience

I would imagine that if you didn't complete the whole journey to your final destination, you might have problems on the return trip

I flew Qatar economy in 2015 and they were fine

moneypenny20

That's the problem. It just seems odd that they're offering a great price but if they're stopping in Manchester why bother with the Norwich bit? Before checking it out I was guessing they'd go via somewhere like Prague and The Netherlands before crossing over to Norwich, not straight to a major UK hub.

bcworld

Never try and make sense of airfares!

If you didn't fly the Manchester to Norwich leg the rest of the ticket, the return portion, would be cancelled automatically.

Amazulu

Like I said, a deal not for everyone

There is no rhythm and rhyme with airfares at times

Amazulu

Scoot currently have some sales fares like Perth to Athens for under $400 ow

Easyjet and Ryanair fly from the UK to Athens