Beoz

So it effectly means you may or may not be able to travel on VWP, but don't judge for yourself. Come on in for a visa and we will be the judge.

bcworld

I think we're agreeing to agree again?

Pollyana

You weren't there. I spent a distinctly uncomfortable night on a plastic chair in the middle of the airport - cos thats the only place there was to go, Ten hour unplanned transit stop. Nowhere open to get food and drink, and in the days before everyone had mobiles it would've been good to at least have assistance to contact friends at the other end to say we were all going to miss our connections in Singapore (and Melbourne in my case). Its the only time on a trip across the world that I have felt really uneasy and at times even threatened. Once on the plane the Arabic gentleman next to me complained every time I asked for a drink, even ordering the crew not to serve me as I was a woman travelling alone and therefore should be ignored.

IvanM

QANTAS is a client of where I work. They are cutting back all over the place and in a large scale that is not reported in the press. Most of the people I work with there were told to reapply for their jobs and half lost them. If it was unionised engineers you would have heard about it but this is back office staff.

I suspect QANTAS will try and ditch any route where they need to stopover with the possible exception of London. The cost of laying over staff and paying for them on their break days is huge.

The worst thing about this deal is that it will mean QANTAS will use the deal to control pricing with Emirates making the route less competitive. Singapore airlines will love the deal.

The Chinese airlines will try and fill the void.

Beoz

We're on a roll

Wol

>>I suspect QANTAS will try and ditch any route where they need to stopover with the possible exception of London. The cost of laying over staff and paying for them on their break days is huge.<<

Cost of doing business, I'm afraid. Until they can genetically engineer crew to go a couple of days without rest they are stuck with having to spend big on accommodation, like all airlines.

IvanM

A Europe Australia return needs three layovers. An airline based in the middle only has to pay for two.

Qantas is cutting costs everywhere.

Wol

True, of course. But only really significant if Qantas is pulling out of everything after the ME - they are not being based there themselves. I presume <g>.

IvanM

Frankfurt is getting cut. I reckon anything other than London will be Emirates from Dubai. The question is whether Qantas or Jetstar will be used for Asia?

commonwealth

from the announcements it seems QF direct flights to Asia will not change except to SG and HK where only the timetable will change as there will no longer be a 2nd leg to Europe. no more A380 to SG though as they will be used for the Aust-Dubai leg.

Wol

Of all the places in the world I wouldn't want to have any kind of base, the ME is it. It's unstable enough at the moment, as a region, and only likely to get more so as the oil runs out.

KJCherokee

Emirates is not part of OneWorld - its only partner airlines in this part of the world are JAL and Korean. Will this mean that Qantas FF points will no longer be valid on OneWorld airlines, and that flights on OneWorld airlines will not earn QF points?

Mr Grumpy

Qantas is taking a gigantic risk here, they don't seem to have factored in the incredibly likely scenario that war with Iran and possibly Syria will happen within the near future.

commonwealth

no.

Zen10

Agreed, but global oil isn't due to run out for another 44 years (I know this doesn't factor in economic growth), and when it does, I don't think there's going to be a huge demand for aircraft!