JQ increase Darwin flights

[Stefan Perkas]

Evening all,

From http://www.travelweekly.com.au/news/jetstar-to-serve-manila-from-darwin

Jetstar has committed to expanding its Darwin hub with additional domestic frequencies along with new international services to Manila.
The carrier said the Philippine flights are likely to begin in the first quarter of 2010, subject to regulatory approval, with the services on sale before the end of 2010. It will operate multi-weekly flights on A320 aircraft.

The carrier is in advanced stages of the regulatory process with Philippine authorities.
“It is a longer process than many other countries but we are quietly confident,” Jetstar spokesman Simon Westaway said.
The carrier will target the visiting friend and relatives market in particular with Philippinos the third largest nationality living in Darwin. The services, which will complement existing Qantas flights to Manila from Sydney and Brisbane, will also be timed to meet domestic traffic from Sydney and Melbourne.

Further expansion of international operations will see services to Bali rise from daily to 11 per week from December 16.

Domestically, Jetstar will add three weekly flights between Adelaide and Darwin from December 10, taking services to a daily frequency, with Melbourne and Sydney frequencies rising from 10 to 11 per week.
“Jetstar has a partnership in growth with the Northern Territory that is further consolidated by this important new phase of expansion of our flying hub in Darwin,” said Jetstar chief commercial officer David Koczkar.

I know there is a separate thread about Domestic changes, but as the article is about both Internatinal and Domestic, it was easier to lump into one thread.

Also from http://www.travelweekly.com.au/getattachment/579c6503-9532-437f-99a5-06e922671171/pdf.aspx


Qantas will also expand its flying to Darwin with the launch next May of direct CityFlyer services from Melbourne. It will operate three return services, with a fourth running during the Northern Territory's peak July to October season.

The route will be operated by a two-class, 168-seat Boeing 737-800 aircraft. “With Jetstar also set to expand capacity into Darwin, today's announcement shows the Qantas Group's two-brand strategy in action,” said group executive Qantas Airlines commercial Rob Gurney.

[Stefan Perkas]

Morning all,

Here are the schedules for the...

QF MEL-DRW Flights
QF838 Dep MEL 0830 Arr DRW 1220 (Sun, Tues, Sat)
QF839 Dep DRW 1305 Arr MEL 1805 (Sun, Tues, Sat)

JQ DRW-DPS flights.
JQ83 Dep DRW 1610 Arr DPS 1725 (Sun, Mon, Fri, Sat) A320
JQ84 Dep DPS 1815 Arr DRW 2225 (Sun, Mon, Fri, Sat) A320

[Jarden S]

No schedule yet for the Manila flights. I wonder if Jetstar will lauch other ports from its Darwin base. They could make a return to KUL and add BKK and Jakarta both are within range of the A320 from DRW.

[Stefan Perkas]

It looks as though DRW are looking at QF doing DRW-SIN.

http://www.travelweekly.com.au/getattachment/12cb654a-9fe1-4f7f-a49c-ba7a1088224e/pdf.aspx

Darwin Airport chief executive Ian Kew also welcomed the new Melbourne-Darwin flights announced by Qantas yesterday, adding it would be “keen to work with Qantas to extend this full service flights from Darwin to Singapore”.

[Gareth U]

Anyone noticed that the QF824/QF825 BNE-DRW-BNE is operated by a 333 on Thu and Sun in the peak tourist season?

Those 45 extra seats in Economy (compared to a domestic 763) will absolutely be filled during that time of year.

[Jarden S]

It looks as though DRW are looking at QF doing DRW-SIN.

http://www.travelweekly.com.au/getattachment/12cb654a-9fe1-4f7f-a49c-ba7a1088224e/pdf.aspx

At the moment Jetstar operate DRW-SIN is it not double daily already? Be better to give ADL some more frequencies to SIN first and make that up to daily. Qantas hardly does any INTL OPS from ADL.

[Ash W]

Anyone noticed that the QF824/QF825 BNE-DRW-BNE is operated by a 333 on Thu and Sun in the peak tourist season?

Those 45 extra seats in Economy (compared to a domestic 763) will absolutely be filled during that time of year.

I used to be a regular on those flights back in the days when it was a 737-400 off peak and the 763 only came out to play in the peak, circa 1998.

[Stefan Perkas]

At the moment Jetstar operate DRW-SIN is it not double daily already? Be better to give ADL some more frequencies to SIN first and make that up to daily. Qantas hardly does any INTL OPS from ADL.

Yes that is correct JQ already do double daily. One goes CNS-DRW-SIN JQ57/58, the other goes MEL-DRW-SIN JQ61/62.

Us spotters here in Adelaide have been wandering about the same thing, about QF. When the B763's were on the run they operate 5 or 6 a week.
When the A330-300's came on the run, they cut it to 3 a week. I'm not sure how viable ADL-SIN with QF is. But we highly doubt they make much with 3 a week. SQ are daily, if they want ot compete they have to go Daily.

[Jarden S]

Also you would have thought that Jetstar would have started an ADL-DPS service by now say 3 per week with an A320, maybe they totally overlook ADL when planning new routes. Perhaps Strategic may come to ADL and start something. Is ADL airport fees to high for airlines to open new routes.

[Brock Little]

ADL-CHC should be considered. If an A320 has the range for ADL-AKL, then why not ADL-CHC? JQ or NZ (or VC) would have a monopoly on that route.

In QF's case, could China be an option?

[Stefan Perkas]

Also you would have thought that Jetstar would have started an ADL-DPS service by now say 3 per week with an A320, maybe they totally overlook ADL when planning new routes. Perhaps Strategic may come to ADL and start something. Is ADL airport fees to high for airlines to open new routes.

In terms of fees i am not sure. I think they are reasonablly priced, from what i beleive.

The killer for Adelaide from what I undersand is the Curfew. I know Sydney has one too, but Adelaide is nothing like Sydney. EK signalled their intentions, but they wanted a late night slot, which could not happen due to the curfew.

DPS is an interesting one, Garuda were suppose to re-start 2-3 years ago, but never did. When PB started it preety much killed the Garuda option, as us spotters beleived the route couldn't handle 2 airlines on such a route. Basically now PB domnate that run, from what I undestand they are doing well with 3 a week. I am very suprised they haven't increased to 4 or 5 a week., every other city PB operates to DPS is Daily.

JQ again is interesting, They could do ADL-DPS via DRW, NZ is also an option. Or even a SIN with A332's.

Christchurch has been mentioned. Again NZ could do 4 a week AKL, 3 CHC. Or even PB do CHC.

China or Asia in general, is where Adelaide will get its new routes from I believe. CZ and VN are the 2 whcih we will most proably see in Adelaide.

QF now look to basing their international operations out of Sydney. Except for the US and LHR and the major Asian hubs SIN and HKG. All the other cities like PVG, Tokyo, JNB are all Sydney based. Which i think will stay like this for many years.

[Jarden S]

Jetstar has applied from the International air services commission for 531 seats per week between Darwin and Manila. This is equivalent to 3 flights per week using their A320 in an all economy 177 seat configuration. So the other 4 days per week will fit in nicely to do the extra DPS flights.

[Mark B]

Yes that is correct JQ already do double daily. One goes CNS-DRW-SIN JQ57/58, the other goes MEL-DRW-SIN JQ61/62.



Is it not winding back to once a day when the MEL-SIN route switches to using a non-stop A330?

[Stefan Perkas]

Is it not winding back to once a day when the MEL-SIN route switches to using a non-stop A330?

Yes, that is correct I forgot about that. the aircraft will just do MEL-DRW.

[Jarden S]

That may be the A320 now available to start the new DRW-MNL run and extra ADL flights. While the loss of the daily JQ A320 MEL-DRW will be partly offset by the new QF MEL-DRW starting around the same time. So still have 2Darwin based A320 originally JQ planned to have 5 based up there. Could potentially see a lot of new routes opened up now that the Airport and JQ have made a new agreement on pricing.

[Phillippe M]

Going by what was written in the NT News today, it seems that the hub still isn't fully certin.
Although you also don't normally take much notice or believe what they write in the NT News, unless its about a croc of course!!

Jetstar hub unconfirmed

NIGEL ADLAM | October 16th, 2010 | NT News

JETSTAR yesterday warned it may move its hub from Darwin.

Airline boss Bruce Buchanan said operating from Darwin was expensive and he may look elsewhere, such as Broome or another Territory site.

He said there was no guarantee that future services would be based in Darwin. His statement follows an announcement that Jetstar and the airport had finally come to a pricing deal.

Airport chief executive Ian Kew was stunned by Mr Buchanan's veiled threat.

"I thought we had a deal," he said. "We shook hands over it at a press conference. They said it was a breakthrough and that they were happy.

"I don't know what's going on."

The agreement over landing charges led to Jetstar announcing it would operate many more interstate flights out of Darwin and start a service to Manila early next year.

Qantas, which owns the budget airline, joined in the celebration by saying it would start a Darwin-Melbourne service.

The airport said the deal would allow a $33.5 million expansion of the terminal to go ahead.

The announcement appeared to end a long-running and sometimes bitter dispute.

But Mr Buchanan said yesterday: "It's not what I'd call a fantastic outcome.

"But we realise that in an environment where there's one provider of these services, we could continue to argue for years and years and years or we can say we understand the situation we've got.

"We've decided to negotiate a path that at least lets us deploy the existing aircraft we have committed in Darwin.

"But before we commit more capital to Darwin, we're going to have to have a serious think and discussion with the Northern Territory Government and Northern Territory airports again around what the competitive dynamics of that looks like."

Mr Buchanan said there were many other places that wanted increased services.

"We've got to weigh them up when we're thinking about the opportunities," he said.

Mr Buchanan said Darwin was one of Jetstar's most expensive airports and it was expected to become more so.

He said the so-called "virtuous circle" - where Jetstar would pay reduced landing fees per passenger as it increased capacity - was not working.

http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2010/10/16/187151_ntnews.html

[Jarden S]

ADL-CHC should be considered. If an A320 has the range for ADL-AKL, then why not ADL-CHC? JQ or NZ (or VC) would have a monopoly on that route.


What airline is VC do you mean DJ Pacific Blue?

[Brandon Giacomin]

VC is the IATA code for Strategic Airlines.

[Jarden S]

Thanks for that, I read on wiki VC was Voyageur Airlines of Canada but that must be out of date one can't always trust wiki...