Qantas to introduce Brisbane - Hobart flights

[Ryan K]

Qantas has announced a new direct service between the Queensland and Tasmanian capitals. From www.themercury.com.au

http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2010/10/20/180435_travel.html

This one's for you Kain!

[Ryan K]

Unfortunately this is just a seasonal service that will end in January. Seems a bit silly that the Qantas group can justify double daily BNE-LST Jetstar flights over this period, but just two flights a week on BNE-HBA on Qantas.

[Kain C]

I'm surprised!

I have been waiting for DJ to update their online timetable; seems the booking engine has an additional Saturday afternoon/evening BNE-HBA-BNE service from December, and the existing servicee moves an hour and a half earlier. I wonder if these are E90 or 737?

As for Andrew's comment, decisions like this used to confuse me, but now I understand that route development is largely (but not solely) about what is available, and not just about a particular route performing well so magically finding an aircraft available at the right time to add an extra service when demand warrants! For example, the on again off again 5th daily HBA-MEL, which has seemed to operate most recent winters but not most summers. In winter there was an aircraft that would lose money if it sat on the ground doing nothing, but overall lost less if it operated a marginal 5th HBA-MEL in winter. But come summer, the schedules change (more services to QLD for example) and the aircraft isn't available. So even though the demand would be there in summer, changing circumstances make buying a new aircraft just for one more HBA-MEL unviable.

So after a couple of years of saying how undercapacity HBA-BNE was, it has now turned to a bloodbath! Swings and roundabouts ...

[Jarden S]

Also Qantas likes to serve the state capitals together first before Jetstar gets a look in. As LST not a capital city it not likely see any new Qantas routes. This new route follows on from the new QF MEL-DRW route and CBR-DRW one recently.

[Ryan K]

I wouldn't say it is 'silly' Ryan, but rather Qantas utilising assets appropriately to deliver the best return - which in some markets, is seasonal.

It's also about capacity/aircraft utlisation, as well as resources, infrastructure etc - delivering the best overall benefit to the network and business.

You cannot compare Qantas and Jetstar operations in the same context - they're very different. What might be an accetable return to JQ may not be to QF etc - and that is only from a yield persepctive.

That's true, I guess the point I was trying to make is that I can't understand why the Qantas Group would put on double daily flights from BNE to LST over summer, but have no seats onto HBA on Jetstar at all. The QF flights are great, but at only 2 per week it's not much competition to DJ who fly the route daily.

[Kain C]

The two slots available for BNE-TAS flights are the lunchtime BNE-LST and evening BNE-LST. They can't shift the evening one to BNE-HBA since it would depart HBA at 10pm and there is a HBA-MEL that would depart at the same time and it would cost them more to have two deprtures at the same time as they would need extra staff for that short period. Also they would be hesitant to return the HBA-BNE to the famed midnight special arrival in BNE that brought the downfall of JQ on that route a couple of years ago!!!

They can't really shift the lunchtime BNE-LST to BNE-HBA since then LST gets the bum steer with only the midnight special operating! So again, it's all about what is available rather than where the demand is.

In the last press release from JQ when they announced additional HBA services, Buchanan said that additional routes from HBA would be announced "very soon". I would guess that with some new services in the new year from OOL (up to daily CNS, daily PER) that some slots would be available there to do OOL-HBA. Or maybe they will base another aircraft in BNE and then the viability of BNE-HBA opens up again. If they can do BNE-HBA with QF, then it is clear that there is demand there, and JQ could make a daily service profitable where as QF can only manage two per week for Dec/Jan. Having said that, with MONA, wooden boats and other big events all operating through February/March, I wouldn't be surprised if QF extended their HBA-BNE through until the end of March, and then JQ take over with daily from April maybe to OOL when the OOL-PER starts?

[Ryan K]

Personally, I'd prefer JQ to do HBA-OOL rather than HBA-BNE. There are already direct flights from HBA to BNE on DJ and soon QF, however OOL is more convenient for those travelling to northern NSW.