QantasLink 717's to Gladstone

[Dave Parer]

Qantas Link to fly Boeing 717's to Gladstone from early next year.....

http://www.themorningbulletin.com.au/story/2011/11/23/flying-roo-to-bring-jet-age-qantas/

[Rowan McKeever]

Sweet!!!!

[Brad Myer]

With 2x B717s being based in BNE from early 2012 wonder what other routes they will operate? My guess is MKY, and ROK perhaps?

Either way it will free up a few Q400s! Wonder if the spare Q400s will head west to Perth....

Thanks

[Rowan McKeever]

Hopefully their formal announcement will include details of the other routes. MKY and ROK seem obvious but perhaps there's some more 'out-of-the-box' plans. Not that GLT is that far out of the box.

I'd say WA is a safe bet for the released Q400s but fingers crossed they have some other plans too, perhaps another 1 in SA?

[lloyd fox]

For them to operate BNE-MKY(3 a day) and BNE-ROK (3 a day)as well as GLT they will need 3 717's so my guess is a possible 717 from Perth base to BNE (Not yet announced) and yes perhaps another Q400 to the west.

These 3 a day are the current Allianace F100 flights only which is what is meant to be replaced.

[Jarden S]

They could easily put a 737-800 on a few BNE-MKY/ROK flights to replace the Alliancer F100s as 2 717s wont go very far. They could also reopen the BNE-HBA route and put a few on the BNE-CBR route both with the 717s. Hope they get more than 2, anyone got a date for there arrival to Aust?

[Mitchell S]

What about BNE-LST-MEL-LST-BNE. I doubt they would though

[Brad Myer]

What about BNE-LST-MEL-LST-BNE. I doubt they would though

With JQ on both those routes I doubt QF would bother.

[Dave Parer]

Just my thoughts. I can certainly see all Q400 and Alliance F100 flights to MKY switching over to the 717. Mackay is fast becoming more of a business type port with the growth in the Bowen Basin.

Mackay Airport has recently been upgraded, and DJ are putting bigger aircraft on the BNE-MKY route, so MKY will more than likely be a 717 port for QF on the BNE sector.

Maybe the BNE-ROK leg will be shared between Q400's and 717's?. It is a shorter hop to BNE than from MKY, and Rocky does not have the growth that Mackay, or Gladstone for that fact, is experiencing.

I am in Mackay once every month for business, and the investment by large companies setting up in Mackay to cater for the Bowen Basin mines is just amazing.

[Brock Little]

They could also reopen the BNE-HBA route

BNE-HBA is already run seasonally by QF.

In any case the 717 services will be extremely beneficial to all regions and parties involved.

[Rowan McKeever]

Is EMD capable of taking 717s? That seems to be another high-growth area?

[Jarden S]

There is 22 717-200s stored in victorville waitng new owners. Source wiki.
So Cobham may not want to stop at 13 (unlucky number) and bring over more from the U.S.

Out of the current 717 fleet bases:
1 CNS
3 DRW
7 PER (their biggest)

QF plan to deploy the larger 738s on more of the PER-PHE/KTA/BME runs so this could free up the 717s to be redeployed to BNE. Add the Q400 flights to KGI could also replace some 717 flying.

[Steve S... 2]

A lot of those stored 717's were some of the last built - 2005 - still young.

Snap them up QF.

[damian f]

Evening all,

Dragging this old thread up to report that B717 VH-NXN launched QantasLink services from Brisbane to Gladstone, Rockhampton, and Mackay last month.

Over this last weekend, it was swapped with VH-NXQ which is now flying these runs to Central Queensland.

Photos on the Blog (http://cqplanespotting.blogspot.com/) if you are interested!

Cheers
Damian

[Rowan McKeever]

The first swap using the new QF1798/1799 rotation through ASP! Any word yet on which aircraft will transfer into the BNE base to take up the additional line of flying?

[Stefan Perkas]

I presume once VH-NXR has finished its pre-service checks here in Adelaide. It will get sent up to Brisbane.