Qantaslink 717 BNE scheds are out

[lloyd fox]

Starts 15 March with 1 aircraft commencing ROK,GLT 15 March and then MKY from 26 March.

Aircraft 2 doesn't appear to come on line till June.

When both are in service BNE-MKY 13 a week each way
BNE-ROK 15 a week each way
BNE-GLT 15 a week each way.

Schedules on Qantas web site.

[Jarden S]

From Qantas:
QANTASLINK EXPANDS ACROSS QUEENSLAND
JETS INTO ROCKHAMPTON, GLADSTONE AND MACKAY
ADDS CAPACITY TO NINE KEY DESTINATIONS
BRISBANE, 31 January 2012: QantasLink today announced a significant boost to services throughout
Queensland.
QantasLink will launch Boeing 717 services to Rockhampton and Gladstone on 15 March and Mackay on 26
March 2012 following the addition of the B717 aircraft into its fleet.
QantasLink was recently voted the world’s best regional airline by prestigious aviation journal Air Transport
World.
QantasLink Executive Manager Narendra Kumar said he was very pleased to announce that QantasLink
would be jetting off to three booming Queensland destinations.
“The introduction of QantasLink’s two new B717 aircraft in Queensland will deliver an increase of over 200,000
seats per year in Queensland,” Mr Kumar said.
“QantasLink’s new 115-seat B717 services will offer customers faster flight times and more seats at peak
times by complementing existing aircraft on these routes.”
By mid year, the QantasLink B717 services will result in:
• 1,674 additional seats per week to Gladstone which will see QantasLink provide more than 9,100
seats per week on the route.
• 806 additional seats on QantasLink services increasing seats offered by the Qantas Group
between Brisbane and Mackay to 13,884 per week (operated by both Jetstar and QantasLink).
• 598 additional seats to Rockhampton, offering over 8,400 seats per week.
QantasLink has also today announced it will introduce new Q300 and Q400 aircraft services across several
key Queensland destinations including:
- Increased flights to Emerald from 76 to 84 flights per week resulting in an additional 592 seats.
- Roma will have an additional two flights per week which will offer QantasLink customers 244 extra
seats.
- Four extra flights will operate to Bundaberg creating 200 more seats.
QantasLink also recently added new services and upgraded capacity
Also plans to launch to a new destination Middlemount for the mining market.

[Rowan McKeever]

Schedules look a little mixed up on their website at the moment... suspect they've loaded in the 717s and haven't yet taken off the corresponding DHC8s. Also the 717s are not yet bookable despite the press release.

Is there likely to be some kind of linkage to an existing 717 port, eg ADL, CNS or DRW, to swap aircraft around for MX etc? ADL would make most sense to me as a lot of the MX is done there.

Finally, has there been any word on which two frames are coming and what their registrations will be?

[lloyd fox]

Yes Rowan they haven't taken out the Dash 8's as yet.

I worked out through the press release(seat numbers) that BNE-GLT will gain a extra 3 flights a week on what is currently operational prior to 15 March, however the other 2 destinations are not as easy to work out particularly MKY where 320's as well as Dash's operate.

[Rowan McKeever]

That's what I thought Lloyd, thanks :) Didn't think they'd have two flights (717 and DH4) running at the same time.

The one I can't work out is Roma where they say 2 additional (return) flights a week with 244 seats, the closest I can get is 248 assuming one DH4 and one DH3?

[Brad Myer]

Does this mean the end of using Alliance F100 on the MKY and ROK route?

Also how will these 2 B717s be rotated with the rest of the fleet which is based in WA?

Thanks

[Rowan McKeever]

Brad, I was looking yesterday and there's definitely still F100s on MKY and ROK, at least as far out as mid-July. I imagine the idea of that is to help release Q400s for other ops, perhaps WA/SA or just increased QLD/NSW flying.

Cheers
Rowan

[Andrew Johnson]

Are these the services that Alliance are using F100's on presently ?

[lloyd fox]

Rowan Hi,yes i have noticed that the F100's are still in there albeit to a lesser extent.I counted 14 a week total to ROK and MKY in total.However are these Alliance or Network.

Network is rumoured to be coming to BNE in 2012.I assume when they get enough of the 10 new ones they will move 2-3 over to Brissie.

Also BNE-Moranbah was 33 a week recently but shows 40 a week in June.

[Rowan McKeever]

Hey Lloyd :) When I looked the other day they were showing as Alliance as per the current contract. As you say though I wouldn't be surprised to see the F100 flying switch across to Network when more of their aircraft come in.

What does surprise me (and sorry that this is a little off-topic) is that VA also went to Alliance for F100 ops when they are so closely tied to Skywest. I suppose Alliance knows QLD better but it's not like Skywest aren't pro with the aircraft (and couldn't pull in a couple of extra units).

[Brock Little]

Alliance have their F100 base in BNE, whereas Skywest would have theirs in PER. It beats having Skywest's F100s (which may already be at maximum utilisation anyway) ferry between BNE and PER for maintenance every now and then.

[lloyd fox]

Brock, they have already stated that Network will expand to QLD later this year.There was article by Kumar(Qantaslink boss) as apparently he will be the new boss of all Qantas regional divisions including Network.The article stated that Network will fly to wherever the need for fifo is the highest and it then acknowledged that QLD was the next major region to WA and BNE was the source of those workers

Qantas own Network but they don't own Alliance.It makes immense sense to use their own F100's rather than leasing them from Alliance.

Network F100's will not be all based in Perth and that fact has already been stated on news releases.The 10 new ones this year will possibly be spread over 3 bases.

It doesn't take too much to open a new base outside of Perth including engineering .There is hangar space already available and all they have to do is advertise for Lames and other staff.

There is a QLD govt add on TV every day stating that 3,500 workers now required in Queensland's mining industry with 38,000 required soon.That is a hell of a lot of workers and half of those will be Fifo and maybe more.

[Brock Little]

Lloyd I was talking about Virgin with regards to the F100s ;)

[Rob R]

Hey LLoyd,

Other than the article a few weeks back about, are there any other (more reliable) sources saying there will be a few Network F100's based in BNE?

[Jarden S]

Regarding they wont have spare aircraft to help out VA. Skywest also had a plan to launch f100 flights from Broome to Singapore and more Pilbara- East coast routes which may have got delayed somewhat but could explain why they can't assist with VA's requirements.

[lloyd fox]

No Rob, except for my contacts in Perth who work in the airline and travel industry who have heard this prior to the article .Obviously i can't reveal who they are ??

I believe it has a 70-80% probability but i guess we will just have to wait a few more months time to see what happens.

Things change in this industry all the time.

[Rob R]

Sounds like we've heard similar information. My source says 2-3 aircraft some time this year and it does make sense as there is no way they'll could use all 12 of their F100's in the west and most companies are saying QLD is the next FIFO market.

[Dave Parer]

Yes Rowan they haven't taken out the Dash 8's as yet.

I worked out through the press release(seat numbers) that BNE-GLT will gain a extra 3 flights a week on what is currently operational prior to 15 March, however the other 2 destinations are not as easy to work out particularly MKY where 320's as well as Dash's operate.

Just had a quick look at qantas.com for MKY-BNE direct services on Monday 26th March. It shows 8 flights being operated - 3 x F100's, 1 x B717, 4 x JQ A320's. No more turbo-prop Dash 8 direct services.

[lloyd fox]

Brock sorry i misunderstood you.:)

Dave yep all scheds are now correct .Beginning of June now has both 717's operating .:cool:

[Jarden S]

ROK has a big win too although MKY has the most flights and seats.
As the city was a all turboprop operation with Qlink as there was no Jetstar A320 pressence in the city and no QF 737s either. So for the Qantas Group to reinstate 717 jet services is a major boost for the region.
Will JQ ever return to ROK?
They did have a falling out with the airport a while back.

There may be additional flights to come as the 717 schedule has some gaps in it

[Rowan McKeever]

Not a bad outcome for GLT either... admitedly not their first scheduled jet service but at least the first with a realistic chance of staying. Good move by QLink with DJ only offering an ATR (for now!?)

[Rowan McKeever]

From www.theqantassource.com and www.skyliner-aviation.de the first of the two 'new' QLink 717s will be VH-NXR and has rolled out at MIA in the last few days. NXR is LN 5118, MSN 55168, ex N904ME of MexicanaClick and before that Midwest.

Anyone heard anything re the second 717? Do we assume it'll be NXS? And anything on the LN/MSN?

Cheers
Rowan

[lloyd fox]

Rowan we have a 717 VH-NXN ?? due into BNE today from PER/ASP obviously to do some route proving flights and get ports such as GLT used to A 717.

[damian f]

I have been told that ROK will have B717 training flights this coming Thursday and Friday.

Don't know about GLT though.

Damian

[Greg Hyde]

Guys,

The latest Australian Aviation Mag said that the next two B717 would be:

NXJ/55168 due April

NXR/55166 due March

Greg

[Rowan McKeever]

Thanks gents! Haven't had a chance to look at AA yet so didn't realise that was in there, cheers Greg

[Rowan McKeever]

Has NXN completed all the route proving sectors? Nothing shows up on the Brisbane Airport website for today through the rest of the week. Assume NXN will remain in BNE to commence services on Thursday next week with NXR to join it? And then either one of those two or NXJ will head over to the PER base?

[lloyd fox]

Rotation of 717's will be via ASP on Saturdays with a 717 now operating BNE-ASP-BNE in lieu of a 73H.

[damian f]

Photos from Gladstone today as VH-NXN operated the first B717 RPT service from Brisbane and return are on the CQ Plane Spotting Blog - http://cqplanespotting.blogspot.com/

Cheers
Damian