British Airways A380 & 787 routes: tops for London-bound flyers
By John Walton, March 2 2012
British Airways is planning to send its Airbus A380 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft on Asian routes, which will potentially open up new connection options for Australians heading for the UK or connecting through London Heathrow.
BA's A380s are heading for Hong Kong, Beijing and Singapore, as well as over the Atlantic to New York, while the 787s will be "opening new destinations in the east, in Asia specifically," the chief financial officer of BA's parent company IAG told Bloomberg.
The first delivery of a British Airways A380 will be next year, with twelve currently on order. Looking to 2013 and beyond, BA's A380s are likely to provide useful connection options for Qantas passengers, especially those combining an Asian business trip with an onward connection to Europe.
All Qantas' London-bound passengers connecting in Hong Kong and Bangkok will be put on BA flights at the end of March, when the Red Roo consolidates all its Europe flights via Singapore.
British Airways' own Sydney-London flights will also drop to one daily, via Singapore, at the end of the month -- a destination tipped to receive the A380. It's not yet clear whether BA's superjumbos will continue on from Singapore to Sydney, as one of BA's current flights does.
And with the new Asian flights (and a safe bet that Chinese destinations are involved) BA is planning to serve with its 787s, Qantas passengers connecting onwards from more destinations than just Hong Kong, Beijing and Singapore will see new options -- and newer planes.
There are numerous reasons for business travellers to love the new 787, as we explain in our on-the-plane article.
Newer planes like the 787 and the A380 are quieter than previous generation aircraft, come with newer entertainment systems (and sometimes Internet connections), and the composite materials used in their construction allows for a less dehydrating cabin atmosphere.
Aviation journalist and travel columnist John took his first long-haul flight when he was eight weeks old and hasn't looked back since. Well, except when facing rearwards in business class.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
05 Jan 2012
Total posts 335
What will be the first airline to bring the 787 to aus? will we have to wait for JQ and QF or is someone coming sooner??
03 Jan 2011
Total posts 665
Nobody has announced AU flights yet; the closest so far is United from Houston to Auckland.
09 May 2011
Total posts 294
Actually, Air India have announced Dehli to Melbourne nonstop -- https://aeroblogger.com/2012/02/22/air-indias-first-787-route-melbourne/
03 Jan 2011
Total posts 665
Hmm, that's not a source I tend to rely overmuch on — and I haven't seen the "confirmed, announced" language anywhere else.
The closest I get is to CAPA -- https://www.centreforaviation.com/news/air-india-proposes-to-launch-delhi-melbourne-service-in-3qfy201213-with-787-equipment-142484 -- which is less definite ("proposing, likely").
And as with everything Air India (Star Alliance, anyone?) I'll wait until I see it with my beady little eyes to believe it.
15 Apr 2011
Total posts 580
I still hold out hope for NH to fly HND-SYD with the 788... That would be excellent, just for the opportunity to try it out on a proper long haul service. JL might also be a strong possibility, given that their service to SYD seems marginal at best. Cutting cost and capacity might be useful...
Otherwise, probably JQ. NZ will undoubtably use their aircraft to Australia (as they use the 777's and 747's today), I think they're getting theirs in 2014. SQ maybe, but they're further down the line. UA could open up direct flights into MEL...
Hi Guest, join in the discussion on British Airways A380 & 787 routes: tops for London-bound flyers