Will the qantas 787 be used for Asian flights.

Will the qantas 787 be used for Asian flights. Or will it be used for long haul flights, I hope not because I don't want to be stuck 9 abrest for 15 hours.

QF announced the 8 787s would replace 5 747s in operation which gives a sense of its likely routes.

The 789 has a decent range, QF will likely use it.

how can the 787 replace the 747 when the capacity of a 787 is far less than a 747? how could the 787 cope on former 747 routes during the peak periods? 

If QF intends to place like for like capacity, then you are correct. But they may believe certain routes have too much capacity with a 747 and may want to downsize. Maybe they would prefer daily flights into SCL / JNB with a 787?

Perhaps QF will look at a 'whole of market view' ie total capacity to USA as opposed to individual routes. If QF launches SYD-ORD non-stop and then downsize a SFO service, things will balance out in overall market.

Exactly.  Some folks who wonder how 789 can replace 744 @ QF  typically hv forgotten that the total seat capacity(Or useable cabin floor area if U will) fm 789 x8 is actually more than fm 744 x5.

When airlines plan fleet replacement these days, it's rarely 1-for-1 in terms of gauge size.  They tend to prefer higher flexibility in terms of frequency and/or route deployment options (e.g. can potentially generate 5 flights fm 744 now vs 8 flights fm 789 soon @ any given moment across QF the system network).

1 thing airline planners do insist on retaining fm the 744 though is payload/range performance and the 789 absolutely excels in this regard...even exceeding the 744 in some(e.g. folks often overlooked the fact that a 789 can actually carry more LD3s in the belly than a 744 can).

the 787-9 doesnt even have the range to fly sydney -chicago non-stop anyway its impossible, the distance between the two cities is 14,878km, the range of the 787-9 with typcial seating is 14,100km. 

But that range of the 787-9 depends on the seating configration. some airlines e.g. British airway say that their 787-9 has a range of 15,400km. 

So Sydney - Chicago is not impossible...  I am doubtful that Joyce would have mentioned SYD-ORD without checking the plane would make it. Yeah, he's made some questionable comments in the past, but I doubt he'd do that.

ORD-SYD will be on the edge of the 789 payload/range performance envelope regardless of cabin config.  Heck, it's even longer than PER-LHR.  Frankly, I believe this a longshot for Joyce's 789 plan...figuratively & literally.

Besides, why rush ORD when DFW already cover 90%+ of what ORD can offer to QF for yr-round reliable(DFW is heaven while ORD is hell during winter blizzard season) network reach+connectivity?

Plus ORD is United/*S territory as opposed to DFW.

DFW is Americans biggest hub... but ORD is also one of their hubs and a destination for travellers & business in its own right.

We can go off what we have been told; or go off our educated guesses until things are locked in by QF.

No. One. Knows.

Exactly.  14,100km is nominal range for 789 in manufacturer's nominal cabin config(i.e. 2-class 290seats) for Boeing mkting or brochure purposes.  In practice, few 789 operators actually adopt such config especially if the bird is bought mostly for non-LCC longhaul intercon missions.

Get rid of the total weight for 30-40seats(Including magazines in the back pockets & AVOD system wirings) +1 lavatory(fewer users) +all pax in those seats +luggages in the belly fm those pax +catering in the galley for those pax, etc. and a 789 can easily take on 5-7tons more fuel instead which is good for an additional 1,000-1,200km @ least.

Mark my words here: I predict the actual cabin config to be adopted by QF's 1st 789 will hv only around 250-260seats in 3-class(J+PY+Y).

Qantas will look to increase frequency. So a five weekly service becomes daily for example. Daily or twice daily services represent a big leap forward in network expectations; especially for business travellers who may have to choose a competitor if a meeting is scheduled for the odd day with no service. Weekly capacity on the route would probably be maintained or improved. I would say Qantas will want to plug these network gaps with the 787 before extending to new routes.

"..how could the 787 cope on former 747 routes during the peak periods?"

Easy, there're typically 2 methods.

1) Just add frequency if possible re slots.  Don't forget that @ QF, there'll be 789 x1.6 for every 744 retired so e.g. 744 on 2 routes will be covered by 789 x3 along with a neat small increase in total seat count available across those 2 routes.

2) Just sell less tickets and leave those deeply-discounted fare(Least profitable or even loss-making) ticket buyers for QF competitors to enjoy.

I hv another question for U though: How does the 747 cope today on future 787 routes during the OFF-peak periods which last much longer than the peak periods EVERY yr?

QF can divide eight 787 across 8 flights where some routes may not be off-peak but surely can't divide five 747 across 8 flights for the same objective.