Qantas flights to Vancouver after Boeing 747 are retired

Will Qantas still do seasonal flights from Sydney to Vancouver after the Boeing 747 aircraft are retired?

While YVR would make the perfect daily Dreamliner destination from 2020, the current QF fleet plans don't have enough aircraft to service that destination without the loss another route.

Here's hoping for additional aircraft orders in the next quarter.

Surely they could rotate some 787s out of Asian routes and replace them with A330s? I guess it depends on whether they actually need all the A330s on the domestic / Syd - Auckland runs

A330 doesn't have the range to do SYD - YVR.

787 is probably the only option at this point.

There is also the issue of three 787-8s that Jetstar are thinking of getting rid of. QF could take them over and refurbish them for sectors like Vancouver but more likely regional Asia like Manila or Jakarta.

Wasn't Manilla one of QFs top routes in terms of load factors above like 85%.. a 787-8 would be a downgrade in number of seats surely compared to an A333.

I'm not sure Qantas is committed to YVR going forward and retirement of the 744's could mean the end of that service. Is there enough traffic to justify a QF non-stop 789 (or a333) competing with Air Canada? If not, LAX and SFO provide plenty of connecting flights (just 2 and bit hours ex-SFO).

Tommygun this may be a good route for the 787-8s they may or may not inherit from Jetstar

Somewhat off topic but I wonder if Qantas will take 788's from Jetstar? JQ are considering disposal of just 3, would QF bother with integrating them into their fleet or just sell them...

Given they will be short of planes for the next couple of years with 747 all going and not being replaced seat for seat they may take the 788s with the ‘just' cost of a refit to add better galleys, business class etc.

AC also fly YVR - BNE and - MEL as well as SYD (which connects on the same metal to YYZ) year-round I think? They probably have the traffic from Canada sewn up. And doubling capacity wouldn't be profitable for either airline. The problem with flying QF through LAX/DFW/SFO is the US transit, plus, having done it frequently into YYZ and YUL and occasionally YHZ and YYC, it very frequently requires an additional transit (e.g. ORD). Flying directly into Vancouver is one stop to any. And even if it is on (shitty) AC, it's a much easier trip. QF's new BNE-ORD may become a reasonable alternative. Looking forward to that, being Brisbane based....

Batteryben your post would be interesting if we knew what you're talking about. Fewer acronyms makes it much easier for the rest of us. What is YYZ, YHZ, YYC and YUL referring to pray tell.

If Qantas were to keep the YVR seasonals after the removal of the 747 fleet, their options would be to use an A380, divert a 789 from another route or run an A330 via HNL.

The JQ788s are unlikely to be used. Apparently, due to their fit out and customized options, they don't have the range for a AU-YVR non stop.

patrickk,

YYZ - Toronto

YHZ - Halifax

YYC - Calgary

YUL - Montreal

They could put the 788's on existing 789 routes (HKG for example), which would allow them to shift some 789's to YVR perhaps

The Qantas timetable shows 747s on all the current routes (Johannesburg, Santiago and Tokyo) plus Vancouver for the 2020 northern summer seasonals, yet the next 747 retirement is in February, reducing the fleet to just 5. Keeping capacity on Tokyo for the Olympics would seem likely, so I'd expect changes on Johannesburg and Santiago soon.