Qantas will start direct flights between Sydney and Beijing from January 25 2017, resuming a route which the airline axed in 2009.
The daily service will run on an Airbus A330-200 aircraft, although this will be one of the two remaining members of the A330 fleet which are not being upgraded to the newest Business Suites.
Instead, passengers at the pointy end will have to make do with the angled beds and 2-2-2 seating layout of the older Skybed I business class (below).
In the A330-200's favour, at least for Qantas, is that its significant cargo capacity will allow the airline to support the growing amount of fresh milk, produce, seafood and other freight which it already flies into China.
QF107 will depart Sydney at 1.50pm daily, to reach Beijing's sprawling Capital International Airport at 10.40pm.
The return leg QF108 will be wheels up from Beijing at 12.15am for a 2.55pm touchdown into Sydney.
Qantas says the return flights are timed to connect with the airline's "extensive domestic and trans-Tasman network" to spur onwards flights by the surging Chinese travel market.
Gold, Platinum perks
As part of the expanded Qantas-China Eastern joint venture, Platinum and Gold members of the Qantas Frequent Flyer scheme will be admitted to China Eastern lounges throughout China when flying on China Eastern, as well as international lounges for flights between Mainland China and Australia.
A flash of the card will also ensure priority check-in and priority boarding, equivalent to the Sky Priority 'red carpet' treatment for China Eastern's business class passengers, top-tier frequent flyers and other SkyTeam member airlines.
Beijing boost for business travellers
"Beijing is the largest destination for Australian corporate travellers which Qantas currently doesn’t serve,” said Qantas International CEO Gareth Evans, who said the new service underscores the Flying Kangaroo’s dedication to on Asian market.
“Almost 50% of our capacity is focussed on Asia, and Beijing will be the eighth destination served directly with a daily service out of Australia."
Chinese business travellers shouldn't be discounted, adds Kathy Zhang, China Eastern's General Manager Oceania.
"We are seeing an increase in Chinese business travellers flying back and forth between China and Australia" Zhang told Australian Business Traveller.
"They have for a long time been visiting Australia for the mining industry but in recent years are getting more interested in services like education, construction and property investment, and also agriculture."
Qantas closed both its Sydney-Beijing and Melbourne-Shanghai services in early 2009, while stepping up Sydney-Shanghai to a daily service.
The airline has since relied on a codeshare Sydney-Beijing route with partner China Eastern Airlines which makes a stopover at the eastern city of Nanjing, near Shanghai.
Virgin Australia also intends to fly to Beijing by mid-2017 as part of its new alliance with HNA Aviation Group, however the challenger has not revealed from which Australian city the flights would originate.
Qantas will also expand its joint venture with China Eastern to codeshare on the Chinese airline's Sydney-Hangzhou, Sydney-Kunming and Brisbane-Shanghai services.
[An earlier version of this article cited the Sydney-Beijing A330s as being fitted with the Qantas Business Suite, which was incorrect]
Connect with other business travellers in our Qantas discussion group
David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.
30 Jul 2015
Total posts 135
don't forget about the a330-200, they have greater range than the a330-300.
31 Mar 2016
Total posts 619
@Angus Coventry:
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
17 May 2014
Total posts 35
Remember QF deployed A333 on the old SYD-PEK flight (QF191/2) and they frequently had to offload baggages in order to make it non-stop; QF's A333s only have a MTOW of 212t which is next to impossible to make it economically feasible to fly nonstop to PEK
13 Oct 2016
Total posts 3
Incorrect.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
17 May 2014
Total posts 35
Qantas official website gives it at 212t, and QF is known to do a pretty good job in updating its fleet page:
13 Oct 2016
Total posts 3
The website is wrong, trust me it is 233, I fly them, but thanks for pointing it out - I will let someone know.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
17 May 2014
Total posts 35
Sure mate - if it's sure 233t then it would be much easier should QF decided to put the plane to PEK. Cheers
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
06 Oct 2015
Total posts 21
Hallelujah. Now bring back Mumbai as well and that's 90% of my Asia travel on QF metal :)
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
24 Aug 2011
Total posts 780
Don't hold your breath waiting.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
18 May 2011
Total posts 233
David, you can read Chinese!
You're so talented ;)
24 Oct 2010
Total posts 2560
No, but I can use Google Translate :P
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
18 May 2011
Total posts 233
Aww, you've shattered my admiration now.
J.K., you and Google are very clever.
01 Jun 2016
Total posts 58
It's amusing that the literal Chinese translation of Qantas is just 'Australian Airline', I wonder what they call VA...?
Air China - Phoenix Miles
20 Dec 2012
Total posts 105
It will be "Wei Zhen Ao Da Li Ya".
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
07 May 2016
Total posts 18
VA in Chinese is called Australian Virgin Airlines @JBL
14 Apr 2014
Total posts 46
@David
31 Mar 2016
Total posts 619
@AlexT:
10 Aug 2015
Total posts 122
Do you know if CAAC approved china southern to start a SZX-BNE daily service?
03 Aug 2015
Total posts 58
This approval is for 3rd Quater, SZX-BNE was made in Q4
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
07 May 2016
Total posts 18
@afloskar I saw an approval for SZX-BNE by CSA on CAAC website!
10 Aug 2015
Total posts 122
@log0008 Do u know when the SZX-BNE route will be approved?
03 Aug 2015
Total posts 58
It could already be approved but they are only made public after the end of the quarter so if the route is not announced prior to this it will be in the Jan report
10 Aug 2015
Total posts 122
Ok thanks @log0008
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
09 May 2011
Total posts 362
It could be a Jetstar service. When they announced the end of Gold Coast - Wuhan they mentioned moving into other areas of China
QFF
16 Oct 2015
Total posts 12
I'd second that. The application of the other two airlines are very specific regarding the airline operating, i.e. Silk Air for the second one. I think it's gonna be QF itself.
31 Mar 2016
Total posts 619
@JacobW:
12 Dec 2012
Total posts 1029
QF currently has 4,471 seats/week to mainland China assigned. These can be used for QF operated, JQ operated or codeshare.
That's their most recent update from IASC dated May 2016.
VA had 1,925 seats assigned in June.
If either airline is planning more flights, they haven't requested the seats from IASC yet.
Could the listing in China be a renewal of the Chinese side of the 4471 seats QF has already?
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
02 Jul 2011
Total posts 1374
Apart from being specific for SYD-PEK
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
07 May 2016
Total posts 18
David, many thanks for this one! I am so excited about this SYD PEK route. I found it is the best way to go to Europe by QF AY. Sydney to Beijing around 11-12 hours then around 7 hours from Beijing to Helsinki then other European cities. I love this Kangaroo-Raindeer route!
14 Apr 2014
Total posts 46
That's an overnight stopover in Beijing :)
12 Dec 2012
Total posts 1029
Just saw the QF press release announcing/confirming the route (which I assume caused the update on the article).
I notice that they are using the old JFK flight numbers (107/108). What were the old SYD-PEK QF flight numbers?
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
17 May 2014
Total posts 35
If my memory serves the old SYD-PEK QF flight number was 191/192 - currently used on CNS-POM route.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
28 Jul 2016
Total posts 106
This will be helpful for me - I go to Beijing all the time
28 Oct 2011
Total posts 645
the Qantas press release does not mention the new business suite. just throwing it out there, but maybe the 2 skybed 332s will be focused on the SYD-PEK-SYD route (the schedule requires 2 aircraft to maintain a daily service, maybe with a few east coast domestic flights thrown in for max aircraft utilization), for the next year or so until the 789s come into the mix when current aircraft types can be shuffled around more :). There are many other airlines that operate different seating 'products' on different routes/markets. :)
07 Oct 2012
Total posts 1250
Which would be fine, if QF market it that way. The problem is that QF show advertisments containing diamonds and occasionally a customer is served a rock.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
28 Jul 2011
Total posts 60
I thought the a330s with skybed Mk1s were used for Hawaii? What will happen to those flights?
23 Aug 2014
Total posts 10
Sounds like this is where the aircraft displaced from the first 787 route will go!
23 Aug 2014
Total posts 10
Wait no it doesn't - misread the dates and got excited.
11 Dec 2015
Total posts 85
Those seem like fairly odd departure and arrival times. Hang around until the middle of the night in Beijing, arrive in Sydney too late for business that day, and if you want to "connect with the airline's extensive domestic and trans-Tasman network" your NZ flight doesn't get you there until 10:30pm that night. Coming the other way is a little better, but with NZs two hour time advantage couldn't they depart Sydney a couple of hours earlier?
07 Oct 2012
Total posts 1250
It's not that easy to get slots at PEK
31 Mar 2016
Total posts 619
@hutch:
16 Nov 2011
Total posts 580
It is only 'hanging around' in Beijing for 1 hour 35 minutes, which is a normal A330 turn around.
Emirates Airlines - Skywards
30 Nov 2015
Total posts 729
Oh that Skybed mark I, belongs in a museum, preferably under contraptions of torture section.
31 Mar 2014
Total posts 397
I get the feeling this would be one of the first routes to be replaced with the 787-9. The A333 doesn't have the legs to do this route properly and the reconfigured A332 doesn't have the galley space or toilet numbers to do it either. This only leaves the two old A332 to handle this route until the 787-9 comes along.
QFF
08 Apr 2016
Total posts 2
Does China Eastern lounge access (for QF Gold/Plat) across domestic China airports and flights kick in on same date - 25 Jan 2017 or sooner?
I'll give it a crack next month anyway...great development, been waiting years for it
24 Feb 2012
Total posts 58
I would personally never fly China Eastern again but definitely try your luck. My experience with them was flying PVG to MFM and have Alitalia Freccia Alata Plus level which supposedly grants access to all Sky Team lounges. My experience was they will turn you away if unsure. Despite having all the evidence on paper they refused me entry. Hopefully it will be better for QF gold and platinums!
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
13 Dec 2012
Total posts 53
So much for QF upgrading all the A330's!
19 Nov 2012
Total posts 44
These 2 aircraft were planned for disposal. It now appears their leases will be extended and the aircraft refurbished at a later date.
31 Mar 2016
Total posts 619
@QFcrew:
16 Nov 2011
Total posts 580
QF crew these two are on a finance lease as many Qantas aircraft are. So in reality "Qantas" owned so not the kind of thing that can be simply returned to the leasor.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
02 Jan 2014
Total posts 15
With the downturn of the west to east coast flights, Qantas has ample opportunity to launch new routes with the newly reconfigured A330s
NZ, Europe and the Middle East (via perth) can all be served with an A330.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
02 Jul 2011
Total posts 1374
Joe,
I think you'll find the flight schedules for these aircraft are pretty full already
31 Mar 2016
Total posts 619
@moa999:
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
10 Apr 2012
Total posts 317
Thought they were going to deploy the Mk1 seats on the leisure Hawaii route. Would think the chinese are more inclined to pay a premium for a fully flat suite, than a sloping bed which could be utilized better on a leisure route?
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards Platinum
29 Aug 2014
Total posts 34
Dear VA, can you make a code share flights with Korean Air or ANA?
11 Mar 2012
Total posts 314
That sloping bed is awful. A big buyer beware there!
Delta Air Lines - SkyMiles
14 Apr 2013
Total posts 325
Well at least this means that SYD - BJS - SYD is going to be an exculsive route for the A332's that have the Skybed fitted. I assume that this mean's thats QF as of next year will fly the HNL route using the new suites? If so it will give HA some good competition :-)
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
02 Jul 2011
Total posts 1374
Yes, it appears that SYD-HNL has been swapped to the 333 aircraft with Business Suites from 25-Jan - seatmaps have already changed.
On the downside it appears that these two unrefurbed aircraft will operate QF5/6 SYD-SIN on most days in between QF107/108. It's a very tight schedule so any delays/maintenance impacts are likely to impact for a couple of days.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
04 Mar 2014
Total posts 38
I am very tempted to book this route with the current sale on, can anybody shed some light as to what the economy class cabin is like on these non refurbished aircraft?
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
23 Dec 2015
Total posts 27
The fit-out of these aircrafts are designed for domestic or short haul. It will be interesting to see how crew handle two meal services without a garbage compactor. I can see rubbish piling up in a locked off toilet.
Hi Guest, join in the discussion on Qantas to restart Sydney-Beijing flights