Qatar Airways will elbow its way into Australia's largest and most competitive travel market when the Gulf carrier begins daily flights between Sydney and its Doha hub this week.
The Oneworld member and de facto Qantas partner is most noticeably going toe-to-toe against its 'Gulf three' siblings and rivals Emirates and Etihad, which between them have five daily flights including both airlines' A380 superjumbos.
Qatar's Sydney-Doha flights will operate on a Boeing 777-300ER with fully-flat business class beds – the same aircraft as used on the Melbourne route.
AusBT review: Qatar Airways Boeing 777-300ER business class, Melbourne to Doha
Flight QR909 departs Sydney at 10.20pm to reach Doha at 5.05am the next day, with a stream of onwards connections to London and Europe.
The companion flight QR908 is set for wheels-up from Doha at 8.10pm for an 6.05pm arrival into Sydney.
Photo tour: Qatar Airways Airbus A380 first, business class
Qatar will drop another pin into its Aussie network map in May with the launch of flights to Adelaide using the new Airbus A350, which features the airline's latest lie-flat business class seats with a spacious 1-2-1 configuration.
Each seat converts to an 80 inch fully flat bed and has its own 17 inch high-definition personal video screen.
Photo tour: Qatar Airbus A350 business class
Flight QR915 will be wheels-up from Adelaide at 9.30pm and reach Doha at 4.50am the next day, with onwards connections to the Europe and the UK, while the companion flight QR914 from Doha departs at 8.55pm to arriving into Adelaide at 4.25pm the following day.
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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.
Lufthansa - Miles & More
29 Jul 2014
Total posts 181
It would be nice to see the A380 on the route to give them a full LHR-DOH-SYD service with the same product to help against Etihad and Emrites.
Qantas
13 Jun 2015
Total posts 139
Yes and will face a big competion to the middle east destinations like EK (Dubai), QF (Dubai), EY (Etihad).
Thai Airways International - Royal Orchid Plus
16 May 2011
Total posts 111
Would also be good if they offer the A380 for MEL too, would give them an competitive edge over EY's x2 daily services and the EK/QF x4 daily combo. There were talks of MEL going A380 at some stage, QR definitely has made a name for itself in MEL and knows the market well.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
11 Oct 2014
Total posts 691
Sorry, but we're NOT discussing EK here with their fleet of 50+ A380's to play with.
While it might be 'nice' to have a QR A380 on SYD and also one on MEL, that's all it will be - 'nice', a 'thought-bubble.
No carrier in its right mind opens a brand new route with the world's largest and most expensive jet. Perhaps, sometime down the road - when the carrier has at least some minimal experience with the route - or when they have finite figures which can demonstrate that moving an A380 from one destination to another would successfullly increase revenue.
I would also suggest that you have a look of how many A380's exist in QR's fleet. As said, we are NOT talking EK.
31 Mar 2014
Total posts 397
"No carrier in its right mind opens a brand new route with the world's largest and most expensive jet."
My first thoughts when I read the comment too
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
10 May 2011
Total posts 732
It appears that "some time down the road" is June!!
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
04 Nov 2011
Total posts 359
Just what the QFI J lounge needs, more premium pax to squeeze in...
07 Aug 2012
Total posts 192
To meet EU connecting flights, QR will probably depart around 10PM. The QF lounges aren't too busy at that time.
02 Jan 2013
Total posts 140
Any airline that operates 9 abreast in Economy on a 777 is worthy of flying with in my books.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
10 Jan 2012
Total posts 258
Soon to go 10 abreast though... But having flown QR Y on the 77W, A320 and A330, they offer a great product down the back.
Singapore Airlines - KrisFlyer
14 Jan 2014
Total posts 340
Their B787 is a nightmare though. Really tight squeeze for Y pax
Lufthansa - Miles & More
29 Jul 2014
Total posts 181
In all fairnes I dont have a massive deal with 9 abrest Y on the 787 it isn't all bad and Qatar is one of the best in my opnion
20 May 2015
Total posts 579
Well Qatar's 787 seats are even narrower than those of most 9-abreast 787 operators. They're about 16.9" wide (!).
BA are finding a way to install 17.8" seats at 9-abreast in a 787. That is certainly tolerable (with enough booze). Qatar's seats are absolutely tiny, however.
Lufthansa - Miles & More
29 Jul 2014
Total posts 181
Only on some of them!!
Qatar Airways
04 Apr 2014
Total posts 25
Sydney will be a tough market for QR to crack. Curfew means that they have a limited connection proposition in Doha, and existing competition is fierce, especially with QF / EK and VA / EY working together.
That said, more competition will be good news for customers.
22 Aug 2015
Total posts 18
Can be possable, QR can leave Doha around 11pm or so and arrive around late afternoon/early evening to sydney, and then leave Sydney just before the curfew
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
11 Oct 2012
Total posts 6
A top airline...if not the best I've flown on...Would love to see them into Sydney;
I suspect QF will try to 'think' hard how to lock QR pax out of their lounges !
12 Dec 2012
Total posts 1029
If that were to happen, they could just do the same that QR did with their DOH and LHR lounges.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
15 Mar 2015
Total posts 59
Yes one of the best J products I've flown (A350,A380) would not hesitate to choose them again over QF,EK to Europe
02 Jan 2013
Total posts 140
With the introduction of ANA in December and hopefully QR in the near future, this will mean SYD will be served by 6 of the 7 5-Star Airlines in the world, the only exception being Hainan Airlines.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
21 Aug 2014
Total posts 501
Wow Sydney will soon become one of the very main airports in the future with all these new services coming in.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
17 Jan 2012
Total posts 172
Sydney is certainly getting a few new airlines.....
Xiamen Air, ANA and American Airlines all within 3 weeks of each other at the end of the year.
Then Qatar and possibly Turkish in 2016.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
22 Jul 2015
Total posts 219
Careful Rishi what you ...we wil have everyone from Melbourne and Perth chiming in if they read your post. LOL
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
09 Sep 2013
Total posts 188
Given up complaining, nobody cares, seems we'll just gave to hang out for Malindo to start flying here..
06 Feb 2014
Total posts 113
Wonder what Qantas and Emirates think of this...one world alliance partner vs strategic partner, both from the middle east.
21 Jul 2012
Total posts 128
QF should have hooked up with QR in the first place instead of EK. That would have made a formidable pairing, and QF would have been a real partner as opposed to the current EK arrangement.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
07 May 2013
Total posts 12
Qantas and Qatar definitely has a nice ring to it
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
04 Nov 2011
Total posts 359
Double red eye....ouch.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
04 Mar 2014
Total posts 38
As are most Australia to Middle east flights and if your doing Australia to Europe or vv in one go, its pretty much impossible to do all as daylight flights.
09 May 2015
Total posts 33
Agree. When I do Bangkok to Europe on EK, it's late nite early morning for each flight and I'm just a zombie throughout.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
09 Feb 2015
Total posts 388
Brisbane next?
07 Oct 2012
Total posts 1250
Well these flights will exhaust the (freshly increased) allocation of flights between Aus-Qatar. So not in the near future.
07 Oct 2012
Total posts 1250
Not much time for tech issues in Sydney.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
10 May 2014
Total posts 112
Wonder how long it will be before the 77W is swapped out for the BKK A380?
That would heat things up amongst the M3!
20 May 2015
Total posts 579
And it would also provide Qatar's best product to Sydney. Their A380 Economy seats are 18.5" wide, which is generous.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
19 Feb 2014
Total posts 439
I'd expect Brisbane before 2017 too.
31 Aug 2015
Total posts 4
They could begin the first A350 to Australia.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
11 Oct 2014
Total posts 691
QR begins ADL service at the beginning of May .. and yes, with their A350-900.
Frankly, this is a smart move from QR. It may allow them to grab some credible traction in the ADL market with QF not bothering to compete in the ADL (international) market and with EK competing with older and more ordinary B777's.
Whilst QR has experienced a slower ramp-up in Australia, it has allowed them to establish and defend a decent presence in PER, a significant niche presence in MEL - to which they are now adding SYD and ADL. And most of this appears to be built on reputation for service and word-of-mouth recommendations.
Emirates Airlines - Skywards
11 Mar 2015
Total posts 191
certainly the arrival time is much better than the one for Melbourne if you want to connect for a domestic flight like to Adelaide
05 Oct 2015
Total posts 4
What ever what who ever who comes are most welcome to this great City BUT and BUT what we all the citizens wants is cheap airline tickets to fly around the world. when the Aussie is dollar going where ever to where ever due to manupulating of currency or not we all wants to fly to europ for 1200 or less. not for 1400 or 1700.
We all will get stuck in here and every one out side will have a nice holiday if not wasting our resourcers food nature and the beautiful sceens.
sincerly hope QR will give us that around 1000 Aussie dollars return to anywhere they go to europe will make them the best sold airline. Then comes others too to match it.
AI came with a good fare to india in the start but they tricked all of us later. money money money.
Singapore Airlines - KrisFlyer
06 Feb 2014
Total posts 69
HEM Waat U saying man? who fly u to europe for 1000 dollars? you not get to fly to india even for that price.
10 Dec 2015
Total posts 177
<<sincerely hope QR will give us that around 1000 Aussie dollars return to anywhere they go to europe...Al came with a good fare to India in the star but they tricked all of us later. money....>>
Such QR deal is purely promo & short-term in nature(To help get fm 0 customer to some customers on a route) and trust me, not even remotely econ sustainable in the long term for QR(Nor any carrier) if U hv a slight clue about airline op cost on such long flights.
It's really just simple math+a bit of common sense and U won't need a MBA degree to figure that one out. See the following example /illustration for a SYD-DOH-LHR itin /operation by QR:
1) Your lowest Y fare=AUD 1,000
2) Total R/T distance=35,000km+
3) Rev$ earned fm U by QR per km=Below AUD0.03 per km
Except walking /jogging(But U hv to be fasting because food costs $), there's practically no mode of transportation exists in Australia(Actually, almost anywhere on earth), for short or long journeys, that charge /cost U only 3 cents to carry U for every km travelled. A 1way train ride between SYD int and domestic terminal is less than 2km, cost @ least AUD4..meaning AUD2 earned per km by SYD airport authority or about 70x higher earning per km than what QR can earn from AUD1,000 airfare to/fm London.....and the airport authority won't even load 20kg of your bags(U hv to load them onto the train by yourself), feed U 4 meals+wine/beer, give U non-stop movies to watch, etc. like QR will be... If an airline can offer the same trip for AUD1,500 yr-round across yrs, it's pretty darn good already and they will still be @ a financial loss.
AI's launch deal was a similar story...they would hv been bankrupted yrs ago if they continued such fare even when armed with nearly bottomless gov't subsidy/funding. So lets try to be just a tad more econ realistic here before concluding a <trick> has been/will be played onto consumers by any airline....
<<we all wants to fly to europ for 1200 or less. not for 1400 or 1700.>>
Might as well make it<<we all want to fly to Europe for free whenever we want, not for 1200, 1400 or 1700>>. Welcome to Econ 101....it costs something to produce something...
Singapore Airlines - KrisFlyer
06 Feb 2014
Total posts 69
now all sydney needs is a world class International terminal!
17 Jun 2011
Total posts 64
Exactly - SYD cannot keep adding airlines and additional flights - IT IS ALREADY FULL!
I flew out Dec 15th last year...my goodness what a mess T1 was in.
21 Apr 2012
Total posts 3006
"The Oneworld member and de facto Qantas partner..."
Isn't QR the de jure Qantas partner, since both are rightfully in the Oneworld alliance?
The de facto Qantas partner is EK, where Qantas has chosen to pursue a special arrangement with EK outside of the Oneworld alliance.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
08 Sep 2012
Total posts 236
Well QF and EK have a joint services agreement whereas QF and QR are simply alliance bedfellows (and uncomfortable ones at that).
I see your point though.
Sadly EK are just so huge now that QF probably wouldn't have been able to get the reach it has through EK if it had gone with QR.
PLUS.... BA and QR are very close. And I understand the divorce lawyers are still making millions after the QF/BA spilt..
21 Apr 2012
Total posts 3006
I just think it's ironical that we had Irishmen at the helm of both companies when this imperial alliance was shattered.
03 May 2013
Total posts 677
I think QF/QR/BA/AA alliance would have been a great team and with all already being OW bonus.
BA
31 Mar 2014
Total posts 23
IMHO QR currently has the better J class product. Why indulge in an EK J class experience where the seat is 18.5 inches wide (SQ Y is 19 inches) and is so cramped when you can get 22 inches on a QR 777. Even EY is only 20 inches in J. The only issue for me will be lounge access in SYD if QF start to kick up. The QR lounge in MAN is very poor compared to EK but then I'm on the plane for 14 hours and the lounge 2 max.
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