Reader poll: what

Are you totally mad ?

No I love air canda service there and back its better than EK wiith there hit and miss fully flat or angled and there's some decent food. And I can't fault the HEATHROW  arrivals lounge and the whole service is decent 

When your QFF status is held ransom then you suck it up and enjoy the ride. That does not preclude the fact that you might still enjoy travelling via Singapore or Hong Kong.

To suggest traffic loads on QF/EK is an indication of the desire to fly via DXB is as ridiculous as saying the Federal Election in 2013 was a referendum on the Carbon Tax or that the Victorian Elections last year was a referendum on the East West Link project.

Now, now, don't be putting words into my mouth. It was SQ, not EK/QF, that was used - not the other way around. If SIN was such a decider as you make out, you'd expect better than sub 10%. 

What is ridiculous is thinking Qantas or Alan Joyce will suddenly tear-up the Alliance because you have a chip on your shoulder. You want to go through SIN, fly SQ - can't see how whining about it is going to make one iota of difference.

Status matches regularly roll around (some that even are relevant to Australians). You can even look to a status match with Turkish Airlines if you feel so aggrieved. Something tells me Qantas won't be bothered if you no longer shackle yourself to them. Maybe you might even find a happier disposition.

Hey gippsflyer,

I was not suggesting that you (personally) were making that correlation. My apologies if it came across that way. I was speaking in general at the assertion that the two are correlated. 

Alan Joyce will do no such thing of course. He has hitched his wagon to Emirates and that's that. If you recalled, I indicated yesterday that Qantas needs to do what it needs to do to survive. I do not fault it. But be under no illusion that the public still prefer Singapore and Hong Kong as transit points. That is the point that I am making.

I agree care needs to be taken in not extending the data beyond what it actually offers (that's why I used SQ because almost all SQ flights connect through SIN whereas EK is problematic because it flies so many fifth freedom routes, Qantas is a bit less complicated).

Just like I've yet to come across the perfect airline, I've yet to come across the perfect airport (it's more that they have a range of strengths and weaknesses, each differing from each other). I tend to avoid generalist calls because they extend existing data beyond it's reach (does anyone really have such a wide dataset to conclusively call what "the public" wants?). All that can be said, I think, is that it doesn't seem to matter enough to cause any significant shift in carrier preferences. If it did, then Qantas wouldn't have hooked up and continued to maintain the EK alliance (because obviously it would be cutting their own throat).

As a Business/First traveller, I am more interested in the lounges and fast track options at connecting airports than I am with where it is. But even that is somewhat secondary to what's onboard and what is the direct most path to my destination. 

I don't think we are in competition here, we just have different priorities. And, as you appreciate, ultimately we only get to choose from what's on offer (even if it means we trade-off certain elements). 

Want doesn't equal reality. I too would prefer an Asian stop over, but that only really worked before (for Qantas) if London or Frankfurt was your end destination.

Reality is many fly to places other than London, and to me I would choose transiting DXB and changing to EK over transiting SIN then changing to BA short haul in LHR. Especialy now that BA short haul business has been 'enhanced'.

There are airlines other than QF. Why would you want to change to BA and fly through London to other European destinations. Far better to fly SQ to, and beyond, Singapore.

Don't disagree actually, my last trip to Europe was on SQ. And whilst this article is quite clearly about preference it is very much pointed in the direction of Qantas and their decision to team with EK and hub through Dubai.

So a choice of QF and EK to Europe is to me a winner over QF and BA via Asia and LHR.

Hong Kong has quite a few pluses (The Wing First Class lounge for starters) and it does have a frequent traveller e-gate, but I'd like it to go whole hog and offer OneWorld Fast Track. That'd round it out quite nicely.

And both are dominated by their home carrier. So not much scope for a much smaller airline to leverage that hub potential unless they had code share agreements with the home carrier.

A bit like what Qantas is doing with EK through DXB.