Qantas has slowly but surely been unveiling a new strategy for its big-ticket flights from Australia.
On top of its announced aim to offer ultra-long-haul flights from Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, the Flying Kangaroo is preparingto redirect its flagship QF Flight 1 to London back via Singapore, rather than Dubai, which has been the single stopover for the past few years.
The idea is that people wanting to fly to Dubai will do so via codeshare partner Emirates, which connects to hundreds of destinations in Europe, Africa and Asia (as well as the US, but that’s going the long way).
While the news from Qantas praises its partnership with Emirates, which will last at least another five years, I wonder whether this is a sign that Qantas — and/or its passengers — is falling out of love with the Middle East.
While the United Arab Emirates is a beacon of internal stability right now, it’s in a very troubled neighbourhood.
It would seem that, while waiting to achieve its ultimate goal of flying nonstop to its core destinations in Europe and the United States, Qantas is more comfortable sending its own aircraft via Southeast Asia and booking people who want to go via Dubai on Emirates.
Its email to frequent flyers, Qantas says Singapore is “popular” with its customers. Is it more so than Dubai?
The change begins in March, 2018, which is also when Qantas will begin flying direct to London from Perth.
Anywhere is better than Dubai.