Qantas has just announced that they will be cutting their capacity by a quarter for the next 6 months.
As explained in the latest media release, this cut “follows the spread of the Coronavirus into Europe and North America over the past fortnight, as well as its continued spread through Asia, which has resulted in a sudden and significant drop in forward travel demand.”
This capacity reduction will ground 38 aircraft across Qantas and Jetstar, including eight out of twelve Airbus A380s that Qantas has.
Capacity Cut – Overview
Qantas, along with its subsidiary Jetstar, will reduce its capacity from 5% to 23%; the cut will be extended until mid – September 2020. Here is the breakdown by regions:
- Asia – down by 31%
- US – down by 19%
- UK – down by 17%
- Trans – Tasman – down by 10%
Grounding of Qantas A380
As a result of capacity reduction, Qantas will be downgrading aircraft on several routes; which will send eight A380 for grounding.
Of the remaining four A380s, two will be sent for maintenance and upgrading while the other two will remain flying.
Qantas Seeking Extension to Airbus A350-1000 Order
In addition, according to Reuters, Qantas is seeking an order extension for its Airbus A350-1000. This order involves 12 A350-1000 aircraft of which some are intended for the world’s longest commercial flight, between Sydney and London.
To date, Qantas has yet receive a response from Airbus.
Summary of New Network Changes – Qantas
Key Highlights
- Replacing of Sydney-Singapore-London route to Sydney-Perth-London.
- Suspension of A380 service from Singapore will send Qantas First Lounge for temporary closure.
- New route launch between Brisbane and Chicago will be postponed.
Asia
| Route | Change | Effective dates (until mid-Sept 2020) |
| Sydney-Tokyo (Haneda) | B747 replaced by smaller A330 | 30 March |
| Melbourne-Singapore | – 7 return flights per week cancelled (QF 37/38) – B787 replaced by larger A330 on 7 return flights per week (QF 35/36) | – 20 April – 4 May |
North America
| Route | Change | Effective dates (until mid-Sept 2020) |
| Brisbane-Chicago | Route launch postponed | Was to start 15 April |
| Brisbane-San Francisco | Route suspended (3 return flights per week) | 18 April |
| Sydney-San Francisco | B787 replaced by larger B747 | 18 April |
| Melbourne-San Francisco | Route suspended (4 return flights per week) | 18 April |
| Sydney-Dallas/Fort Worth | A380 replaced by smaller B787 | 20 April |
| Melbourne-Los Angeles | A380 replaced by smaller B787 | 1 June |
| Sydney-Vancouver | Seasonal service suspended (3 return flights per week) | June and July only |
United Kingdom
| Route | Change | Effective dates (until mid-Sept 2020) |
| Sydney-London (Heathrow) | – Flights to operate via Perth (instead of Singapore)then non-stop to London. – Perth-London to become double daily as a result.– A380 replaced by smaller B787 | 20 April |
South America
| Route | Change | Effective dates (until mid-Sept 2020 |
| Sydney-Santiago | Delaying planned B787 introduction and continuing with B747 | 1 August |
Summary of New Network Changes – Jetstar Airways
| Routes | Change | Effective date (until end June but may be extended) |
| Melbourne-Bangkok | Route suspended | 1 May |
| Sydney/Melbourne-Ho Chi Minh | Flights reduced by over 50 per cent | 1 May |
| Japan routes | Flights reduced by almost 40 per cent | 20 May |
| Brisbane-Bali | Minor flight reductions | 1 May |
Advice For Affected Customers
Qantas and Jetstar will be reaching out to affected customers in the coming week. Customers who booked via a travel agent will be contacted by their agent instead.
In addition, both Qantas and Jetstar will waive change fees for new international bookings made from today until the end of March. This one-time free change will be applicable for new tickets, for travel up to 30th June 2020. Any fare difference will still have to be absorbed by the customer.