Qantas says it will increase air capacity on flights to New York, Los Angeles, Johannesburg and Bali as it returns more aircraft to its fleet, including its last two A380s.
In total, today’s announcement adds more than 250,000 extra seats to and from Australia, with tickets for the upgraded Qantas services available from Tuesday.
Currently servicing around 80 per cent of its pre-pandemic international capacity, the Qantas Group expects to return to full capacity by March 2024 and beyond that from July next year.
Along with the return of its A380s, Qantas has recently received three new B787s.
The upgraded services include:
- Sydney-Bali – larger A330s will replace B737s flights from October 2023, adding more premium seats and fully-flat beds in business class.
- Sydney-Auckland-New York – flights will increase from four per week to daily from August 2024 after the flying kangaroo launched the route in June.
- Sydney-Johannesburg – Qantas A380s will operate to South Africa for the first time from July 2024, nearly doubling capacity during peak periods.
- Melbourne-Los Angeles – with more A380 flights on the route from July 2024, capacity will rise by around 20 per cent.
- Sydney-Los Angeles – operating a mix of 787 and A380 aircraft, Qantas will increase flights from eight to nine per week from July 2024.
Earlier this year, Qantas announced it would add around one million seats to its international network over 12 months, commencing late October 2023.
Lower fares coming?
Meanwhile, Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace said the extra seats would help boost two-way tourism and could stimulate lower fares.
“Hundreds of thousands of extra seats on our network is great news for our customers planning their next overseas trip,” Wallace said.
“We know our customers are looking for great value and this additional capacity will put more downward pressure on fares.
“The additional capacity will largely be made possible through our final two A380s returning to the Qantas fleet following heavy maintenance and cabin improvements.”
From 29 August 2023, Australian and New Zealand travel advisors can access discounted trans-Tasman fares by up to five per cent using the Qantas Distribution Platform (QDP) compared to other booking systems.
Last month, Karryon exclusively joined some 180 travel advisors from across Australia and New Zealand at Qantas’ Sydney headquarters for the return of its Best of North America Day.
