Qantas’s next non-stop flight will be Paris to Perth starting late next year according to airline insiders as analysts say the Boeing 787 Dreamliner non-stop services from Perth Australia will be a game changer.
The second destination from Perth will be launched with the delivery of the second batch of four 236-seat Boeing 787-9s from the middle of next year.
The news of the second destination from Perth, follows questions being raised over the weekend by the UK’s Independent newspaper about the cost difference in pricing of the flights for Australians and UK residents.
The paper claimed that Australians were being charged about 20 percent more for tickets whereas when average weekly earnings are factored in the opposite is the case with UK residents paying 37 percent more.
READ: Perth to London non-stop on sale.
Qantas would not confirm the next destination saying that a number of options are on the table.
Andrew McGinnes, Qantas Executive Manager Corporate Affairs and Communication told AirlineRatings.com that the airline is “really excited about the potential of the Perth hub and at the moment our focus is making a success of the London route but we are looking at other options down the track.”
“We’re not in a position to comment on speculation now, but one stop from Australia to Europe is a fantastic proposition that we want to build on,” said Mr McGinnes.
However senior sources in the airline’s pilot ranks confirmed to AirlineRatings.com that a new 787 pilot base would set up in Brisbane to support a Dallas or Los Angeles – Brisbane – Perth – Paris operation.
Part of Qantas plan is that the Boeing 787 will replace its remaining Boeing 747s and that plane operates its daily Brisbane – Los Angeles service.
Separately Merrill Lynch has changed its rating on Qantas to buy because of the impact of the Boeing 787 non-stop service.
In a client report titled Perth/London Game Changer it says “we upgrade QAN (Qantas) to Buy from Neutral on the back of benefits that could flow from QAN’s Dreamliner introduction.”
The reports says that Qantas has revealed that the 787 will be 34 per cent more fuel efficient that the giant A380 and will be 50 per cent less costly to maintain that a 747.
