Qantas has started selling tickets for its new Perth – London non stop service. First announced late last year, the service will commence operation from March 24 2018.
Qantas has also confirmed that the service will commence from Melbourne, and replace the existing A380 service via Dubai.
The new QF9/10 flights
The new QF9/10 service will originate in Melbourne, with a stopover in Perth, before continuing on to London. The schedule of the new flight is shown below.
| Flight | Depart | Arrive | Days | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QF 9 MEL-PER | 15:20 | 17:20 | Daily | B787-9 |
| QF 9 PER-LHR | 18:50 | 05:10 | Daily | B787-9 |
| QF 10 LHR-PER | 13:30 | 13:15 | Daily | B787-9 |
| QF 10 PER-MEL | 14:45 | 20:10 | Daily | B787-9 |
Interestingly, the return Perth-Melbourne flight is timed to connect with a flight from Melbourne to Los Angeles
| Flight | Depart | Arrive | Days | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QF 95 MEL-LAX^ | 21:40 | 19:00 | Six days (not Tuesday) | B787-9 |
From a pricing perspective, Qantas have given the following year round prices for the flights.
| Class | MEL-LHR | PER-LHR |
|---|---|---|
| Business | $9,890 | $9,275 |
| Premium Economy | $4,450 | $4,250 |
| Economy | $2,270 | $2,270 |
Note that these are year round prices. During sale periods, it is expected that the prices will be lower than these year round prices.
The old QF9/10 flights
The QF9 and QF10 numbers are currently assigned to the A380 Melbourne-Dubai-London flights. These flights will be replaced by the new service, removing an A380 service between Australia and London.
According to Qantas, the A380 will be redeployed onto routes within Asia. This may include flights between Melbourne/Sydney and Hong Kong/Singapore.
The downgauge of the Mlebourne-London service from an A380 to a 787 does represent a loss of capacity on the route. It also means that Qantas will no longer offer a First cabin between Melbourne and London.
To help with this, Emirates have announced that it will upgraed a Boeing 777 flight to an A380 service. This will take place from March 25.
