Tag Archives: VH-XZP

Air France and QANTAS Airways renew partnership to offer customers more travel options between France and Australia

Air France has made this announcement:

QANTAS Airways and Air France customers will now have more options to travel between Europe and Australia via Asia following a renewed codeshare agreement between the two carriers.⁽²⁾

Available for booking from June 5 for travel from July 20, 2018, Air France will add its code to QANTAS flights between Hong Kong and Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane and between Singapore and Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.

Air France customers will also be able to access codeshare services from Sydney to five cities on the Australian airline’s domestic network including Canberra, Hobart, Adelaide, Cairns and Darwin.

Under the reciprocal deal, QANTAS will add its code to flights operated by Air France between Singapore and Hong Kong and Paris-Charles de Gaulle, as a continuation of flights from Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth.

The new agreement will see the two airlines codeshare on a total of more than 200⁽¹⁾ flights per week.

Customers will benefit from more seamless travel experiences with single ticket itineraries and through-checked baggage as well as the opportunity to earn points on the new codeshare services.

Air France eligible customers⁽³⁾ will also be able to access Qantas lounges in Hong Kong, Singaporeand Australia, as well as Qantas eligible customers to Air France lounges in Paris, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Patrick Alexandre, EVP Commercial Sales and Alliances at Air France-KLM, said: “We are very pleased to be re-establishing a partnership with Qantas. Thanks to this agreement, the Air France-KLM group will be able to offer one of the best possible travel solutions for its customers from Europe to Australia. It will also deliver a better travel experience for our Business customers, with connections in Singapore and Hong Kong, two of the most popular airports in the world. This new cooperation confirms our group’s desire to expand in the Asia-Pacific region.”

Alison Webster, CEO of QANTAS International, added: “This is great news for our customers who want to travel to Europe via Asia, giving them another option to get to Paris and more opportunities to earn Frequent Flyer Points. The return of this popular codeshare delivers on our strategy of partnering to provide customers with access to an expanded network and more seamless travel experiences wherever they want to fly.”

Flight schedules (in local time) operated by Air France in July-October 2018:

AF256: leaves Paris-Charles de Gaulle at 20:50, arrives in Singapore at 15:45 the following day;
AF257: leaves Singapore at 22:35, arrives at Paris-Charles de Gaulle at 6:00 the following day.
A daily flight

AF188: leaves Paris-Charles de Gaulle at 23:35, arrives in Hong Kong at 17:35 the following day;
AF185: leaves Hong Kong at 22:50, arrives at Paris-Charles de Gaulle at 5:55 the following day.
A daily flight

Daily flight schedules (in local time) operated by Qantas in July-October 2018:

QF002: leaves Singapore at 19:30, arrives in Sydney at 5:10 the following day;
QF082: leaves Singapore at 21:10, arrives in Sydney at 7:00 the following day;
QF036: leaves Singapore at 20:15, arrives in Melbourne at 5:35 the following day;
QF052: leaves Singapore at 20:40, arrives in Brisbane at 6:05 the following day;
QF072: leaves Singapore at 18:40, arrives in Perth at 23:55.

QF081: leaves Sydney at 10:15, arrives in Singapore at 16:50;
QF035: leaves Melbourne at 11:55, arrives in Singapore at 17:55;
QF051: leaves Brisbane at 12:00, arrives in Singapore at 18:15;
QF071: leaves Perth at 11:50, arrives in Singapore at 17:20.

QF128: leaves Hong Kong at 20:00, arrives in Sydney at 6:55 the following day;
QF118: leaves Hong Kong at 23:25, arrives in Sydney at 10:50 the following day;
QF030: leaves Hong Kong at 20:10, arrives in Melbourne at 7:35 the following day;
QF098: leaves Hong Kong at 20:15, arrives in Brisbane at 7:05 the following day.

QF127: leaves Sydney at 10:35, arrives in Hong Kong at 18:00;
QF029: leaves Melbourne at 9:35, arrives in Hong Kong at 17:20;
QF097: leaves Brisbane at 10:45, arrives in Hong Kong at 18:00.

Note:

(1) Subject to seasonal variation

(2) Subject to government and regulatory approvals

(3) Business Class customers, Qantas Frequent Flyer loyalty programme Platinum One, Platinum and Gold Traveling members as well as Air France-KLM’s Flying Blue loyalty program Club 2000, Platinum and Gold members

Top Copyright Photo: QANTAS Australia (QANTAS Airways) Boeing 737-838 WL VH-XZP (msn 44577) “James Strong” SYD (John Adlard). Image: 940843.

QANTAS Airways aircraft slide show:

Air France aircraft slide show:

Bottom Copyright Photo: Air France Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner F-HRBD (msn 42487) PAE (Nick Dean). Image: 939729.

QANTAS Airways to start Melbourne – Denpasar (Bali) service

QANTAS Airways has announced it will begin a new daily Melbourne – Denpasar (Bali) service from June 23, 2018.

Operated by a Boeing 737-800 aircraft, the new QANTAS route comes as Jetstar increases its Melbourne-Bali flights from ten per week to twice daily.

This announcement complements QANTAS’ year round daily Sydney – Denpasar service and reflects strong demand from customers who want a full-service experience travelling to one of Australia’s most popular holiday destinations.

QANTAS’ Melbourne – Denpasar service will be operated by a two-class Boeing 737 aircraft, with a checked baggage allowance, inflight entertainment and food and drinks all included as part of the fare.

Together with Jetstar the Qantas Group will now offer customers 84 return services to Bali from across Australia – the largest international airline group to operate into the island.

QANTAS’ new Melbourne – Denpasar (Bali) schedule effective June 23, 2018.*

Dates	Route	Flight Number	Depart	Arrive	Frequency	Aircraft Type
From 23 Jun 2018	MEL-DPS	QF45	1650#	2110	Daily	B737-800
From 23 Jun 2018	DPS-MEL	QF46	2210	0555(+1)#	Daily	B737-800

*Subject to government and regulatory approvals

#Departs / arrives one hour later during Australian Daylight Saving Time (DST)

Copyright Photo: QANTAS Australia (QANTAS Airways) Boeing 737-838 WL VH-XZP (msn 44577) “James Strong” SYD (John Adlard). Image: 940843.

QANTAS Airways aircraft slide show:

QANTAS Airways’ “RetroRoo” arrives in Sydney

QANTAS Airways (Sydney) released this statement about its first retrojet “RetroRoo” arriving in Sydney:

The newest addition to the QANTAS Airways fleet has touched down on Australian soil, proudly carrying a retro livery and bearing the name of trailblazing former CEO James Strong.

The design is a flashback to the livery that adorned QANTAS Boeing 747s in the 1970s and is a flying tribute to mark seven decades of the Flying Kangaroo logo, which falls this month.

QANTAS Airways CEO Alan Joyce joined past and present staff and executives, Boeing executives and other guests to welcome the aircraft after it was given a water cannon salute from Air Services Australia.

The aircraft is named after former CEO James Strong. James was instrumental in the making of the modern QANTAS, including the merger with Australian Airlines.

James Strong was QANTAS CEO from 1993 to 2001 and later served on the QANTAS Board until his death in March 2013. His wife Jeanne-Claude and son Nicholas were at the hangar to christen the aircraft.

“QANTAS aircraft are traditionally named after Australian places, with the exception of our fleet of Airbus A380s, which are named for Australian aviation pioneers. We’re very proud to break with tradition to name this aircraft James Strong – another great leader of the Australian aviation industry.”

The new Boeing 737-800, the 75th of the aircraft type, will begin services across the QANTAS domestic network from next week. It is the 11th new Boeing aircraft that the QANTAS Group has taken delivery of this year.

The delivery of the “retrojet” coincides with the week of QANTAS’ 94th birthday, which was celebrated on Sunday November 16. The Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Limited (QANTAS) was registered as a business on November 16, 1920.

Update: VH-XZP entered revenue service on November 22, operating flight QF 611 from Brisbane to Melbourne according to Australian Aviation.

Copyright Photo: Rob Finlayson/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-838 VH-XZP (msn 44577) “James Strong” (now with a bowtie) sits proudly on the Sydney ramp.

Video:

QANAS aircraft slide show:

QANTAS Airways introduces its first retrojet

QANTAS Airways (Sydney) has formally introduced its first retrojet in the form of its newly delivered Boeing 737-838 VH-XZP (msn 44577) painted in the retro 1971 ochre livery.

The company issued this statement and photo:

QANTAS has gone back to the future by unveiling its first ever “retro” inspired livery on one of its brand new Boeing 737 aircraft.

The eye catching design is a flying tribute to 70 years of the iconic flying kangaroo logo – a widely recognized symbol of home to millions of intrepid Australian travellers.

QANTAS Ambassador and self-confessed aviation enthusiast, John Travolta (above) was on hand to witness QANTAS and Boeing unveil the aircraft at a special hangar event in Seattle, which is timed to mark the 70th anniversary of the kangaroo logo.

QANTAS ambassador, John Travolta said the retro livery has brought back lots of memories for him.

“It’s great to see a piece of QANTAS history flying in the sky today,” said Mr Travolta.

“I have enjoyed many wonderful experiences with QANTAS over the years, from getting my 747 wings to having my own 707 painted in the original 1960s QANTAS livery. This is a great celebration of the brand’s heritage and incredible reputation over the years.

The signature element of the 1971-1984 livery design was the ochre band around the window line of the aircraft. Ochre reflected the colors of the outback where QANTAS was established in 1920.

The winged kangaroo logo is used on the tail and was adapted from the original 1947 version designed by Gert Sellheim.

In 1984 the flying kangaroo discarded its wings, evolving to its current slender and stylized form.

The 737 will operate across all QANTAS domestic routes from November 20, acting as a flying reminder of where QANTAS has come from, as well as showing new generations of young Australians some of the history behind Australia’s biggest airline.

The livery is also timed to mark the QANTAS’ 94th birthday, which also falls in November.

Happy Birthday QANTAS.

Photos: QANTAS Airways.

QANTAS Airways aircraft slide show:

http://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-Australia/Airlines-Australia-AZ/QANTAS-Airways

Kangaroo Logo evolution:

QANTAS Airways will retire its last Boeing 767 on December 27, awaits the delivery of its new 1970 Boeing 737-800 retro jet

QANTAS Airways (Sydney) is awaiting delivery of its new Boeing 737-838 VH-XZP (msn 44577) which has been painted in a retro livery. The 1970 retro livery will be formally unveiled on November 16. VH-XZP is the company’s 75th Boeing 737-800. The 737 is scheduled to depart from the Seattle area on November 17 on delivery and will arrive on November 19 in Australia.

In other news, QANTAS has unveiled a new brand advertising campaign, based on a concept of what the national carrier has been doing for almost 100 years – bringing people home.

QANTAS celebrates its 94th year of operation this month. In the same month, QANTAS will also celebrate the 70th year of the QANTAS kangaroo logo.

The ‘Feels Like Home’ series tells the real stories of five QANTAS passengers and their journey home to Australia being welcomed at the airport by loved ones.

Filmed in London, Santiago, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, the Pilbara and Sydney, the series features QANTAS employees as well as customers and rolled out from Sunday November 9.

QANTAS Group CEO Alan Joyce said the campaign was designed to celebrate the unique place Qantas has in the lives of many Australians.

Finally, QANTAS Airways will operate its last Boeing 767-300 flight on December 27, 2014 from Melbourne as flight QF 452 per Airline Route.

Copyright Photo: Keith Burton/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 767-338 ER VH-OGQ (msn 28154) climbs away from the Sydney hub.

QANTAS Aircraft Slide Show:

Video: As mentioned above, QANTAS is phasing out its aging Boeing 767-300s. Follow one 767 to Victorville, California for storage and final disposition: