Qantas will test interest in border-and-passport-free scenic flights by operating a seven-hour flight from Sydney that includes low level flybys of unique Australian destinations such as the Great Barrier Reef, Uluru, Kata Tjuta, Byron Bay and iconic Sydney Harbour.

The ‘Great Southern Land’ scenic flight will use one of Qantas’ new B787 Dreamliner aircraft usually reserved for long haul international flights, with the biggest windows on any passenger aircraft.

Flight QF787 will depart Sydney Domestic Airport (T3) on Saturday 10 October 2020, with tickets sold as follows:

• six tickets in business class at $3,787 each (earn 10,000 Qantas Points plus 160 Status Credits)
• 24 tickets in premium economy at $1,787 each (earn 5,000 Qantas Points plus 80 Status Credits)
• 104 tickets in economy available at $787 each (earn 2,400 Qantas Points plus 40 Status Credits)

Seats are on sale from midday today, Thursday 17 September, and will probably sell out quickly.

Qantas recommends that you select your seat when making your booking so you can choose the seat that suits you. Seat swapping isn’t permitted and window seats are expected to sell quickly. Also, classic upgrades aren’t available.

Here’s what to expect on the day: you’ll depart from Sydney and fly up the New South Wales coast before crossing the Queensland border for a flyby of the Gold Coast and then up the Queensland coast to the Great Barrier Reef.  The aircraft will then track across Australia to do low level flybys of Uluru and Kata Tjuta before heading back to Sydney for a late afternoon flyover of Sydney Harbour and Bondi Beach.

You’ll enjoy:

Given the continuing travel disruptions caused by COVID-19, Qantas is further extending most Qantas Club memberships and complimentary lounge invitation expiry dates by six months, after already doing so once back in March.

Paid Qantas Club memberships active as at 23 September 2020 will automatically receive a six-month extension. This will be awarded to members who purchased their Individual, Corporate, Partner, or Group membership or an Annual Guest Card, using a credit or debit card, or Qantas Points. The extension won’t be provided to complimentary Qantas Club memberships (such as those that come with Gold status).

Affected customers don’t need to register for this offer – it will be applied automatically by the end of this month.

Qantas is also extending the validity of complimentary lounge invitations for a further six months. This excludes members who joined Points Club – your newly acquired lounge invitations have been issued with a 12-month validity, expiring in 2021, so the extension will not apply to these invitations.

For members who received a lounge invitation upon attaining or retaining Silver Tier status, you have received one additional lounge invitation along with your 12-month Tier Status Extension so the further six-month extension will not apply to your original invitation.

You can view the expiry dates of your invitations via the Complimentary Lounge Invitations portal.

More information about these changes is available on Qantas’ website here.

Qantas has been slowly reopening lounges, with Covid-safe measures in place since July, however many remain closed. The latest information about openings is available here.

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Virgin Australia will cut nine routes from its regional network and exit Tonga as part of its restructure under new owners Bain Capital.

The affected routes are:

Virgin Australia’s creditors approved the airline’s purchase by US investment giant Bain Capital today – the final major hurdle in the takeover process that began shortly after Virgin entered voluntary administration in April this year.

Bain will formally take over the airline in the next few weeks, and it’s future is secure for now – though the same can’t be said for thousands of staff who have lost their jobs.

Bain has deep pockets to weather the ongoing downturn in travel and tourism, though it no doubt wants to see Australians return to the skies sooner rather than later.

Bain’s plan is to retain the existing management team but transform Virgin into a mid-tier airline, sitting somewhere between the low-cost Jetstar and full-service Qantas.

A lot of the details remain unclear, but we do know that Virgin will operate an all-737 fleet on domestic and short-haul international routes until long-haul travel is viable again.

At that time, Virgin will likely buy new widebody aircraft.

Virgin has said it will focus on operating a smaller domestic and short-haul international network, jettisoning unprofitable routes.

In terms of the travel experience, Virgin will likely retain many of its lounges, though we don’t know which ones yet.

Onboard, customers can also expect some changes (eg. paying for food, entertainment and seat selection), though again, we are waiting to see the details.

Customers’ existing Velocity Points and travel credits are safe.

Today is good news for loyal Virgin customers and the majority of staff who will remain employed. Our fingers are crossed for a brighter future for the airline.

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Virgin Australia has unveiled its plan to become a stronger, more profitable and competitive airline as it comes out of voluntary administration under the ownership of Bain Capital.

Under the reboot released today, Virgin 2.0 will:

• move to an all-Boeing 737 mainline fleet for domestic and short haul international operations, which will see the removal of ATR, Boeing 777, Airbus A330 and Tigerair Airbus A320 aircraft
• retain its regional and charter fleet while it reviews different operating models to support continued regional and charter flying
• continue to suspend flights to Los Angeles and Tokyo with the intention to recommence and grow long-haul flights when sufficient demand returns
• discontinue the Tigerair Australia brand but retain its Air Operator Certificate (AOC) to provide the option for ultra-low-cost operations in the future
• aim to be the “best value” carrier in the market, not a “low cost” carrier
• continue to serve both business and leisure travellers with a two-class cabin offering (economy and business class)
• maintain a network of lounges in key domestic locations with a plan to re-open them when demand returns
• expand its current flight network as demand returns
• invest significantly in the “comprehensive digital re-platforming of both the airline and Velocity Frequent Flyer program”
• carry forward all travel credits and Velocity Frequent Flyer points. Credits for bookings made prior to administration will be extended to 31 July 2022 for travel until 30 June 2023 (further info will be provided to customers in due course).

While it’s encouraging to see the airline provide more information about its future plans, many of the key details customers want to know are missing.

What exactly will the travel experience look like, both on the ground and in the air, post-Covid?

Which domestic and international routes does it see as being viable over the longer term?

We’ll just have to wait and see.

After so many years of financial mismanagement and poor strategic decisions, at least there’s some light at the end of the tunnel for both the airline and its loyal customers.

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