Air Canada to fly LA-Sydney

[Paul]

SINGAPORE Airlines has been gazumped in its bid to become the next airline to enter the lucrative Australia to US route after Air Canada announced it would start services between Sydney to Los Angeles and Toronto next year.

The move could take pressure off the Federal Government to allow additional competition - namely Singapore Airlines - on the capacity-constrained route that accounts for 20 per cent of Qantas's profits.

Singapore Airlines has been lobbying to get on the route for 10 years. There has been speculation the Federal cabinet could allow the Asian airline to fly limited flights on the route when it completes an aviation policy review in March.

At this stage, it is unknown whether this could change with Air Canada entering the route. Singapore Airlines, meanwhile, has vowed to push ahead with plans to enter the route.

Sydney Morning Herald

 

[whatkindoffreshhell]

Both QF & SQ want to use the A380 beast on this route.

Too bad John Leahy and EADS are coming up short on their promises with the beast.

AC has been flying YYZ-HNL-SYD for years. Sneaky and good.

The Aussies are just having national wedgie because SQ has earlier A380 delivery slots and they want to use the plane on the Australia-USA lane.

 

[Paul]

I agree with the fact the the Aussies are having a national wedgie.

QF will keep claiming that the sky is falling until they get the Jetstar product established. They have to do this because SQ will come in and start a price war. This route is stated to be 20% of their revenue. That is a big chunk of the pie that they don't want messed with.

There have also been rumblings that the two will merge in the future, but that seems highly unlikely unless something drastic happens to force the issue.

 

[JFK777]

The two crown jewels in the Australian international portfolio are London and America. To the UK, Qantas competes against every one from the Japanesse to Emirates with Singapore ,Cathay, Malaysian & Thai having honorable mention. Emirates can fly passenegers with only one stop in Dubai not only to London but Birmingham, Manchester & Glasgow. BA or Qantas don't have that pearl. All their traffic goes through LHR. To America, the competiton is limited by a lack of land, the Pacific Ocean.

Air Fiji and Air New Zealand are the only competition. ANZ is competitive, the other is not. With only Hawaii and Tahiti as major destinations en route, the Sydney-LA route is a real duopoly. Qantas flies to LA about 6 times daily, United twice daily. The americans are not holding up their end, what a shame. UA should be printing money to Aussie not leaving it at the gate for Qantas. I wish another brave US airline would step up to the plate, AA won't since they have a code share deal with Qantas, they share part of the profits. I don't see another US airline flying to Australia like NW did in the early 1990's. The cartel will continue to exist; Singapore will play ball like they do on the Kangaroo route to the UK if they fly from SYDney to LAX.