SYD-DAL (and back) on Qantas A380 produces huge profit

The airplane isn't why the route makes money... Flying it with a pair of 777's would probably have just as high of a margin if not more because of the lower operating cost.
 
I'm aware of that. What one would figure from the bad press (and AB's decision to terminate manufacture of the a/c) is that it is a money-loser because of its size.
 
Well, it is a money loser because of its size.... 20% more seats you need to fill, four of everything to break (same problem the 747 faces/faced), and it needs specialized gates to accommodate the incremental size over a 747......
 
So 'splain to me what am I missing? Qantas is making a whole bunch of money with that A380 on this SYD-DFW route. If Qantas booked over $400 million for this one route in one year, they ain't flying empty airplanes on this route. (I have to admit, I want to fly on the A380 myself just so I can say I did it.)
 
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It's not the plane. It's the traffic. QF is making bank on the premium cabin. When I was flying LAX-SYD as a real passenger, it wasn't uncommon to have to fork over $12-18K for a QF or VA nonstop...

Multiply that times 80-100 seats on a widebody, and you're talking real money. A pair of 787's or 777's would easily replicate the volume of the A380 and offer a lot more opportunity for connections at both ends.
 
Thanks for the response, and I agree...a thousand here, a thousand there, you can be talking some real money in a short period of time. Ok, so is the cost of the airplane the reason that AA is flying 787s to NZ and Aus instead of 777s? I/m going on a cruise in February. It starts in AKL and ends in SYD. The a/c LAX-AKL and the a/c SYD-LAX are both 787s which I know nothing about. It was just coming on line at the time I retired.