QANTAS: Back to London via Perth. Perth lounge re-opens.

Qantas resumed its ‘direct’ flights via Perth to London as of Monday 23 May. That also means that the transit lounge has also re-opened.

The ‘direct’ via Perth route has essentially been closed for 2 years due to COVID and Western Australia’s strict border closures and quarantine rules. The 17 hour London service – QF9 and QF10 on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner has been running via Darwin since December 2021, using a converted Catalina lounge for its business passengers on the Kangaroo Route.

Fee Dispute

As well as the WA border closures and quarantine procedures, Qantas has been in a dispute initiated by Perth Airport over roughly AU$11.3 million in aeronautical fees. The case, about the way the fees were calculated, was resolved by the Supreme Court of Western Australia setting the fees roughly between what Qantas thought was fair and what Perth Airport was demanding.

Qantas to move out of Perth’s Terminal 3

Perth Airport wants Qantas to move out of Terminal 3 into Airport Central, with other airlines on the other side of the runway. Construction delays caused by the pandemic have prevented the building from commencing, and neither have the airport and Qantas come to an agreement about how much each will contribute, or what fees will be paid after the move. Watch this space for more disputes, I say.

2PAXfly Takeout

This is another timely reminder to wear your seatbelt when seated. Holding you close to your seat will protect you from the sort of injuries sustained on this flight, when unsecured passengers flew to the ceiling of the aircraft, and then came crashing down once the ‘drop’ ceased.

The hope will be that this is an anomaly – a ‘freak accident’ in casual parlance. If it is a systemic error either mechanical or electronic, then this is a larger concern for the airlines that fly Boeing Dreamliner 787 aircraft. Let’s hope it isn’t. If it is, it will pile on the woes to Boeing’s existing stack.

Although Darwin was a slightly exotic pausing point for the route, Perth makes more sense. It’s good to see it back on the London track and to see the lounge re-opening.

For my money or more likely points, I would still be opting for the A380 via Singapore. Love the plane, and would much prefer a stopover in Singapore than Perth, or indeed Darwin.