Summary

  • Qantas eyeing Seattle, Chicago & Las Vegas for new international routes, aiming to monopolize them
  • Chicago viewed as a Midwest gateway, Las Vegas targeted due to rising Australian visitor numbers
  • Plans for Qantas growth depend on analyzing demand, remaining agile & prioritizing routes with the best returns.

Red-tailed Qantas Airways has identified that a number of new international destinations are high on the carrier’s agenda, with the return of the Airbus A380, the new Boeing 787, and the long-awaited Airbus A350-1000 destined to join the carrier’s fleet. The airline, which has stated that they usually analyze around ten markets at a time, has noted that five are incredibly high on the carrier’s agenda.

Qantas Airbus A380

Photo: Ryan Fletcher | Shutterstock

During a recent media briefing at Airbus Headquarters in Toulouse, Cam Wallace, Qantas International’s Chief Executive Officer, stated:

“We generally have 10 markets under analysis and five under deep analysis.”

With this, he revealed that Seattle, Chicago, and Las Vegas are firmly on the carrier’s wishlist.

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US-bound

Wallace emphasized that Seattle has remained high on the carrier’s wish list for some time, given the strength of home carriers at the Washington State airport. It is a home base for Oneworld member Alaska Airlines, and American Airlines has extensive operations at the northwestern airport. Wallace told Executive Traveller: “We have a good relationship with them, and they’re very keen for us to fly there.” Should Qantas commence flights to Seattle, it would cover a similar distance as the current Sydney-Vancouver flight that the airline already operates.

The airline sees Seattle as a logical choice for its next US destination, given that it is home to several US tech titans and also the base for many Arctic and Alaskan cruises. The Pacific Northwest has several unique outdoor attractions, and as it is an Alaska Airlines hub, it could provide sufficient inbound tourist numbers to go down under.

Seattle Airport Aerial View

Photo: Nate Hovee | Shutterstock

Heading east, Chicago is another destination the carrier aspires to operate to. Qantas had already planned to commence a direct Brisbane to Chicago link in April 2020; however, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic brought the airline’s plans to a dramatic halt, and the carrier is yet to re-launch the route. Wallace has reiterated that Chicago would be an excellent gateway to the Midwest, given it’s a central hub for American Airlines. Air New Zealand is a close competitor to Qantas, which has already launched a direct link from its base in Auckland to Chicago. However, these flights are now suspended until late 2025.

Viva Las Vegas

Sin City is yet another destination Qantas has its eyes firmly set on. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority has reported that Australia represents the second-highest number of overseas visitors on average. In 2023, 264,900 Aussies visited the city of Nevada, an increase of 74.2% compared to 2022. The ever-growing range of conference facilities, shows, nightlife, and other attractions lured many.

Qantas Boeing 787-9 landing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport DFW

Photo: Austin Deppe | Shutterstock

Currently, most travelers from Australia to Las Vegas are required to transit from other North American gateways, such as Dallas, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. While a quarter of a million Australian travelers to Las Vegas is impressive, it is still behind the record set in 2019, when 358,000 Australians visited the city.

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Hello Greece

Qantas Group Chief Executive Officer Vanessa Hudson has identified another European destination as a possible addition from Perth in the near future. The carrier recently launched its long-awaited connection to Paris Charles de Gaulle in time for the Olympics. This route will complement its year-round service to London Heathrow and seasonal service to Leonardo da Vinci–Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO). Athens could be the next European gateway to join the Qantas network. Hudson emphasized this to Executive Traveler:

“Every person I speak to at the moment is going to Greece,” she told media at the launch of Qantas’ direct Perth-Paris flights, and sees more red-tailed Boeing 787s as well as A350-1000s using Perth as a springboard to Europe.”

LAS Qantas 787-1

Photo: Harry Reid International Airport

Hudson noted that any new route would depend on aircraft availability and the reality of a fleet that is ‘currently short’ to fulfill Qantas’ overall ambitions. Historically, Qantas has served Greece before in a connecting capacity and once served Frankfurt via Singapore. However, the ability to operate these routes long-haul is very appealing for travelers.

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An agile approach to growth

Qantas continues to be adaptable when studying potential destinations and city pairs, noting that it keeps a close eye on demand. Should numbers not stack up, the airline must quickly adapt and look at other destinations. Given that all of the current routes high on the airline’s wish list would see Qantas as the only carrier operating directly, it would allow the airline to hold a monopoly on these routes. Wallace clarified this perspective:

“We’ve got to be really thoughtful and quite purposeful about how we deploy that capacity, but also agile. If stuff doesn’t work, we’re not going to just kind of keep going. We’ve got to have to move the capital where we see the best returns.”

Qantas-Sydney-to-Bengaluru-1

Photo: Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru.

Qantas has already shown previous examples of making network adjustments, with changes in its Asian network throughout the pandemic and post-pandemic thaw, where it reduced capacity to China and introduced new routes to Bangalore and Delhi.

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