Qantas announced today that they will be reintroducing the Kangaroo-route to London via Singapore instead of Dubai come March 2018 after “divorcing” British Airways after ditching Singapore 5 years ago.
Just so happened that I was flying back to Melbourne from Singapore and chatted with the lady that checked me in regarding this new arrangement. She mentioned to me that the Qantas crew were actually delighted when they heard this piece of good news. I asked her why and she said the crew described how easy it was to travel unrestricted – whatever that means – in Singapore.
Long story short, this is what you need to know regarding the new route to London via Singapore.
The Route: Australia to London via Perth, Singapore or Dubai
Qantas (QF)
Melbourne – Perth – London (on the Dreamliner B787)
Sydney / Melbourne / Brisbane / Perth – Singapore – London
Singapore Airlines (SQ)
Sydney / Melbourne / Brisbane / Adelaide / Canberra / Perth – Singapore – London
Emirates (EK)
Sydney / Melbourne / Brisbane / Perth / Adelaide – Dubai – London (on the A380)
When: March 25 2018
Qantas’ flagship QF1/QF2 Sydney-Dubai-London Airbus A380 service will once again run via Singapore, replacing one of the two daily Sydney-Singapore A330 flights.
QF1 will depart Sydney at 4.55pm to reach Singapore around 10pm, and then continue to London for a 6.50am arrival.
The daily Qantas Melbourne-Singapore flight QF35/QF36 will be upgraded to an A380, while QF37/QF38 will be shifted to a daily A330 service.
What’s New: Melbourne-Dubai-London service replaced
The Melbourne-Dubai-London will be replaced with the new Melbourne-Perth-London on the B787 Dreamliner. Qantas will also start offering first and premium economy class on their Airbus A380 on the Sydney-Singapore-London and Melbourne-Singapore routes.
My Thoughts:
Of course I am delighted. With more A380s flying between Singapore and Australia, basic economics will tell you that more seats equate to cheaper fares. Since I travel between Singapore and Australia so often, this is just simply wonderful. Singapore’s new terminal, Jewel, will also be completed by 2018, hence, there’s one more to reason to visit Singapore!
However, connecting via Dubai has its perks. If you intend to only get into London, stopping in Singapore is a good option. However, if London is not your final destination, Dubai actually has a better connectivity into other European cities than Singapore. Dubai is of course home to the flagship Emirates’ First Lounge which Qantas Platinum members are welcome to use whilst in transit. That lounge is reason enough for many to choose Dubai as their preferred stopover – I mean, who could resist an airport lounge spanning the entire terminal??!!
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter who or where you fly, it is how do you want to get there.