[Anonymous]

[SteveJohnsonIn0z]

Just in this evening, CZ will put the A380 and Boeing 787 onto its “Canton Route” of Sydney-Guangzhou-London.

http://www.ausbt.com.au/china-southern-to-run-airbus-a380-boeing-787-on-sydney-london-route

CZ didn’t get into details but I’m guessing it’ll be 787 SYD-CAN and A380 CAN-LHR. A good strategy, use the 787 to feed long thin routes into the hub and then the A380 for the flagship routes which comprise many transit passengers.

However, unless CZ puts first class in their 787 (which no airlines have done yet, far as I know) that means you won’t be able to book first class all the way through on the “Canton Route”.

[AMcWhirter]

I would have thought CDG would come before LHR for CZ’s first A380 route to Europe.

Many more Chinese tourists visit Schengen zone countries then the UK. And, like the Japanese tourist groups in previous decades, they love Paris because of all the opportunities to shop for designer goods.

No wonder so many luxury Asian hotel chains have opened properties in Paris recently.

Anyway, a year is a long time in the airline business so who knows what will happen ?

[SteveJohnsonIn0z]

I’d agree, CZ could probably justify CDG, LHR and LAX (the later announced overnight, according to BT) as their three ex-CAN A380 routes.

[SteveJohnsonIn0z]

CZ has been a bit back-and-forth on this but they now say it’s planned, they are just looking at loads to see if/when it can be warranted, and it will run all the way through from Sydney to London.

http://www.ausbt.com.au/china-southern-considers-airbus-a380-for-sydney-london

[BA319131]

I think this got lost in translation or there has been a chance since, CZ plan to use the 787 to LHR, and other cities of course, with the A380 running the CAN-SYD sectors.

[SteveJohnsonIn0z]

CZ definitely plans to use the 787 SYD-CAN-LHR, but that doesn’t mean they can’t also run an A380. The ABT article was very clear that “a senior China Southern executive confirmed.. that if introduced onto flights from Australia, the A380 would continue through to London.”

And running an A380 SYD-CAN but not CAN-LHR would surely make it hard to manage load, you’d have 500 pax coming off the A380 from Sydney but then only a 250-seat 787 to carry them on to London?

[LeTigre]

They are claiming that the Sydney market can sustain 2x A330 and 1x A380 every day. Mad!

Oh well, if the Chinese Government has deep pockets, who can complain?

Oh yeah, and as the current A332s to Lhr are fully flat J, the 787s definitely are.

[BA319131]

Steve, you surely don’t think all those passengers are just going to LHR?!

The A380 will carry traffic to CAN who will split off to other routes operated by smaller aircraft, such as, AMS, CDG.LHR, perhaps outher cities in China and beyond by connection in CAN.

Whilst I’d love to see a CZ in LHR, letfs be real, this is some years off yet.

[SteveJohnsonIn0z]

BA319131, no I don’t, and I’m sure many from China will be headed there, it just seems like the logistics or maths of making an A380 load from SYD-CAN squeeze into the 787’s manifest for CAN-LON is asking for trouble and passenger pain when it comes down to juggling the two sets of bookings.

[AMcWhirter]

Steve – Not everyone flying SYD-CAN will be continuing to LHR. I am sure there will be people connecting in CAN and then taking CZ or other Skyteam carriers from CAN to AMS/CDG.

[Ah,Mr.Bond]

Remember they are already established in CDG and AMS – They are a brand new carrier to the UK market so unlikely to swap the scheduled A330 for a A380 until they know they can justify it. They will wait and see what the loads are like first. Their advertising campaign to push this brand new product into the UK market has been non existant to say the least so they will have their work cut out for them. Lack of presence was just one of the downfalls of Hong Kong Airlines and China Airlines. Both new services to the UK that didnt last long.

[SteveJohnsonIn0z]

LondonCity – you’re right, I was not thinking of destinations other than LHR!

[LeTigre]

http://www.airtransportnews.aero/article.pl?mcateg=&id=38473

Codeshare with BA imminent, I understand Qantas is also likely.

Could this mean BA services to Guangzhou?

Also, can everyone bear in mind that as China Southern are well known in China, this makes the route work. So all those travel groups can be very profitable, we at VS get like 70/80 in groups per Shanghai flight. So if you remember, they already stated that only 30 percent of passengers are not Chinese!

[AMcWhirter]

CAN is a Skyteam stronghold. Previous non-Skyteam members who served CAN from Europe, namely AY and LH, both failed. Would BA succeed, bearing in mind it operates so frequently to nearby HKG ?

[Author]

Posts