The service is a downgauge from the daily A380 service, along with 15% capacity reductions across Asia services to Australia

Qantas will be operating its newest fleet – the Boeing Dreamliner 787-9s – on the Singapore-Melbourne route from an unspecified time until May.

The service is a response to the on-going Covid-19 crisis, which have seen airlines around the world slashing capacity as people think twice about international travel during this period of time.

What is changing?

The current QF35/36 service between Singapore and Melbourne is operated by an A380, which can carry up to 484 passengers. This will be replaced by the Boeing Dreamliner 787-9 from 30 March up to 24 May, which will carry 236 passengers in three classes.

The second daily Melbourne service, operated as QF37/38, operated using an A330, will only be cancelled on selected days in the month of March. Details below:

Betwen 9 and 29 Mar 2020:

Sector	Flight no.	Arrival	Departure	Duration	Aircraft type	Day of ops
SIN – MEL	QF36	2015	0635(+1)	7h 20m	A380	Daily
SIN – MEL	QF38	2340	1010	7h 30m	A330	Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sun
MEL -SIN	QF35	1215	1815	8h	A380	Daily
MEL – SIN	QF37	1720	2215	7h 55m	A330	Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sun

Between 30 March and 24 May 2020:

Sector	Flight no.	Arrival	Departure	Duration	Aircraft type	Day of ops
SIN – MEL	QF36	2015	0535(+1)*	7h 20m	B787-9	Daily
SIN – MEL	QF38	2330	0900*	7h 30m	A330	Daily
MEL -SIN	QF35	1215*	1815	8h	B787-9	Daily
MEL – SIN	QF37	1555*	2205	7h 55m	A330	Daily

*flight departs & arrives one hour later between 30 Mar & 4 Apr due to daylight savings time

The change of aircraft also means that there will not be any first class service to Melbourne for now, given that Qantas only has first class on the A380 fleet.

For first class customers out of Singapore or transferring from London, this will mean that they will have to fly via Sydney if they wish to retain their first class seat. The transfer experience in Sydney is pretty horrific though, so I’m not sure if that’s actually worth the hassle, plus the additional three hours of journey time.

Qantas is also slashing Hong Kong capacity

Qantas currently operates four daily services between Hong Kong and Australia – 2 daily flights to Sydney, and one each to Brisbane and Melbourne.

Given the current situation, Qantas will be slashing almost half the flights. Services between Sydney and Hong Kong will be reduced to one daily, while flights to Brisbane and Melbourne from Hong Kong will be reduced to 4 and 5 times weekly respectively.

What Qantas says

Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce had said the outbreak had led to a drop in demand for flights across the region.

We have a lot of flexibility in how we respond across the Group. We can extend these cuts, cut deeper if we need to, or add capacity back in. Maintaining our strategic position is also key.

We know demand into Asia – particularly, China – will rebound, and we’ll be able to ramp up when it does.

In the meantime, we’ll minimise the impact of reduced flying on our people by using annual leave – tapping into what is a significant balance across Qantas.

And we’ll take advantage of having the equivalent of 18 aircraft on the ground by bringing forward maintenance.

When you combine the capacity action we’re taking, with the drop in fuel price since Coronavirus escalated, we expect to mitigate the total impact on our bottom line to somewhere between $100 million and $150 million in the second half.

Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce

Final thoughts

While the virus has brought about a global reduction of capacity, there are some upsides to these changes. The Qantas Dreamliner is finally coming to Singapore, and it boasts one of the world’s best premium economy cabins so if you are looking to splurge a little – here’s your chance!