American Airlines (AA) andQantas Airways are expanding their joint business by adding new service between the US and Australia, the CEOs of the two airlines announced in Miami Tuesday.
American will begin operating a daily, nonstop flight between Los Angeles and Sydney from Dec. 17, while Qantas will begin Sydney to San Francisco from Dec. 20.
Services will initially operate on peak days and ramp up to 6X-weekly in January 2016. The two oneworld airlines said their closer and more integrated relationship also provides opportunities for future growth in the transpacific markets not currently served by either airline, such as New Zealand.
American’s new service between Los Angeles and Sydney will be operated with three-class Boeing 777-300ERs.
Qantas will operate its service between Sydney and San Francisco with a reconfigured Boeing 747-400 fitted with the same style interiors found on its Airbus A380 aircraft.
AA chairman and CEO Doug Parker and Qantas CEO Alan Joyce both talked at the press conference of further growing their business relationship, although Joyce joked, “I am not sure that we can have a striped kangaroo.”
But Joyce said the US market was Qantas’ largest international market with some 40% of its overseas business invested there. “We could not have such a large network in the US without American,” he said. “With this partnership anything is possible.”
Joyce also noted that the strong relationship with American did not affect Qantas’ partnership with Emirates even though American is one of the US carriers involved in the alleged subsidy fight against the Gulf carriers. He said Emirates had significantly enhanced Qantas’ reach into Europe. “We have great relationships with both Emirates and American and that will continue,” Joyce said.
American will begin operating a daily, nonstop flight between Los Angeles and Sydney from Dec. 17, while Qantas will begin Sydney to San Francisco from Dec. 20.
Services will initially operate on peak days and ramp up to 6X-weekly in January 2016. The two oneworld airlines said their closer and more integrated relationship also provides opportunities for future growth in the transpacific markets not currently served by either airline, such as New Zealand.
American’s new service between Los Angeles and Sydney will be operated with three-class Boeing 777-300ERs.
Qantas will operate its service between Sydney and San Francisco with a reconfigured Boeing 747-400 fitted with the same style interiors found on its Airbus A380 aircraft.
AA chairman and CEO Doug Parker and Qantas CEO Alan Joyce both talked at the press conference of further growing their business relationship, although Joyce joked, “I am not sure that we can have a striped kangaroo.”
But Joyce said the US market was Qantas’ largest international market with some 40% of its overseas business invested there. “We could not have such a large network in the US without American,” he said. “With this partnership anything is possible.”
Joyce also noted that the strong relationship with American did not affect Qantas’ partnership with Emirates even though American is one of the US carriers involved in the alleged subsidy fight against the Gulf carriers. He said Emirates had significantly enhanced Qantas’ reach into Europe. “We have great relationships with both Emirates and American and that will continue,” Joyce said.
