Savvy Qantas frequent flyers have long enjoyed making domestic Melbourne-Perth hops on the same Boeing 787 which continues on to London for Qantas’ non-stop ‘Kangaroo Route’.
The ability to book just that four-hour leg between Melbourne and Perth in modern Dreamliner comfort – especially in business class or premium economy – made QF9’s east-west jaunt the prize pick over the conventional Airbus A330 or Boeing 737 flights.
And it was doubly appealing to Perth-bound Qantas Platinum and Qantas Platinum One members, who took advantage of the 3pm flight’s departure from Melbourne Airport’s international terminal to visit the Qantas first class lounge for lunch at the à la carte dining room.
And anyone jetting all the way from Melbourne to London on QF9 appreciated starting their journey at Melbourne in the same plane as would carry them all the way to Heathrow, some 17,000km and 23 hours away.
But that’s all coming to end on Friday July 12 2024, when Qantas drops the Melbourne-Perth leg of its QF9 flight to London to boost utilisation of the 787 on long international routes, such as direct flights from Perth to Paris which take off the same day.
From July 12, passengers heading from Melbourne to London will need to board a conventional Qantas domestic flight to connect with the QF9 Dreamliner at Perth.
From July 12 2024, QF9 will lose the popular Melbourne-Perth leg.
Qantas’ schedule shows around seven Melbourne-Perth flights each day, with four on the twin-aisle A330 – which has near-identical business class to the 787, albeit no premium economy – and three on the smaller single-aisle Boeing 737 workhorse. (And let’s be honest: the 737 is nobody’s first choice for a four-hour flight.)
Most people travelling from Melbourne to Perth to connect to QF9 will favour flight QF77, which is an A330 whose 2.25pm gets them to Perth around 4.30pm, allowing ample time to visit the Qantas Perth International Transit Lounge before QF9 is wheels-up for London at 6.30pm.
However, the seasonal Sydney-Perth-Rome service will retain a Boeing 787 all the way to the Eternal City, with Sydney-Perth-Paris also offering a 787 from Sydney harbour to the Seine.