TravelingForMiles.com may receive commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on TravelingForMiles.com are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. TravelingForMiles.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers.
Some links to products and travel providers on this website will earn Traveling For Miles a commission which helps contribute to the running of the site – I’m very grateful to anyone who uses these links but their use is entirely optional. The compensation does not impact how and where products appear on this site and does not impact reviews that are published.
Whenever an airline takes delivery of a new type of aircraft it generally has to get its crews up to speed on the new plane before it’s released on to the routes for which it was originally intended. What this means is that we often see aircraft designed for long haul routes operating domestic or regional routes while the “crew familiarization” takes place.
Qantas will soon be taking delivery of its brand new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and, thanks to the keen eyes over at Routes Online, we now know the first routes the airline will be using to get its crews accustomed to the airline’s latest arrival.
Qantas 787-9 Dreamliner First Routes
Between 6 November and 14 December Qantas will be trying out its Dreamliner(s) on its Melbourne – Perth and Melbourne – Sydney routes.
Melbourne – Perth 787-9 Schedule
QF775 MEL 07:10 – 08:20 PER (Mon – Fri)
QF769 MEL 13:10 – 14:15 PER (Sun)
QF772 PER 10:00 – 16:35 MEL (Mon – Fri)
QF776 PER 17:15 – 23:50 MEL (Sun)
Melbourne – Sydney 787-9 Schedule
QF442 MEL 15:00 – 16:25 SYD (Sat)
QF460 MEL 18:30 – 19:55 SYD (Mon – Fri)
QF439 SYD 14:00 – 15:35 MEL (Sat)
QF497 SYD 22:00 – 23:35 MEL (Mon – Fri)
As things stand the schedules still show these flights being operated by A330-200 or 737 aircraft….
….but, when you go to select your seat during booking, the seatmap you’re offered in Business Class is undoubtably that of the 787-9 Dreamliner.
In the picture below the seatmap on the left is the Business Class cabin of the Qantas 787-9 Dreamliner while the seatmap on the right is what’s offered in the Airbus A330-200. If you see the seatmap on the left you know you’re getting the Dreamliner.
Booking Seats
One way Business Class seats on the Melbourne – Sydney route start at over AU$800 while the Business Class seats on the Perth route start at over AU$2,000 one way….but this is where Avios is your friend.
Award availability is wide open on these flights right now (it probably won’t be for long!) and you can snag a flight from as little as 9,000 Avios + taxes.
Here’s an example on the Melbourne – Perth route (as found on BA.com) showing 5 Business Class seats available:
At 20,000 Avios + $15.23 (USD) one way this could be a great use of Avios.
There’s lot of availability (at the time of writing) on the Melbourne – Sydney route too (in this example there’s not even a limit showing on Business Class availability):
Considering how much it will cost (in cash or miles) to fly in these Business Class cabins when the Dreamliners begin to fly internationally, 9,000 Avios is a great deal for anyone hoping to try out the new cabin….albeit on a pretty short flight.
NOTE: Airline schedules change and airlines change the aircraft they use as and when they feel like it so don’t make any non-refundable plans based on the information above.
Qantas’ 787-9 Dreamliner Business Class
The Qantas Dreamliner’s Business Class cabin offers a 1-2-1 layout with all seats offering access to one of the aircraft’s two aisles.
The seats in the 787-9’s Business Class cabin will be the same new Business Suites as currently found on the airline’s A330 aircraft:
Bottom Line
If you’re already booked to fly on the Qantas A330-200 then flying the Dreamliner won’t be that much of a change for you as the two aircraft essentially offer the same Business Class suite. But if you’re due to fly between Melbourne and Sydney and you find that you’ve been up-gauged from a 737 to a Dreamliner the difference in what you’re offered will be dramatic.
As it happens I’m going to be in Australia in November so I may just see if I can sneak in a day-return on the Dreamliner just to see what it’s like.
