It’s been some time, over nine months in fact, since a Qantas aircraft with passengers on board has departed from Singapore Changi Airport. That was on the evening of 25th March 2020, when QF52 took off for Brisbane, around 20 minutes after QF36 made its last Melbourne departure and around an hour after QF72 had set course for Perth.
The last Qantas Airbus A380 to depart from Changi was a couple of days earlier to Sydney, on 23rd March 2020.
The airline hasn’t been totally vacant from the airport since then however, with regular Airbus A330 cargo-only services, joining other carriers including SIA in helping to keep Singapore well stocked with a variety of essential produce.
Passenger services have continued to be suspended of course, with Australia’s borders under tight restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Flights are planned from July 2021
Qantas has loaded a range of services from July 2021, including Singapore flights, as it plans a return to its international long-haul network during the second half of the year.
These flights were originally scheduled to restart in March 2021, with the exception of the QF1/2 Singapore-London extension, which has been brought forward from October 2021.
The airline has provisionally rostered a return to all five of its regular routes from Changi, which are now available for booking, as shown below.
Brisbane
| Flight | From / To | Aircraft | Days |
| QF52 | SIN2030 – BNE0600* | 330 | Daily |
| QF51 | BNE1150 – SIN1800 | 330 | Daily |
* Next day
London
| Flight | From / To | Aircraft | Days |
| QF1 | SIN2345 – LHR0635* | 789 | Daily |
| QF2 | LHR2105 – SIN1725* | 789 | Daily |
* Next day
Melbourne
| Flight | From / To | Aircraft | Days |
| QF36 | SIN2015 – MEL0535* | 789 | Daily |
| QF35 | MEL1215 – SIN1815 | 789 | Daily |
* Next day
Perth
| Flight | From / To | Aircraft | Days |
| QF72 | SIN1150 – PER1720 | 330 | Daily |
| QF71 | PER1840 – SIN2350 | 330 | Daily |
Sydney
| Flight | From / To | Aircraft | Days |
| QF2 | SIN1930 – SYD0510* | 789 | Daily |
| QF82 | SIN2110 – SYD0655* | 330 | Daily |
| QF81 | SYD1005 – SIN1650 | 330 | Daily |
| QF1 | SYD1555 – SIN2215 | 789 | Daily |
* Next day
As you can see there are some aircraft type swaps compared to the usual Qantas schedule, with the airline’s 12 Airbus A380s stored in either Victorville (10) or Los Angeles (2). Boeing 787-9s are mostly taking their place on the Singapore network.
This includes the airline’s daily Sydney – Singapore – London ‘Kangaroo Route’, which like the Melbourne – Perth – London service will be operated by the Dreamliner.
Here’s how the capacity of Qantas aircraft looks for comparison between the aircraft types.
 |
A332 | A333 | B789 | A388 |
| First | — | — | — | 14 |
| Business | 27 / 28 | 28 | 42 | 70 |
| Premium Economy |
— | — | 28 | 60 |
| Economy | 224 / 243 | 269 | 166 | 341 |
| Total | 251 / 271 | 297 | 236 | 485 |
As you can see, introduction of the (physically) larger Boeing 787-9 rather than the Airbus A330 is actually a total capacity reduction (-20% vs. the A330-300), though that’s because the Dreamliner has a much larger Business Class section (+50%) in the Qantas fit, which if anything is good news for award space in this cabin.
While the schedule is loaded from 1st July 2021, the exact start date and flight frequency for each route is subject to change, mostly hinging on international border restrictions, not least those in Australia, which remain outside the airline’s control.
What it means for Business Class
With Qantas currently planning only Airbus A330s and Boeing 787s on flights from Singapore, it’s the popular Thompson Vantage XL seat to look forward to in Business Class.
These forward-facing seats are in a staggered 1-2-1 arrangement, with direct aisle access for all. Each seat reclines into a flat bed, with the footwell taking advantage of the space beneath the table of the seat in front, except at bulkhead rows where there is a wider recess.
An earlier version of this seat is installed on the airline’s Airbus A330s (both the -200 and -300 series), which you can tell apart by their lighter wood finish and fixed dividers between the middle seat pairs.
On the newer Boeing 787s, a more refined colour scheme with darker wood tones was chosen, and for couples travelling together the privacy divider is retractable for a more sociable experience, but otherwise the seat products are identical.
As mentioned above, there are 50% more Business Class seats fitted to the Qantas Boeing 787-9 aircraft than to the Airbus A330s.
What else did the A380s have?
Qantas passengers will miss out on the airline’s new Airbus A380 cabins, which first started flying through Singapore in October 2019 and were part of a refit project that, in a non-COVID world, was scheduled to have been fully completed by now.
In Business Class this featured a very similar Thompson Vantage Business Class seat anyway.
What is different is that the Boeing 787s and Airbus A330s don’t have the A380’s lounge area, ideal for a mid-flight change of scenery or meeting, or to dine with a partner, friend or colleague.
This area also included a self-serve bar, and was shared with First Class passengers.
Speaking of First Class, there’s no such option on the A330s or 787s, with this 14-seat cabin exclusive to the airline’s mothballed superjumbos.
Despite its age, the Qantas First Class product is quite innovative. We’ve flown it a couple of times (see our review) and while it doesn’t boast enclosed suites or double beds, it still holds up strongly against many competitors.
This cabin, which was previously available between Singapore and Melbourne, Sydney and London, won’t make an appearance until the A380s return to the Qantas fleet, slated for 2023 at the earliest.
Premium Economy
Qantas Boeing 787s are fitted with a 28-seat Premium Economy cabin in a 2-3-2 layout, but you won’t find this product offered on Airbus A330 flights, meaning it’s restricted to proposed London, Melbourne and Sydney flights from Singapore.
Redemption rates
From what we can see so far, Qantas has loaded plenty of Economy and Premium Economy Class award space on these flights to and from Singapore in the second half of 2021, but we couldn’t see anything in Business Class so far (even using the airline’s own programme).
Here are the one-way redemption rates in Business Class, which will hopefully become available at a later date:
 Business Class (to/from SIN) |
|||
| Perth | Sydney Melbourne Brisbane |
London | |
 |
57,000 | 68,400 | 94,900 |
 |
38,750 | 62,000 | 108,250 |
 |
30,000 | 61,000 | 70,000 |
 |
70,000 | 100,000 | 150,000 |
These compare to the following KrisFlyer saver award rates on Singapore Airlines:
- 36,500 miles (PER)
- 62,000 miles (SYD / MEL / BNE)
- 92,000 miles (LHR)
As you can see, Asia Miles provides the best value in Business Class for Qantas redemptions.
Here’s how it looks in Premium Economy:
Premium Economy (to/from SIN) |
|||
| Perth | Sydney Melbourne |
London | |
|
n/a | 51,300 | 71,700 |
|
n/a | 40,000 | 70,000 |
|
n/a | 43,000 | 45,000 |
|
n/a | 75,000 | 112,500 |
These compare to the following KrisFlyer saver award rates on Singapore Airlines:
- 47,000 miles (SYD / MEL / BNE)
- 64,500 miles (LHR)
We aren’t fans of Premium Economy (even the new glitzy Emirates version does nothing for us), but 45,000 Asia Miles flying on a oneworld carrier (i.e. Qantas or BA) from Singapore to London is actually a decent rate in this cabin!
In Economy Class you’ll pay the following rates:
Economy Class (to/from SIN) |
|||
| Perth | Sydney Melbourne Brisbane |
London | |
|
20,300 | 25,200 | 37,600 |
|
13,000 | 20,000 | 35,000 |
|
15,000 | 27,000 | 35,000 |
|
35,000 | ||