Emirates beats Qantas on price

Qantas has entered a partnership with Emirates that will see all flights to Europe go via Dubai. Picture: AFP Source: AFP

THEY'VE just formed one of the biggest airline partnerships in Australian history, but Qantas customers are paying hundreds of dollars more for flights to Europe compared with those who book the same flights through its new ally Emirates.

Qantas has been selling tickets to Europe via Dubai since the deal was given interim approval in January, but there are still big differences in the price of tickets depending which airline you book through.

A flight from Sydney to Amsterdam on May 5, returning May 12, cost $2607 on the Qantas website last week while flights with Emirates on the same dates were $1979.

A flight Melbourne to Manchester on June 1, returning June 8, cost $2817 on the Qantas website and $2557 on Emirates.

Aviation expert Tony Webber, from Webber Quantitative Consulting, said aligning the pricing should have been one of the first priorities for the airlines when the tickets went on sale.

"It's bad luck for the people who have booked and paid more through the Qantas website than if they had booked through the Emirates website," he said.

"They should have had it sorted out ages ago."

Qantas spokesman Andrew McGinnes said the price of flights would move in line this week.

"Qantas and Emirates are in the process of aligning fares in the Australian market, which we expect will happen within the next week," he said.

"In the meantime, there will be some points of difference on some routes.

"This is a very competitive market and consumers are very good at shopping around, so we know that when the fares are aligned they need to stack up.

"And they will, not just from the pure price point but also in terms of the value, the service and the on-board experience."

Mr McGinnes said Qantas recently had sale fares from Sydney and Melbourne to London from $1849 return.

Mr Webber said he expected the airlines to settle on a midpoint when it came to prices.

Qantas's launch flights to Dubai will depart from Sydney and Melbourne this afternoon.

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce, Transport Minister Anthony Albanese and celebrities Jessica Mauboy, Dr Chris Brown, Hugh Sheridan and Tara Moss will be on board the flight from Sydney, which departs at 5pm.

The airlines will celebrate the partnership with a spectacular flyover in formation over Sydney Harbour this morning.

A Qantas A330 and Emirates A330 will take off from Sydney Airport at 9.20am and fly north to Longreef before turning and flying to Watson's Bay.

The planes will fly over the Sydney Harbour Bridge at 10.30am towards the Gladesville Bridge before turning around.

The partnership means Qantas passengers will get "one-stop" access via Dubai to 33 European destinations, as well as destinations in the Middle East and North Africa.

Renee Welsh, from online booking site Travel.com.au, said customers had embraced the new route with Manchester, Munich, Paris and Cyprus the most popular destinations so far.

"Customers are very savvy and they've picked up the benefits very quickly of this alliance," she said.

"It opens up a massive network for Qantas customers into Europe from Dubai," she said.

"They don't have to fly into London now - they can fly direct to Manchester which is a great benefit for customers.

"In Dubai there's a phenomenal terminal dedicated to Emirates which Qantas will have access to which has superior facilities."

But the deal has not been a hit with everyone.

Australian travellers who are Israeli passport holders can only transit through Dubai and are not allowed to leave the airport because the UAE is a participant in the Arab League boycott of Israel.

A spokesman for the Executive Council of Australian Jews said Qantas has gone out of its way to ensure the other 90 per cent will not be adversely affected by the new arrangements.

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