WEEKLY REVIEW: Sunday 12 July, 2026

Hello travellers,

Well, the dust has largely settled on our renovations, but as always, there is a bit here and a bit there still to do.

We are back in our regular bedroom with its new floor, and using our repaired and renewed bathroom. All of that confirms what Dorothy said in The Wizard of Oz: ‘There’s no place like home!’

What happened last week?

I completed the New Zealand trip report with a review of the Museum Apartment Hotel in Wellington.

Qantas won a plaudit, being awarded the prize for the most on-time airline in the world for June! It’s also scheduled WiFi installation on its A380s for completion in April 2027.

Joe Aston has speculated that Project Sunrise and its aircraft renewal program, along with the retirement of the A380 fleet, indicate that Qantas might become a more premium, thinner-market airline from the 2030s. 

Next week

I have a couple of trips this week: an overnight to Canberra to see the Arthur Boyd tapestries at the National Gallery of Australia, and a trip to Adelaide to visit family.

The first of the promised Canada trip report drops tomorrow.

In the meantime, check your travel insurance is up to date, keep up your vaccinations, and travel safely.

Until next week . . .

Stephen

2PAXfly

QANTAS: A380s to get WiFi by 2027

By 2paxfly on 11 Jul 2026 1:53 pm

But you will have to wait until early 2027. The A380s are scheduled to have their repeatedly delayed WiFi upgrade by then, but it’s slow Viasat not peppy Starlink. At least usage is free across classes. Qantas has now installed satellite internet across its Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet and most of its international Airbus A330s. […] Read in browser »

QANTAS: World’s most punctual airline in June 2026!

By 2paxfly on 10 Jul 2026 11:09 am

That’s according to aviation data company OAG, as reported in the AFR. They note that 87.16% of Qantas flights arrived on time during the month. That placed the Flying Kangaroo just ahead of Colombia’s Avianca, which recorded an on-time arrival rate of 87%. Subcontinental airline Indigo came in third with 86.64%, but on nearly three […] Read in browser »

HOTEL REVIEW: Museum Apartment Hotel, Independent Collection by EVT, Wellington

By 2paxfly on 09 Jul 2026 11:25 am

This hotel has a split personality. Although they share public spaces, the two buildings in this accommodation are marketed as two different hotels, even though they share a lot of the same DNA. Yes, it’s confusing. I stayed at the other half of the hotel a few years ago, marketed as a QT property. I […] Read in browser »

QANTAS: Does Project Sunrise indicate a more premium, lower-volume international strategy, as Joe Aston says?

By 2paxfly on 06 Jul 2026 9:50 am

In an Australian Financial Review opinion piece over the weekend, Joe Aston, author of The Chairman’s Lounge: The inside story of how Qantas sold us out, argues that Qantas is changing its international strategy. His core argument is that Project Sunrise is not simply a new pair of ultra-long-haul routes: it shows that Qantas wants […] Read in browser »

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