Qantas warns LAX on remote facilities for A380 flights

Qantas Airways has issued a warning to officials at Los Angeles International Airport that it may move its US west coast destination for A380 service to San Francisco’s International Airport if it is forced to use remote stands for the arriving super-jumbo, requiring passengers to be transported to the terminal by buses rather than having direct access via connected jet-ways.

The Australian carrier issued its warning as it prepares to launch its A380 service connecting Melbourne and Los Angeles in late October. The super-jumbo passenger jet has been specifically designed for airports such as LAX with capacity constraints, and Qantas is the largest international airline operating from the airport, with 40 scheduled flights each week.

Los Angeles is a popular destination for Australian tourists, but its airport has a reputation of having long arrival queues, poor facilities and unfriendly staff.

The senior executive vice-president of Qantas for the Americas and the Pacific, Wally Mariani, said that remote facilities are only acceptable during expected operational problems, and not for A380 flights that are regularly-scheduled.

“If in the future LAX is unable to keep up with the need for additional (very large aircraft) gates, we would be forced to relocate our A380 services to San Francisco.”

www.qantas.com.au