Perhaps BA will be smart enough to reinstate its 747 service to Brisbane, where the Kangaroo Route originally finished, and to which BA provided a 747 service until historically relatively recently.

Qantas' international services to Brisbane have been a disgrace in recent years, and it looks as though its poor treatment of the Q in Qantas will continue.

An Australian parliamentarian has warned a new airline deal between Qantas and Emirates will expose passengers to unfair imprisonment, especially if they are gay, unmarried, Jewish or Christian, in Dubai. There are also potential issues for Australians of Jewish decent and for Australian Christians who have made pilgrimage to Israel.

You may well find that people who fall into any o these categories will prefer to fly with BA, resulting in increased loads for BA on flights to / from Australia.

Although it does sound rather sensationalist, there is a degree of truth to it. Luckily folks heading to Tel Aviv can do it one-stop via SIN or BKK.

... And you are paying attention to this said Parliamentarian? Seriously?

I have been to Dubai many times and it is no different to any other country where you need to respect local laws and customs. Transmitting through Dubai is hardly high risk. Said Parliamentarian, however, may be considered to be a tosser. 

I really hope you didn't take his comments seriously and I hope people have more sense than to listen to such rubbish. 

There's also the fact that the other major Australian airline, Virgin Australia, flies into Abu Dhabi. Complaining that transiting through UAE on Qantas would be a double standard.

Besides, a lot of Australians already fly through the Middle East on Emirates, Qatar and Etihad. I think said Parliamentarian needs to be understand her constituents' needs.

 really....hope all those folk flying Virgin, Emirates, Qatar and Etihad know how big a risk they are alrady taking...pffft to stupid politicians and their efforts at gaining notoriety in the belief that any publicity is good publicity.

Maybe Qatar Airways can start codesharing with BA from SIN-SYD to open up a new port for them and also to give BA some additional load factor.

This is Great News.I am South Australian and would like them to reinstate the service we had here from 1982 to 1995.A Nonstop to Singapore for those of us unable to get on the SIA/Qantas A330 flights due to overbooking for example or a through run to London.The Six Hour Waits at Changi are good if a bit long on the day flights.(Less if one takes the QF81)

I reckon they should fly to Kuala Lumpur and then codeshare with MAS for services to Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth and possibly Sydney. More one stop flights than multiple stops.

All in Oneworld alliance anyways :)

Looking at the GDS it seems QF is going to codeshare with BA via Singapore and will more or less forces passengers on cheaper airfares to use those codeshare flights (eg a Europe-originating special business class fare from Austria to Sydney (IATSPCL) in I class will require pax to fly via Singapore on QF-BA codeshare rather than through Dubai on the A380).