Qantas's US market updates

We’ve been a little distracted by global events in the last few months, diverting our attention from some of our regular market analysis. And before we get distracted again, we thought it would be good to catch up on the Australia-United States market which we’ve covered in detail in recent years. In particular, we wanted to have a quick check-in on Qantas and some recently announced changes to their US network.

Alongside the release of their half year results in February 2026, Qantas announced sweeping changes to its US network over the forthcoming NW26/27 season (i.e., starting from the end of October 2026). These include the inauguration of a new seasonal route to Las Vegas, but more significantly frequency reductions and aircraft changes on several routes.

These changes have led many, including ourselves, to argue that Qantas are significantly reducing capacity between Australia and the US. We thought we’d delve into the changes in more detail and consider how they affect capacity, but also the distribution of capacity, highlighting the continuing strategic shift in US hubs.