On Saturday, November 27, Qantas flight 31 is scheduled to depart Sydney at 5:30pm local time headed for Singapore and then on to London. While this is a welcome return for the newest Qantas flagship, it comes with a yet untold financial burden. As reported in the Sydney Morning Herald yesterday, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said he would be in discussions with Rolls-Royce in the future to determine appropriate financial compensation.

The A380s that have had an extended stay in Los Angeles are being ferried back to Sydney, with one airborne at the time of this posting.  QF6002 left last night about 11:30pm and is due into Sydney around 9:06am Wednesday. Qantas will not bring the Airbus back into revenue service on the popular Los Angeles to Australia routes until further operational experience or engine modifications are made. The reasoning here is to avoid operating the engines at “maximum certified engine thrust,†which is required frequently on the long hauls across the Pacific Ocean.

If you have about $5000 burning a hole in your pocket, you can take a ride on that first Qantas A380 back in service on Saturday. The only available ticket as of a moment ago is in Business Class for AUD$4,962 one-way to Singapore. Economy and First Class are sold-out.