Qantas will begin a direct service from Melbourne to San Francisco flying on the Dreamliner 787/9 in late 2018 alongside its Melbourne to Los Angeles 787/9 service.
Qantas broke the news at a celebratory event with Visit California in Melbourne on the eve of their first Melbourne – Los Angeles Dreamliner 787/9 flight, which will depart from Melbourne Tullamarine International airport at 2.30pm tomorrow.
Operating six times per week from Melbourne, the Dreamliner 787/9 will replace the 747 service that currently operates on this route alongside the A380.
ICEHOUSE perform ‘Great Southern Land’ live on the Dreamliner 787/9 Inaugral flight.
Since the inaugural flight from the Boeing factory in Seattle in October, the first ever Qantas Dreamliner 787/9 ‘The Great Southern Land’ has toured the country visiting Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra and Melbourne and has received rapturous applause wherever it has landed.
Alison Webster, CEO Qantas International said in her address on the night;
“The thing that has really stood out for us, as the Dreamliner has made its way around the country, is that this plane has captured the imagination of the Australian public. It just confirms to us that there’s an enduring fascination with flight.”
Qantas Dreamliner 787/9 Business Suite
“Tomorrow, in another milestone, our very first Qantas Dreamliner will share the Melbourne to Los Angeles flying duties. We’re excited to fly Australians to one of the most popular destinations (LAX) on the Qantas network in Dreamliner style and comfort.”
“We’re proud that with the new San Francisco route too, it will strengthen tourism and trade links, particularly with Silicone Valley.”
Alison Webster, CEO Qantas International
Qantas Economy – A game changer
Qantas says that the significant investment and bespoke designs they’ve introduced into their Boeing Dreamliner 787/9 fleet of 8 aircraft, means that their aim of “Making the journey more comfortable and ease the dreaded impact of jetlag from long-haul flying.” can become a reality.
97 years on since Qantas’s first ever flight, aviation and the industry itself has indeed come a long, long way, with Australia to Europe flights being something that Ms Webster says, was always the airline’s ‘dream’.
The Qantas 787/9 Dreamliner
“Linking Europe and Australia by air was something that our founders dreamt about in Outback Queensland almost 100 years ago. In just a few months, it will be a reality with our new Perth to London direct flights on the Dreamliner. But we’re not stopping there.”
Alison Webster, CEO Qantas International
Qantas is now working on what they say is “the final frontier of aviation for Qantas” with their ‘Project Sunrise.’
‘Project Sunrise’ aims to see direct flights taking off such as Melbourne to New York, Sydney to London or Sydney to Rio De Janeiro with the new Boeing 777/X and Airbus a350’s battling it out to be the aircraft of choice for the 20-hour plus ultra long haul routes.
All of which will be game-changing industry firsts.
By the end of 2018, Qantas will have taken delivery of all eight Boeing Dreamliner 787/9’s with four to be based in Brisbane, two in Melbourne and two in Perth.
The Melbourne to San Francisco direct service will begin in the last quarter of 2018.