Ultra-long-haul is the future at Qantas, where there’s plans to connect Australia to all parts of the world. But what we REALLY want to know is, which cities do Agents think they can convince their clients to fly non-stop for over 17 hours?
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock in outback Australia, Qantas began a “new frontier in aviation” earlier this year, when it received the first of five specially modified Boeing 787s. They launched Australia’s first non-stop services from Perth to London and announced non-stop Brisbane-Los Angeles and Melbourne-San Francisco services for later this year.
The momentous occasion created a buzz for ultra-long-haul travel across the country, especially the local travel industry, despite some flyers having trouble accepting the extensive 17+ hours flight time.
A few Aussie holidaymakers and Agents described the idea of being stuck on a plane for ultra-long periods as ‘hell’ and ‘unbearable’, yet they all still want to know… where to next Qantas?
Well, first Boeing and Airbus need to respond to Qantas’ Project Sunrise request for an aircraft that can take Aussies even further. Airbus recently told media that it believes the A350 aircraft (which is currently used by Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines in Australia) is “really full of potential”, and Boeing has selected the 777-8 as the model to “make the range”.
The two are expected to pitch their aircraft to Qantas before 2019, which will give the carrier enough time to place an order for jets to be delivered in 2022 when they will take-off to foreign lands.
Exciting!
In the meantime, Qantas’ Chief Executive, Alan Joyce, has had a great time teasing Aussies with ‘dream non-stop routes‘ for the ultra-long-haul aircraft including direct flight from Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney to London…
Sydney to New York City…
Sydney to Paris…
Brisbane to Chicago…
And even Sydney to Rio de Janeiro…
“London from Sydney and Melbourne and Brisbane is something we’d like to do (and) we have the slots in London,” Joyce is reported as saying in the Australian Traveller.
“We have Paris and Frankfurt on the list… but the big opportunity is also to the US… we already fly a 747 from L.A. to New York so we know we can make that work today, the traffic’s there for it..”
THERE ARE SO MANY OPTIONS, but what we here at KARRYON want to know is where Agents think Qantas should fly to next? Which city can Agents convince clients to visit at the end of a 17+ hour flight?
Any suggestions?
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