Get ready for a bigger bite of the Big Apple. Qantas is ramping up its Sydney-New York City flights (JFK) via Auckland to daily services from June to October 2026.
The move marks the first time since the route’s June 2023 launch – and its pre-Covid days, when it flew SYD-Los Angeles-JFK – that Qantas has offered daily flights to New York.
“We’re thrilled to be increasing our Sydney – New York flights via Auckland to daily from June to October next year,” Qantas CEO International Cam Wallace said.
“These flights have been very popular with our customers and we’re looking forward to continuing the service alongside our future nonstop options between Sydney and New York with Project Sunrise.”
In addition, this week also sees key international Qantas route updates. The flying kangaroo returned its A380 on the Sydney–Dallas route on Monday (11 August) and brings back its Boeing 787 Dreamliner to Brisbane–Los Angeles flights on Wednesday (13 August). Both moves were flagged in last year’s international network update.
“This week also marks the return of our A380 to Sydney-Dallas and Dreamliner to Brisbane-Los Angeles, offering more premium seats for customers travelling between Australia and the US,” Wallace remarked.
“This year, we’ve seen more Americans wanting to travel to Australia, so we’re pleased to be giving them even more reasons to visit and connect to our extensive domestic network across the country.
“We also know how much our Australian customers value premium travel options and through our partnership with American Airlines, there are plenty of options to connect seamlessly to destinations right across the United States.”
New York itself is buzzing, with the Waldorf Astoria reopening after eight years, new cultural hotspots like the Hip Hop Museum opening in 2026 and easier arrival for Aussies through the Mobile Passport Control app at JFK Airport. Plus, there’s the small matter of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final, which will be contested in New York/New Jersey on 19 July (along with multiple WC games through June and July).
Later this year, Qantas will also resume two international services – Perth-Auckland and Perth-Johannesburg as its boosts Western Australian connectivity.
According to New York City Tourism + Conventions, NYC is now at 97 per cent recovery of 2019 visitation levels with 64.5 million annual visitors in 2024. The economic impact on the Big Apple is huge with tourism contributing US$79 billion in total spend (up 110% on 2019 benchmarks) last year.
For more info, visit www.qantas.com/au.
