For the first time in more than three years, Qantas is flying to New York City, with the return of regular services from Sydney today (Wednesday).
Flights QF3 and QF4 to JFK however come with a change for Qantas, who will now operate NYC flights through Auckland instead of Los Angeles.
Utilising its Boeing 787 aircraft, Qantas will initially run three flights per week on the route before upping capacity to four-times weekly from October. This will see more than 1,800 seats on the service each week.
Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce is confident the resumed route will be a hit with travellers.
“While the world has changed dramatically since the start of COVID, one thing that hasn’t changed is the lure of New York City,” said Joyce, who was on board the first flight back to the US metropolis.
“Since international borders re-opened, New York has been one of the most popular destinations for our customers who have been connecting on our partners from Qantas flights arriving into Los Angeles and Dallas, so it’s not surprising that we’ve seen very strong demand since our New York flights went on sale.
“The launch of the route has been made possible by the delivery of new 787 aircraft in recent weeks and brings us closer to returning our international capacity to what it was before COVID.”
By March 2024, Qantas expects to be operating at 100 per cent of its pre-pandemic international capacity, up from its 85 per cent level today.
Two-way tourism boost
Joyce added that the SYD-AKL-JFK flights would be “great news for Australian tourism, helping to bring more visitors from the United States to explore the best of New South Wales and beyond with connections from Sydney across our extensive domestic network”.
“Flying via Auckland makes it easier for travellers from all parts of Australia to access New York, with the choice of 11 daily flights across the Tasman from Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne,” he remarked.
“Offering more room and fewer seats than most of our competitors, the cabins onboard these aircraft have been designed with long-haul travel in mind.”
Qantas’ Dreamliner jets carry 236 passengers across 42 Business Suites, 28 Premium Economy seats and 166 Economy seats.
What flyers can expect
On the AKL-JFK leg – one of the world’s longest flights at around 16 hours and 15 minutes – Qantas will use an advanced cloud-based flight planning system that optimises flight paths.
The flying kangaroo will also offer limited edition pyjamas and amenity kits for business class passengers and NY-inspired menus on the service.
Meanwhile, QF will upgrade its Auckland International Lounge as part of its $100 million investment in lounge upgrades. Qantas expects the new facility to open in mid-2024.
With the new service, Qantas will operate three of the world’s longest flights, including Melbourne-Dallas and Perth-London, which the carrier says has the highest customer satisfaction rating on its global network.
Last month, Qantas announced a raft of major updates to its international network, including a big boost to services to the US and across Asia and multiple new routes.
The Qantas Group also announced this week it would embrace a more gender-inclusive approach to its crew uniform and grooming guidelines.
For more information, visit the Qantas website.
