A new non-stop service from Perth to London will be introduced by Qantas in March 2018.
For the first time ever, Australians will be able to regularly travel directly to Europe, via a 17-hour Qantas flight from Perth to London.
The new route will be the third-longest passenger flight in the world, at 14,498 kilometres.
It will be the longest flight in the Qantas network, exceeding their 13,730km Sydney-Dallas service.
.@Qantas is set to operate the first non-stop flight between Perth and London from March 2018. #sun7 https://t.co/NhTCWjesZc
— Sunrise (@sunriseon7) December 11, 2016
Flights that will be longer (distance) than Perth-London:
- Singapore Airlines: Singapore – New York (19 hours, 16,500km)
- Air India: Delhi – San Francisco (15 hours, 15,127km)
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said this is a ground-breaking route that opens huge opportunities.
“When Qantas created the Kangaroo Route to London in 1947, it took four days and nine stops. Now it will take just 17 hours from Perth non-stop.”
“It’s great news for travellers because it will make it easier to get to London.
“It’s great news for Western Australia because it will bring jobs and tourism.
“And it’s great news for the nation, because it will bring us closer to one of our biggest trade partners and sources of visitors.”
.@Qantas announces a game-changing, non-stop flight between the UK and Australia, set to commence in 2018. #9Today https://t.co/wqdeZy87mA
— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) December 11, 2016
Joyce said Perth could become a true hub for Australians travelling to Europe and Europeans travelling to Australia.
“This has potential to be a bigger haul, with operations potentially into Paris, into Frankfurt and into southern Europe.”
What plane will be used?
Qantas will use Boeing’s 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, which will carry 236 passengers across Business, Premium Economy, and Economy cabins.
This model features better fuel efficiency, bigger windows, higher humidity, less cabin noise, and anti-turbulence technology.
Four of these Dreamliners will be used for this route on a daily basis.
Mr Joyce said a key consideration for this flight was passenger comfort.
“When we designed the interior of our 787s, we wanted to make sure passengers would be comfortable on the extended missions the aircraft was capable of,” he said.
“That’s why we have features in our Economy seats that other airlines reserve for Premium Economy. Our Business Suite has been nicknamed ‘mini First class’ by many of our frequent flyers and we’re redesigning our on-board service to help reduce jetlag.”
What can you expect from @qantas' non-stop Perth to London flight? @markberetta has the details… #sun7 https://t.co/r80ro7c86r
— Sunrise (@sunriseon7) December 11, 2016
How much time will the flight save?
Mr Joyce said the service will save Perth customers three hours getting to London, but also expects the direct route to appeal to travellers on the East Coast.
“From Melbourne and Sydney and all other destinations in Australia, it will save you an hour going through Perth compared to Dubai or Singapore or other destinations,” he said.
“Our modelling shows that people from the East Coast as well as South Australia would fly domestically to Perth to connect to our non-stop London service.
“Some will take the opportunity to break their journey, whether it’s for business meetings in Perth, to holiday, or to visit family.”How could you kill 17 hours on a flight?
A 17-hour non-stop flight would seem like torture for some people, particularly those that can’t manage to sleep on a plane.
Here’s what you could do in that time:
- Watch the entire Lord of the Rings series twice (18 hours 36 minutes).
- Watch the Harry Potter series (19 hours 59 mins – so you won’t make it past Deathly Hallows Part 2).
- Watch Breaking Bad Season 1 & 2 plus one and a half episodes of Season 3.
- Play 5-8 games of Risk (assuming game time of 2-3 hours).
- Count to 170,000.
Previous direct flights to Europe
The new Perth to London route won’t be the first time Qantas has flown passengers directly from Australia to Europe.
In 1989, they flew from London to Sydney with a Boeing 747-400 in 20 hours and 9 minutes.
Also, in 2015 for the Centenary of Anzac at Gallipoli they had a charter flight from Perth to Istanbul.
But both of these flights were one-offs.
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