Oneworld carriers American Airlines and Qantas are extending their joint business agreement with two new routes between the US and Australia.
On December 17, American will commence a non-stop service between Los Angeles and Sydney, while Qantas will launch a service between Sydney and San Francisco on December 20.
Both services will "initially operate on peak days" before increasing to six-times weekly in January 2016.
American will roster a three-class B777-300ER with fully-flat business seating on the LAX-Syndey route, with Qantas flying a reconfigured B747-400 with the same interiors as on its A380, which will continue to operate its Sydney to Los Angeles route.
Doug Parker, American chairman and CEO, said: "Our customers have asked us to expand to important business destinations across the Pacific, and flying our flagship aircraft, the Boeing 777-300ER, to Sydney will provide another world-class travel experience from our key gateway at LAX."
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce added: "For over 20 years, we've worked in partnership with American to give our customers the best network on both sides of the Pacific. We are excited to take the alliance to a new level and expand our services to new destinations including San Francisco – Australia's biggest unserved direct corporate destination."
American recently outlined a plan to refurbish all its Admirals Club lounges worldwide (see news, April 28).
Graham Smith
