Qantas has opened its upcoming “Kangaroo Route” between Perth and London Heathrow to travellers, with tickets for the new service now on sale.

The route is set to take off on March 24, 2018 and will form part of a longer Melbourne-Perth-London return service. The new QF9/QF10 flights will replace Qantas’s current Melbourne-Dubai-London services.

Year-round prices for the upcoming Melbourne-London and Perth-London routes start from A$2,270 (US$1,700) for a return economy fare, while a return premium economy fare will cost A$4,250 (US$3,180) between Perth and London, and A$4,450 (US$3,330) between Melbourne and London. Return business class tickets begin at A$9,725 (US$7,280) for Perth to London, and A$9,890 (US$7,400) between Melbourne and London.

Qantas first began flying travellers between Australia and London via the Kangaroo Route in 1947, taking a total of four days and seven stops. Qantas’s new Perth-London service will take 17 hours by comparison – a flight time that still puts it among the longest commercial flights in the world.

The airline will be deploying its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on the route, which is designed specifically to offer improved comfort on long-haul flights.

“We’ve said the Qantas Dreamliner is a game changer, and that’s coming real today,” said Qantas Group CEO, Alan Joyce. “We’re conscious that this is a long flight, but not much longer than our Sydney to Dallas service. It’s the kind of route that the Dreamliner was created for, because of its built-in features to reduce jet lag and improve the overall travel experience.”

Qantas configures its Dreamliner in a three-class set-up with 42 business (1-2-1), 28 premium economy (2-3-2) and 166 economy class seats (3-3-3).

“We’ve added a very high level of comfort in each of the cabins and a lower seat count than most of our competitors. And we’re making tweaks to our in-flight service designed to help customers enjoy the journey more.”

To aid the connection at Perth, Qantas is also building a new international transit lounge at Perth Airport. International and domestic flights arrive at and depart from the same terminal, with dedicated customs and immigration.

Details of the flights are as follows (all times local):

Flight No. From To Departs Arrives Days
QF9 MEL PER 1520 1720 Daily
PER LHR 1850 0510
QF10 LHR PER 1330 1315 Daily
PER MEL 1445 2010

qantas.com