Qantas has announced plans to launch a new nonstop route between Melbourne and Dallas later this year.

The four-times-weekly service will commence on December 2, 2022, and will be the first scheduled nonstop flights between the two cities.

The new route will be served by the carrier’s B787 Dreamliner aircraft, and tickets are now on sale starting from A$2,128.

Qantas said that its partnership with American Airlines means it can offer “seamless connections between Australia and over 200 cities across the US, Canada, Mexico and South America” through Dallas Fort Worth.

In addition Australia’s flag carrier has doubled the frequency of its Melbourne-Los Angeles route from four to eight flights per week, “to meet strong demand on the route”, and from December will operate “some” of these flights with its A380 superjumbo.

Finally Qantas has this week reopened its Melbourne International Business Lounge for the first time since the onset of Covid-19. As previously reported this move has also seen the carrier’s first class lounge fully reinstated, having operated as a hybrid business/first lounge during the pandemic.

Qantas to reinstate dedicated first class lounges in Australia

Commenting on the news Qantas Group chief customer officer Stephanie Tully said:

“No city in the world did it tougher during Covid than Melbourne, but no city is bouncing back as quickly.

“We are seeing really strong demand from Melburnians wanting to travel overseas for a holiday or business trip after two years at home, while inbound tourism is starting to pick up. Flights to the United States are particularly strong with Los Angeles bookings now exceeding pre-Covid levels.

“As well as being a destination in its own right, Dallas Fort Worth is one of the biggest hub airports in the United States and is located less than a four-hour flight from every major US city.

“These new flights provide excellent connections for Australians visiting the United States and allow Melbourne to tap into an enormous inbound tourism market from cities like New York, Chicago, Boston, Houston, Washington DC, and Miami, as well as saving hours of travel time.

“We know large numbers of customers have been travelling between Melbourne and Dallas Fort Worth via our existing Sydney service, which gives us great confidence about how this route will perform when flights start.

“Our customers in Melbourne have told us they have really missed the Qantas A380, so it’s fantastic that they’ll be back flying by the end of the year with our full premium service on these newly refurbished aircraft.

“We thank the Victorian Government and Melbourne Airport for their support and assisting in the recovery of tourism to Melbourne and the regions.”

qantas.com.au