[AMcWhirter]

Qantas could announce plans for the new service as early as tomorrow (UK time Friday) according to Reuters.

Flight time for SYD-LHR non-stop would be around 20 hours.

But whether the non-stop SYD-LHR flights can ever start will depend on the sort of aircraft which Airbus and Boeing can develop.

If the right aircraft can be provided the new service would start in 2022.

It’s understood that Qantas could command a 20 per cent price premium for a non-stop service which would save about three hours on the current best one-stop indirect services.

But not everyone needs to fly non-stop. I suspect many travellers would prefer the chance to stretch their legs en route, enjoy better on-board comfort on an A380 and save lots of money in the process.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-qantas-strategy-idUSKCN1B41QY

[EU_Flyer]

AMcWhirter wrote:

But not everyone needs to fly non-stop. I suspect many travellers would prefer the chance to stretch their legs en route, enjoy better on-board comfort on an A380 and save lots of money in the process.

Totally agree! 20 hours in anything less than Business would be unbearable.

[LuganoPirate]

Delta currently fly JNB – Atlanta, 18.5 hours non-stop Westbound. So I guess an extra 90 minutes should be doable. Probably OK in F & C but a nightmare in Y I would imagine?

[Cloud-9]

You’d want the IFE to work ?

[Edski777]

But probably more important to the average traveler: would you pay 20% extra for 3 hours less flying?

The jet lag is the same, so you would still need quite some time to recuperate and adjust. Certainly when flying in the back, but probably also in F and C.

[MartynSinclair]

I think it could be the ultimate weekend away…. in F..

20 hours being winded and dined – watching decent movies.. an afternoon nap along the way….. 48 hours in Sydney and then the same on the return….

I would gladly be a ‘guinea pig’….

[K1ngston]

The first time I flew LHR – SYD a few years ago was with BA via SIN and in J. The jet lag as mentioned above is epic and I had to go into a meeting with someone and apparently in mid sentence I zoned out and fell asleep!!

So doing it in one hit would absolutely make no difference to the jet lag! As an aside the person who I fell asleep in front of has since become a friend as he now also lives here in SIN and we have a laugh about it now… I cant think of anything Id rather not do than sit 20 hours in a plane in any class.

[Mark Caswell]

Here’s our news piece:

Qantas sets sights on world’s longest route

[LuganoPirate]

MartynSinclair wrote:

20 hours being “WINDED” and dined

I was tempted to say I’d join you, but then I reread the post.
Hope I don’t get to sit anywhere near you Martyn!!! 😉 😉

[K1ngston]

LuganoPirate +1 🙂

[MarkivJ]

So the next best option is a layover that adds 3-4 hours? Thanks, I’ll take that option instead!

[paulkaz]

I think QF will be more keen for aus east coast JFK flights than LHR. So much time is lost in LAX ( flying on to JFK with QF 747).Customs and immigration has to be done there early in the morning competing with all the east asian flight arrivals overwheming the airport.Usually awful.DFW is a bit better though.
I use Korean through Seoul with a 2 hour transit ( or free 5 star hotel for a night) flying A380 or B748s. Similar options through Taipei Hong Kong or Tokyo. Perth passengers use the ME3 via the gulf. A lot of premium traffic lost to QF.
At his presser Alan Joyce even talked of non stop Sydney Rio. More for the romance than the business case I suspect.
In the boeing 707 days they went via Tahiti and Acapulco. Bliss

[AMcWhirter]

paulkaz – “In the boeing 707 days they went via Tahiti and Acapulco.”

Reminds we of the former BOAC days when it operated LHR-SYD with a Super VC-10 which routed via the Pacific with stops in mainland USA, Honolulu and Fiji.

[paulkaz]

AMcWhirter here s a video of the inaugural 707 service.

A Super VC-10 flight would have been far nicer. A beautiful plane as is her illegitimate cousin the Ilyushin 62.

1 user thanked author for this post.

traveldoc1

[AMcWhirter]

Many thanks, paulkaz. Onboard accommodation/service so different in that era.

[Author]

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