Editor’s note: Qantas provided TPG with a free round-trip business class ticket for its inaugural US route. All opinions expressed here are the author’s own and have not been reviewed by Qantas.
Qantas is back in the Big Apple.
Australia’s national airline had an epic return to New York on Wednesday when Qantas Flight 3 landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) after a 8,829-mile, 15-hour flight , 36 minutes from Auckland, New Zealand.
The flight — operated by a Boeing 787-9 — is rated as world’s fifth longest flight (same route as rival Air New Zealand debuted last fall).
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For Qantas, its new”fifth freedom” route — between Sydney and New York with a stop in Auckland — brings Qantas back to America’s largest city for the first time since the pandemic. This significance is hard to miss before the airline’s inaugural flight.
A Qantas marketing campaign caught the attention of the press in Sydney and across Australia before lunch. However, it is Auckland that should not be missed the New York premiere.
Special signs marking the event have been strung across Qantas’ entire registration queue. Even the digital counter displays flashed the grand opening branding. Harder to miss is the saxophone player performing “New York, New York” live in front of a pop-up soft cookie stand offering passengers a free New York City-themed snack.
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Qantas CEO Alan Joyce added to the fanfare with a press conference in front of the check-in counter. Joyce answered questions as television cameras from Australian and New Zealand morning and news programs caught the action.
Even in Qantas’ Auckland frequent flyer lounge before a flight, Taylor Swift’s “Welcome to New York” set the tone among a host of New York specialties including Pizza slices, Pastrami Reuben burgers and sausages with sauerkraut.
When it was time to board the plane, the New York-themed party atmosphere spread to the gate. Passengers applaud the saxophonist who has reappeared in the boarding area (this is also reflected in the first branding). Swag bags were waiting for all passengers on the flight; Contents include a commemorative ball cap, coffee mug and bag tag.
Once on board, the passenger is greeted by Joyce via the PA system – he was a passenger at the inauguration. He outlined the importance of the flight and the interest the grand opening of Qantas seems to be generating.
“As far as I know, it’s currently the most tracked flight on FlightRadar24,” he said, referring to the popular flight-tracking website. “So you’re being watched by the rest of the world.”
He then explains how returning to New York has become a priority for Qantas and now it’s doing its best to map out its international route once the pandemic is over. Go.
“We’re rebuilding some of the most important destinations in our network, and New York is one of the most important,” he said as he spoke from the front of the plane. “It’s an important city for us. That’s where our main customers want to fly to. It’s a city that we know will capture people’s attention, and we’re excited to be able to fly back to the Big Apple.”
Qantas continues to promote Project Sunrise flights
More broadly, Wednesday’s flight was the latest step in Qantas’ plans. Ambitious “Project Sunrise” plan. That effort will help the airline connect Sydney — and eventually other Australian cities — to New York and London with the world’s longest non-stop flights.
But that can’t happen until Qantas takes delivery new long-haul Airbus A350-1000 jets capable of making flights over 9,000 miles with standard passenger and baggage loads. These planes are expected to be delivered to the airline starting in 2025; New super-long flights are expected to begin shortly after.
Behind the scene: What it was like on the first 19-hour Project Sunrise flight from New York
Meanwhile, Qantas is moving closer to Project Sunrise’s ultimate goals by maximizing the range of the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners already in its fleet. carrier make headlines in 2018 when it launched direct flights to London from Perth on Australia’s west coast. The 9,010-mile route went down in history as the first regularly scheduled non-stop flight between Australia and Europe.
The cities of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in the east of Australia are still too far away from both New York and London for the airline to operate nonstop flights with normal passenger and cargo volumes.
For now, however, Qantas’ latest effort from Auckland — along with a leg to Sydney — gives Qantas a new route to New York as it prepares for even longer flights ahead.
“I think openings like this… are advancing Qantas’ mission, which is to reduce the imposition of distance,” said Joyce, reiterating one of his often-spoken points before the opening departure. Auckland desert.
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