This coming March, Qantas Airlines is set to launch the third-longest passenger flight in the world, from Perth to London. The flight will take approximately a whopping 17 hours! According to Qantas, it will be the first regular passenger service to directly link Australia with Europe when it begins.
“When Qantas created the Kangaroo Route to London in 1947, it took four days and nine stops. Now it will take just 17 hours from Perth non-stop,” said Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce in a statement.
Talk about a game-changer. Years ago, there was no such thing as a direct flight like this or checking in to the airline online or instantaneous mail, but today so many things are possible.
“This is a game-changing route flown by a game-changing aircraft. Australians have never had a direct link to Europe before, so the opportunities this opens up are huge.
The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners used on the route will carry 236 passengers across Business, Premium Economy and Economy cabins. Could you take a flight that’s this long?
Forbes magazine recently did an article on the top five longest flights in the world, ranked by distance:
1. Delhi-San Francisco: This Air India flight took a little longer than 14 hours.
3. Dubai-Auckland: Flying via Emirates, this flight takes a quick 16 hours 35 minutes.
4. Dallas-Sydney: This is a 15 hour flight
5. Singapore-San Francisco: Could you do 16 hours, 20 minutes on this flight?
Back to the Perth to London flight: The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners used on the route will carry 236 passengers across Business, Premium Economy and Economy cabins. It will be the longest Boeing Dreamliner flight in the world. Qantas was the first to operate the world’s largest passenger aircraft (A380) on the world’s longest route (Sydney-Dallas) in 2014.
Digital Trends magazine once talked about these long flights and how the connections are awful and spending 16 hours in a confined space with hundreds of other people, takes its own toll on the mind and body. These flights have in-flight entertainment (IFE) and some of flights are adding Wi-Fi. There are amenities like power outlets or smartphone app-based activities. If you’re booked on one of these flights load up on movies and books to pass the time, don’t forget to get up and walk around and make sure you combat jet lag.
Elite Travel Management Group, Inc
