Qantas will launch nonstop Sydney to New York flights in mid-2028 using specially configured A350-1000ULRs, marking the airline's second Project Sunrise route.
I'm undertaking a 12-13 hour flight (MAD-)FRA-SIN in December (Premium Economy) and that's more than enough for me! The only reason I selected that route rather than MAD-Gulf-SIN was in case of any potential disruption in the area.
Why are you so up early?! Haha
Anyhow, would you be one of the first passengers?! heh you don't really do inaugural flights anymore.
@ Mike O. -- Hah, I am home but struggling with jet lag, surprisingly. Since I usually get up at 4AM, jetlag currently has me getting up at 1AM, which is less than ideal!
I do hope to take this Qantas flight, though I'm curious what opportunities I can find to get a bit of a deal, once flights do go on sale...
I know you've always been an early riser but now you are married with 2 small ones how does that work? It must not be easy if you're exhausted by dinner time or ready for bed before the children?!
@ Nikojas -- It's definitely not ideal, and it just means I don't get a whole lot of sleep for a few days. The good news is that once I get back into the rhythm of things, I typically have a great sleep situation. At least our kids go to bed early (by 7PM), so I don't have to stay up that late!
It's nuts having to spend 20 hours in a flight. But it will be on my bucket list.
Ok, now that they’ve officially delayed further, I feel less ‘meh’ about booking the itinerary with stops in AKL/LAX for an upcoming trip. I’ve taken the other longest flights (SQ21,22,23,24). +20 hours in one go is usually better than 18 + 3, or 16 + 5, etc., because the layovers aren’t usually ‘great.’ Will be nice when they operate the nonstop and the 35K. Still cool to see QF at JFK T8, even if it’s just their 787. I recall when they flew the 747 with the stop in LAX. The kangaroo on the tail is a nice sight.
I’ve actually done JFK-AKL in economy twice and, perhaps surprisingly, didn’t find it too awful, so the extra few hours to Sydney doesn’t scare me quite as much as it probably should. What’s harder to believe is that Project Sunrise is finally becoming real since it seems wants has been talking about these flights for so long that I was ready to bet that Baltia airlines would become a reality sooner than waiting for JFK-SYD. Looking forward to seeing how the economics work in practice, particularly with such a premium-heavy 238-seat configuration.
I too was confused. I thought they already announced New York? But I guess that last big party was for London? But what about the fifty parties before that? I actually do enjoy flying Qantas but to hype all of this like you said Ben, just to say tickets will go on sale next year.
However, as much as 18-20hrs nonstop sound miserable, I think this makes more sense than LHR IMO. There are tons of pleasant alternatives to LHR that breaks up the journey without a significant detour (SQ, TG, MH, EK, EY, QR, etc.)
But for Australia to JFK, the most direct alternative outside of the current set up via AKL is to connect through LAX or SFO. Given the hassle of the intl to domestic transfer process, it does sound appealing to do all of that when you arrive at JFK.
I'm in Aistralia every year, but never expect to be on this flight. For those Americans in cities with SYD non stops (SFO, LAX, IAH, DFW), this is out. For most of the rest of Americans, flying home-JFK-SYD has more total time in the air than home-[one of the hubs above]-SYD. Plus, you avoid the 20-hour leg. And, it sounds like having the JFK-SYD leg as part of your trip will increase the airfare a lot.
Curious, I looked up PIT-DFW-SYD. It's 3 + 17 = 20 hours in the air. PIT-JFK is 1.5 hours. So do you want 3+17 or 1.5+20. I'll take the lesser total time. Trading 3 for 1.5 is no problem, and trading 17 for 20 is a great deal. And, I'd save money. It seems to me the success of the route depends on the number of NYC origin/destination pax there are (plus, maybe cities north and east of NYC plus those with JFK n/s but none to other hubs that will get you to Australia).
This flight is not chasing US-based connections, it is chasing the giant NYC metro, and I guess some Australia side connections to get to New York.
Would be shocked if this doesnt work. It may not be full all the time or the best performing route, but enough demand to keep it alive will be there.
Looking forward to this flight. Seems so far away though, lol.
20 hours even in Business? No thank you. When I go to AU I always do a separate flight to LA, overnight and continue on the next evening. On the way back I do the connection same day and continue on. I'm ready to lose it when that flight hits pavement.
I’m getting a bit of a “Groundhog Day” feeling. When Qantas launched the non-stop Perth-London route, the received wisdom of the majority of avgeeks — including here on OMAAT — was that it would be a disaster: *no-one* would spend 17/18 hours on a non-stop when they could transit using lovely metal in Singapore or Bangkok. Turns out all the avgeeks were wrong: Qantas tells us PER-LHR is its most profitable route. I’ve done it a couple of times and it was fine. I won’t fly via Perth if I have to go on to Sydney or Melbourne, because why would I split the journey at Perth and take some sub-standard 737MAX? But I’d gladly take a non-stop to Sydney (and, hopefully, one day, Melbourne…)
Viasat. Ugh. Brand new aircraft and Qantas is still putting Viasat in. They should also bring back those in flight fax machines. I guess Vanessa Hudson consulted Tim Dunn on this one.
Avgeek history detail: as Ben says, Qantas did fly to New York in the late 50s (did it start pre-jet?) and 60s as part of a flight to London via the Pacific. In the late 60s Qantas also introduced a second transpacific route via Tahiti, Acapulco, Mexico City, Nassau and Bermuda (the “Fiesta” route). Then in the (very early?) 70s the NY route was dropped, and there was no service to NYC until it restarted as a tag from LA (in the 2000s?). The Fiesta route was dropped later than NYC (early 80s?), so for some time there was service to Nassau and Bermuda but not NYC. I always loved the Fiesta route, I imagine it full of drunk aging playboys.
Call me crazy, but if I can get an award ticket on J or F for Summer (US) 2028, I'll position myself in JFK to fly this once. Hoping to be in Australia for the 2028 solar eclipse.
To all those saying this is crazy... 18h in one direction, 20h in the other one is not much different from the current NYC-SIN flights which take a bit under 19 hours... And they've been running full for a decade or so...
More than a decade, if we include SIN-EWR. It was stopped a I think about 5 years when they reitred the A345, but SIN-EWR/JFK has been around now since 2004 I believe.
Pour one out to them for finally losing the longest flight in the world title (though obvously they gave it up in the period between the A345 flight ending and the A359ulr flight restarting)
More than a decade. I did SIN EWR return 3 or 4 times way back around 2004 on SQ’s 340 with the angled seats in 2-2-2 config. Painful, and now I will only do that distance with a stop, even with the newer aircraft flying that route.
Did the JFK-SIN flight both ways to check off world's longest flight so may have to try LHR-SYD in a couple of years. I will say that economy (even with a couple extra inches of pitch) is torture on that flight. I like SQs A350-900ULR with business and premium economy. Sure maybe add a few first class seats but stop at premium economy as that is hard enough, even on SQ, for 18 1/2 hours.
41K AUD on FIRST return, in your dreams.
True to form, digs at qantas. Were you at the launch/announcement? I'd say not. Yet you feel you can comment as if you know all and let the misguided think you were and you're writing with authority. You talk about transparency in other reports, why not be transparent and say you weren't there in such cases? You're as poor as the bloggers you criticise.
2028 ? You still believe on Qantas
YES I WILL. In true mileage run style I will position at LHR . get a proper rest at a dodgy motel in Hounslow. Do some plane spotting. Then fly to Sydney in the main cabin. Head straight to the Sydney Harbour. Crush a couple of flat whites. Take a ferry ride. Shop at the ASICS flagship store in CBD mall. Check into an apart hotel rated 8.2 good (1.2K reviews) in Chinatown for some sleep. Then fly back the following day.
No way there's that much demand from NYC for Qantas to have a direct flight and also the connecting AKL flight right?