Qantas flight heralds new era for long-haul

Qantas has made history by launching the first non-stop service between Australia and Europe, flying 17 hours between Perth and London.

The flight is operated using a new fuel-efficient Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and cuts flying time thanks to Qantas’s analysis of a decade of seasonal wind patterns. The 14,498km service is now the world’s longest Dreamliner flight.

“This is a game-changing flight and one that marks a new era of travel,” said Markus Svensson, Qantas regional manager UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa. “We have worked with Boeing to develop an aircraft that not only covers the distance but is also the most comfortable aircraft that we have put in the sky.”

Qantas has configured the aircraft with fewer seats than other B787s, carrying 236 passengers versus about 300 on other airlines; the Dreamliner has 42 business, 28 premium economy and 166 economy seats. The aircraft is the first to receive Qantas’s new premium economy product, while the economy cabin has also been spread out more than any other Qantas service and is split into two sections, with all seats in a 3-3-3 configuration, and with a 32-inch seat pitch – the largest ever offered by the airline in this class.

Some passengers on this ultra-long-haul flight will be wearing devices that assess their wellbeing, with data then assessed and used by Qantas.

“We have worked closely with our industrial designers, Boeing and Sydney University’s Charles Perkins Centre to influence things like cabin lighting, cuisine and temperature,” added Phil Capps, Qantas’s head of customer product and service.

“We’ve also worked with Neil Perry to design a menu in line with all these objectives. Our aim for this programme has been to do everything we can to accelerate time-zone shift, maximise rest and reduce jetlag.”

Svensson insisted that flights for the new direct service had sold well.

“Working with our local trade partners, this service is performing very well and we are expecting full flights in both directions, with consistently high loads in premium cabins too,” he said.

Svensson added the airline was looking at other direct routes from Australia to Europe, including Paris, but that the focus for the moment was bedding down the Perth-London service.