19 hours in the air: the secrets of a direct flight from Sydney to New York

Qantas has announced that it will offer direct flights from Sydney to London and New York from 2025. These routes will officially become the longest passenger flights in the world, with a travel time of 19 hours. The airline has already launched a non-stop flight between Perth and London in 2018. It lasts just as long: an epic 17 hours on board, reports Daily Mail.

The airline also announced that it has bought 12 new Airbus A350-1000 aircraft to operate on routes to “conquer the last frontier of long-haul transportation from the end of 2025.”

Qantas also shared a preliminary concept for the A350's 'lounge of the future', offering an area where travelers can stretch and exercise with complimentary water, fruit and snacks.

First-class suites will include a separate area with a door, a full-size flat-screen TV, a separate bed, a reclining chair and a personal wardrobe.

Project Sunrise's first flights will operate from New York and London, but the aircraft will also be able to operate non-stop flights to Australia from destinations such as Paris and Frankfurt.

“Boeing designed the Dreamliner with features to reduce jet lag, turbulence and noise. We've gone one step further in terms of cabin design, giving passengers more space in every class. As well as larger entertainment screens and more storage space for personal items.

“We worked with the University of Sydney and our Consulting Chef Neil Perry to create a menu that helps the body deal with jet lag and adjusted meal times to encourage sleep.”

Qantas will also replace its narrow-body jets under the Winton project with 20 Airbus A321XLRs and 20 A220-300s as the Boeing 737 and 717 are phased out of service. The first of these aircraft will start arriving at the end of 2023, with the order including the right to purchase another 94 aircraft for delivery until at least 2034. These planes will start flying domestic routes as soon as they arrive.

Flight Perth-London

“Our direct flights from Perth to London began in 2017 and have shown strong demand for the convenience and time savings of this kind of travel when the product and service is right,” said CEO Alan Joyce. “Before COVID, this was the longest route in our network and had the highest customer satisfaction.”

In 2018, passengers on Qantas' first non-stop 17-hour flight from Perth to London shared their experience after the historic Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner touched down at London Heathrow Airport. The 17-hour, 20-minute plane journey ended a few minutes ahead of schedule at 5.02:9000 am on Sunday after flying XNUMX miles non-stop.

The aircraft is twice as fuel efficient as the Boeing 747. It has lower cabin noise levels, larger windows, improved air quality and technologies to reduce turbulence. Passengers on board shared photos of a specially designed menu, complimentary bags, and a self-service buffet with complimentary snacks and drinks.

Self-proclaimed “aviation fanatic” Wayne Kwong was an economy class passenger on the 17-hour flight and shared several photos on social media detailing his journey. He shared photos of the menu, uploading an image of a chicken breast accompanied by a glass of wine. “Specially formulated meals for this ultra-long flight. Delicious, satisfying, but not heavy on your stomach! Well done Qantas,” he wrote.

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The first flight started with more than 200 passengers and 16 crew members. Those on board began the journey with applause. The aircraft had 42 business class seats, 28 premium class seats and 166 economy class seats. Passengers were given complimentary amenities packages that included a sleep mask, earmuffs, a Qantas fleece blanket and a toothbrush.

Dinner included ravioli with cheese, leek and mushroom cream sauce, as well as chicken with red rice and roasted Mediterranean vegetables. According to the airline, the nutrition has been formulated to help keep you hydrated, improve sleep, and reduce jet lag. But to the disappointment of many, free Wi-Fi was not available on the flight, so passengers were unable to describe every moment of their trip in detail.

According to business class passenger Robert Williamson, a mining executive from Perth, the flight was "surprisingly good - above expectations," he said.

While passengers aboard the long-haul flight gave it fairly positive reviews, others were skeptical of it. Most of them were worried that they wouldn't be able to walk or feel their backs after spending more than half the day strapped into their seats.

Others have cited their 12 hour flight experience as a reason to never put themselves through 17 hours on a plane. And still others were upset that a non-stop flight meant no cigarettes.

Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce, who was one of the passengers on the first flight, called it a milestone for both Australia and global aviation. He said: “This is truly a historic flight that opens up a new era of travel. For the first time, Australia and Europe have direct flights.” Mr. Joyce said that a huge amount of work has been done to improve customer service on the 17-hour journey.