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Ultra-long-range flights, the sort that Qantas operates between Perth and London, are proving popular with travellers, latest reports indicate.

Long-range variants of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the Airbus long-range A350-900ULR make such flights possible. Initial concerns flared about whether super-long flights – the sort that some passengers claim “numb your bum” – would take off with consumers.

Agents, however, reckon they are popular and so does the airline ratings website AirlineRatings.com.

  • Example one:

Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce has discounted reports from Britain’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) that loadings on the Qantas Perth-London non-stop flights stand at just 78.1%.

Joyce told AirlineRatings.com that the load factor on the service is actually an amazing 92% – rising to 94% for premium classes. That would make it the most profitable Qantas service. Apparently the CAA figures only count passengers whose final destination is Perth, not those heading to Melbourne or other Australian destinations.

  • Example two:

Agents in Singapore say Singapore Airlines’ new non-stop service from Singapore to New York (which will be the longest flight in the world when it starts on 11 October 2018) is booking fast.

The service will use an Airbus A350-900ULR, the first of which will be delivered to Singapore Airlines in a week or two. The flight path will head over China, Mongolia and the North Pole before touching down in Newark Airport, New Jersey, gateway to New York.

  • Example three:

The B787s Qantas ordered from Boeing years ago are now flowing through and Qantas will use the new planes on routes including Melbourne to San Francisco, Brisbane-LA-New York and from Australian east coast ports (Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane) to Hong Kong. The 12,645km Melbourne to San Francisco route and the Brisbane-LA-New York routes both start this Saturday, 1 September 2018. Qantas will be the only airline connecting that city pair non-stop.

  • Example four:

Air New Zealand will launch a new non-stop service between Auckland, New Zealand and Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport from November this year.

From 30 November 2018, Air New Zealand will operate the new 13,179km route three times weekly, year-round with its new configuration B787-9 Dreamliner aircraft.  Flight time will be approximately 15 hours northbound and just over 16 hours southbound.

The new service will provide Australian travellers with a smoother experience transiting through Auckland, where customers can remain in the same terminal and eligible customers are able to use Air New Zealand’s flagship international lounge.  

Singapore Airlines new Airbus A350-900ULR (ultra-long-range) aircraft

 

  • Example five:

Qantas is pressing on with its Project Sunrise, which is seeking an aircraft that can fly nonstop the 16,991km route from Sydney to London and the 16,672km route from New York to Melbourne. Ultra-long-range aircraft from Boeing and Airbus are in the running. The Airbus A350-900ULR reportedly uses additional space already available in the existing fuel tanks to carry extra fuel, pushing its range to an astounding 17,900km.

Written by Peter Needham