A flight from Canberra to Antarctica and back has been called "special" and "surreal", as a traveller reveals what it's like to see the world's most remote and mysterious continent from the sky.
Self-described "plane nerd" Kevan Brown snagged seats with his partner and two friends after reading about the Antarctica Flights tickets in The Canberra Times.
Along with about 219 other passengers, Mr Brown boarded the Qantas 787 Dreamliner and headed to Antarctica at about 8am on Saturday morning.
"I've travelled all over ... and I've never seen any scenery like I saw in Antarctica," he said.
"It was actually surreal."
He said the group would be talking about the 13-hour flight "forever".
"Wherever you go in the world, telling someone that you've actually seen Antarctica with your own eyes is something pretty special," Mr Brown said.
The plane flew over scattered ice, icebergs and ice floes.
Passengers were able to see the Antarctic continent for around three to four hours. Mr Brown said some of the cliff faces were unfathomably large.
"We came over a couple of islands that were off the coast of Antarctica, and some of the cliff faces would have been 150 metres," he said.
"They were just so tall, and we were at about 15,000 feet and they were pretty up there. The mountains that we were coming over, were only a few thousand feet below us but it felt like they were at the height of the plane."
Mr Brown and his friends had standard economy seats, which cost $2199, but said he spent eight of the 13 hours on the flight standing up.
"Over the ice it gets crowded," he said.
"Pretty much everyone was in the aisle at that point. But other than that the plane is pretty spacious, and you can fairly easily move around."
The aerophile also said the Qantas 787 Dreamliner provided a smooth experience.
Antarctica Flights said it has windows 65 per cent larger than any other plane of its size, and has a lower cabin altitude.
"I've done Sydney to Los Angeles a few times, [which is about 13 hours long]," he said.
"But I found that this time, despite it being quite long, it isn't as exhausting.
"A lot of that is to do with the way they've been able to pressurise the cabin more than regular aircraft ... as well as the reducing noise."
Once the passengers landed about 9.30pm, they were offered a chance to see the cockpit.
Mr Brown said he has been witness to multiple historical aviation moments.
He was aboard the Qantas Boeing 747 when it made its last flight ever; and was one of only 20 people with business class tickets on Qantas' 100th Anniversary flight in 2020, sitting alongside actor Hugh Sheridan, chef Neil Perry and Qantas CEO Alan Joyce.
But this trip to Antarctica would hold a special place in his memory. Well, this first trip will.
"I'll definitely be looking to do it again," he said.
- Antarctica Flights is selling tickets to a flight departing Canberra on Sunday, December 4, 2022. Prices start at $1199.
