While New Yorkers are used to not having to transfer when they fly to most major cities, some faraway countries still require a connection.
Even as most pandemic-related restrictions were lifted, Australia-based Qantas Airways (QUBSF) took three years to relaunch the 16-hour flight between Sydney and New York due to the delay in getting the required planes and ease of transiting between the two cities through a quick stopover in Los Angeles's LAX Airport.
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Throughout the first half of 2023, Australia's biggest airline took on a heavy marketing campaign heralding its "return" to the Big Apple from several Australian cities.
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After 9,000 Miles, World's New Fifth-Longest Flight Touches Down At JFK
While a direct flight to New York from Sydney will not be running until 2025, the airline just launched its inaugural flight to the city from Auckland, New Zealand. The route has also been designed to make Auckland a "stopover" for those traveling from Sydney to New York before the 19-hour direct flight is launched.
Covering 8,829 miles and taking 15 hours and 36 minutes, the Auckland-New York route has earned its place as the fifth-longest flight in the world. On June 14, the Boeing 78-9 7 (BA) airplane that will be used for this route touched down at John F. Kennedy airport in what is Qantas' first flight into the city since 2020.
"The route is basically the three-hour Sydney to Auckland flight followed by a two-hour layover, then onto New York for a total flying time of just over 20 hours," Ayesha de Krester, an Australian journalist who was on the inaugural flight, wrote of the experience. "When we join the flight in Auckland, our business class seats have been mostly unused from Sydney."
De Krester pointed out that one of the main drawbacks was that such a long flight did not have WiFi -- Qantas is waiting until connectivity over the Asia region is better to launch it.
Other journalists who were on the flight from Sydney described that the airline checked passengers in to great fanfare -- travelers were offered themed snacks like hot dogs, pretzels and Waldorf salad while music blasted Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York."
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The route also places Qantas in competition with Air New Zealand (ANZFF) -- the country's biggest airline also launched a new route between Auckland and JFK in September 2022.
While Qantas was waiting to restart a route it ran prior to the pandemic, Air New Zealand had been planning to launch its first route to the city in 2020 but was set back by the covid-19 outbreak. Both routes will run three times a week on Boeing 787-9 planes.
With many people now taking trips put off by the pandemic, airlines are jumping to meet growing demand for ultra-long-haul flights and direct flights to distant destinations.
Qantas is also preparing to launch what will be the world's longest flight between Sydney and Heathrow Airport in London. Dubbed "Project Sunrise," the 10,576-mile route between the two cities will start running on an Airbus A350-100 (EADSF) in 2025 and will take over Singapore Airlines (SINGY) 9,500-mile route between JFK and Changi Airport as the longest nonstop flight in the world.
