Qantas’ new route to New York takes off

Qantas will begin non-stop flights to New York from Auckland on Wednesday, the first time the airline has offered flights to the US city in three years, as the airline continues to expand its international network post-COVID. Originating in Sydney, the new route replaces a stop in Los Angeles (used before the pandemic) with New Zealand’s Auckland hub. Qantas will fly Boeing 787 Dreamliners on the route with 42 business-class, 28 premium-economy and 166 economy-class seats. “LA had a lot of issues with connectivity,” said CE Alan Joyce prior to the departure of the flight. “You had to pick up your bag, go through customs and immigration and then check in again for the Qantas flight that went to New York. And we never had the aircraft, until the 787s were available, to be able to do Auckland to New York.” QF3, scheduled to depart at 4.35pm (New Zealand time) Wednesday, will take 16 hours and 15 minutes to reach New York from Auckland, covering 16,371 kilometres and giving the airline three of the top-five longest flights in the world, measured by time. The high-demand Perth to London route (17 hours, 45 minutes) and Dallas to Melbourne (17 hours, 25 minutes) clock in slightly longer. The world’s longest flight title is still held by Singapore Airlines with its Singapore to New York route, which only seats business and premium-economy passengers for the ultra-long 18-hour, 50 minute flight.<br/>