Qantas Boomerang Route

BTN editor in chief Malcolm Ginsberg flew down to Sydney via Perth on a Qantas Boeing 787 Dreamliner via on what turned out to be a 16hr 6min record scheduled flight between the UK and Australia.

He described the experience as “very uneventful and fuss-free”. The onward flight to Sydney was an internal sector of 4hr 15min on an Airbus A330 “virtually the same layout as the Dreamliner and the best ever domestic service”.

From Perth, the Dreamliner carried on to Melbourne as an international operation joined by passengers to the United States. At 21hr 40min total time from London to  Sydney, it is quicker than the fastest route via Singapore (SIN) – 22hr 25min by Singapore Airlines (SQ) –  and Sydney via Perth (PER) – 22hr 15min by Qatar Airways (QF). The aircraft then flew across the Pacific to Los Angles before returning to Heathrow by the same way. 

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce has rightly highlighted the London – Perth operation as the quickest service ever to come into profit, and with very good load factors, but in truth it is the old QF10 to Melbourne rejigged. It really is a win-win situation for both passengers and airline, the routing quicker to London from both Australian cities, and the aircraft utilisation around 22hr per day. 

Asked which way he would travel to Sydney, Ginsberg says from London, Singapore wins as a through flight in terms of luggage, while for the return, Perth is the choice, again with the luggage being taken care of.

www.qantas.com

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