Melbourne to Dallas in 17 hours: Qantas announces new ultra-long-haul flight to the United States

As global travel resumes in 2022, another addition to the list of “world’s longest flights” will be a direct route operated by Qantas between Melbourne, Australia and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW).

The new route, which will be served by Boeing 787 Dreamliners, will begin on December 2, 2022, according to the Australian airline, dubbed “the flying kangaroo.” Customers who wish to continue their journey to other cities in North America can do so via Qantas partner American Airlines, which has a major hub at DFW.

Despite the fact that Qantas has several long-haul flights to the United States, this is the first time in history that a commercial airline has organised a nonstop flight from Dallas to Melbourne.

This announcement emphasises the fact that Dallas, as CNN’s Richard Quest can tell you, is currently experiencing what one might call a “moment.” It’s also fantastic news for Melbourne, which experienced six lockdowns over a nine-month period during the pandemic.

“No city in the world did it tougher than Melbourne during Covid, but no city is bouncing back as quickly,” said Qantas group chief customer officer Stephanie Tully in a press release.

“We are seeing really strong demand from Melburnians wanting to travel overseas for a holiday or business trip after two years at home,” she added.
In February, Australia began gradually reopening its borders to fully vaccinated international visitors.

The MEL-DFW direct route takes around 17 hours, putting it on the list of the world’s longest flights. Tickets for the inaugural flight are currently on sale.
Air New Zealand joined the ultra-long-haul club last week, announcing plans to launch direct flights between Auckland and New York City, a first for the Kiwi airline. Flights from JFK to Auckland will take 17 hours and 35 minutes.
Singapore Airlines currently operates the world’s longest passenger flight between Singapore and JFK. It travels 9,534 miles and spends approximately 18 hours in the air.

Australia’s national carrier, which will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2020, has made no secret of its desire to push the boundaries of long-distance travel.

Qantas’ plan to operate nonstop flights between Sydney and London, dubbed “Project Sunrise,” was thwarted by the pandemic, but the airline hopes to resurrect it.
During the pandemic, Qantas, like many other airlines around the world, had to get creative in order to stay afloat and keep employees employed.
Qantas’ “flights to nowhere,” which flew over major attractions such as Uluru or during events such as the supermoon, gave Australians a new way to travel within the country.