VH-OQA, a Qantas A380-841 on the ramp at Avalon Airport, Victoria five years ago – Photo: Bernie Leighton | AirlineReporter
On the 3rd of December, 2013, Emirates took the crown with having the longest Airbus A380 route in the world — from Dubai to Los Angeles. The route is only 418 miles longer than the longest Qantas A380 route from the Melbourne to Los Angeles.
Qantas is fighting back with their recent announcement that they are going to take back the longest A380 flight crown, maintain the status of the longest commercial flight, and one-up Emirates.
Two airlines’ A380s competing for the same title of “Longest A380 Route”; Emirates & Qantas – Photo: Bernard Proctor
Qantas has announced that their current Sydney to Dallas flight, which is also the longest flight in the world at 8578 miles, will be changing to a A380. So not only will Qantas get their longest A380 flight crown back, they also manage to keep the longest route in the world.
Previously, a Boeing 747-400ER operated this route, but as of the 29th of September, 2014, the route will be the A380’s domain. This will also signal another hit to Emirates, as Qantas will become the first operator to fly an A380 into Dallas, beating out Emirates by a mere one day!
BONUS: Riding along with Singapore Airlines for the final flights of the world’s longest commercial routes
’œDallas/Fort Worth has become an important hub for Qantas since we started flying there in 2011. Dallas is home to oneworld partner American Airlines and is conveniently located less than four hours from every major US city including Orlando, Boston, Houston, and (New York) LaGuardia, making it a perfect hub for our customers to Australia” said Qantas CEO Alan Joyce. “This month marks the 60th anniversary of Qantas services to the US, so it’s an exciting time for us to launch A380 services from Dallas to Australia.’
The Qantas A380 First Class “Suite” – wouldn’t you want to spend the world’s longest flight in this seat?
On of the biggest changes with this new service is that the flight will no longer have a fuel stop in Brisbane on the return leg from Dallas to Australia. The A380 does not need this stop (although it does still need some weight restrictions just not as bad as the 747-400ER).
It also means that this will see the introduction of First Class for the first time since this route was introduced in 2011. The 747-400ER aircraft that currently operates the route are a three-class service (Business, Premium, & Economy) and will be replaced with four-class service (14 First, 64 Business, 35 Premium Economy, and 371 Economy) on the A380.
BONUS: Flying a Dream: Qantas First Class on an A380
How are they able to free up an A380 to make this change? By changing up the flight times of the Melbourne to London flights, they can utilize more aircraft hours, avoiding a lengthy ground hold in LAX. So while they turn an aircraft around in London much quicker, it means they can add the DFW service six times a week. Although the new flights will see a drop in the Brisbane segment, and one less flight per week, Qantas thinks that they can make this work. I am sure they can look at further aircraft utilization and possibly free up enough to be able to get an extra day added.
Say Farewell to the Qantas 747-400ER. This rare bird won’t be seen in Dallas soon. Photo: Mal Muir | AirlineReporter
With Qantas’s recent changes to try and save a considerable amount of money, will this see the end of the 747 in their operations? When this flight finishes in September, there will only be two 747 route to the US remaining (Sydney – Los Angeles – New York & Brisbane – Los Angeles) for the carrier. Could this be the death knell for the Queen of the Skies for the Flying Kangaroo in the USA? Or Is this just a way to bring a better onboard product & more capacity to a route that doesn’t get the press of its flashier cousins?
Malcolm, you article is inaccurate. There will be two remaining B747 routes to the USA. Flt 15/16 BNE-LAX, and 107/108. SYD-LAX-JFK. I have not heard anything about the Brisbane flight being discontinued.
John
John you are correct. How could I have even forgotten my own home town!!! I don’t know if that is a failure as an Australian, a Queenslander or as a Reporter. I should hang my head in shame 🙁
Pah. You should say “longest commercial flight CURRENTLY OPERATING”.
Singapore Airlines still holds the record for
SIN-EWR 15,345 km (9,535 miles) [8,285 nm] at 18 hours 50 minutes
SIN-LAX 14,114 km (8,770 miles) [7,621 nm] at 18 hours 5 minutes
that it operated for over 5 years until late last year.
Sydney – Dallas is a mere 13,804 km (8,578 miles) at 15 hours 25 minutes
🙂
My goodness,,,,This article smells hatred and arrogance ,why is it that way against Emirates, the airline who came to help,yes for mutual benefits but also as a partner now….for me personally I wish it never was, at least show some courtesy for God’s sake…..you can say whatever you want about Qantas but it does not have to be against Emirates… just there is no need for it……