Following the successful promotion of its sightseeing tour around Australia on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Qantas is considering adding more of these flights to its schedule. The initial tickets for the October flight sold out in just ten minutes yesterday. So, it isn’t a surprise that the carrier is looking to offer further opportunities.
Positive response
Altogether, Qantas said that next month’s trip was the flag carrier of Australia’s fastest-selling flight in its history. Subsequently, while travel restrictions remain in place, the airline is looking to ramp up these initiatives.
According to Executive Traveller, a spokesperson for Qantas said the following:
“We definitely look at doing more of these scenic flights while we all wait for borders to open. People clearly miss travel and the experience of flying.”
Plenty to see
October’s flight will see Qantas’ faithful hit the skies for seven hours while seeing some of Australia’s finest sites. These passengers will see the views of the New South Wales and Queensland coasts, including the Whitsundays, the Great Barrier Reef, Uluru and Kata Tjuta.
The fee for a ticket starts at AU$787 ($575) in economy and raises to AU$3,787 ($2,769) for a business class seat. Despite the cost of taking off to land back where they departed, customers snapped at the chance to sit on a 787-9 Dreamliner once again. The high prices reflect that middle seats were not on sale and the fact that the airline is purchasing carbon offsets against the estimated 40 tonnes of jet fuel that will be burned with this flight.
“The Great Southern Land” border-free flight will depart Sydney Domestic Airport on October 10th. The 149 onboard will be treated to breakfast in the Qantas lounge while witnessing live entertainment. During the flight, they will receive a goody bag and even be given the iconic ‘flying kangaroo’ pajamas.
A trend is starting
Airlines in Asia and Oceania are falling victim to some of the most stringent ongoing travel restrictions. Therefore, carriers have to think of imaginative ways to get some activity going during the passenger downturn.
For instance, All Nippon Airways (ANA) deployed its Airbus A380 ‘Flying Honu’ aircraft on a “flight to nowhere”. A successful first service held at the end of last month has got the Japanese carrier planning more of these operations.
Meanwhile, Singapore Airlines could soon be announcing similar services of its own, starting next month. The operator said that 75% of its customers that were part of a survey said that they are willing to pay a fee to sit on its aircraft once again.
Altogether, these services are a reflection of the unique time for the aviation industry. Additionally, it shows that many people are eager to hit the skies again but can’t due to restrictions.
Simple Flying reached out to Qantas for comment on its sightseeing flights but did not hear back before publication. We will update the article with any further information from the airline.
What are your thoughts about Qantas operating flights to nowhere? Are you looking to hop on one of these services? Let us know what you think of the initiative in the comment section.
