The biggest news out of the travel industry this morning is the joint announcement from Qantas and American Airlines regarding the addition of new flights between the US and Australia.
Touted as ‘a significant expansion to our joint business’, the move will see a new carrier enter the key Sydney-Los Angeles route, with AA to operate their flagship Boeing 777 aircraft (featuring fully flat seats in First & Business) between the two cities daily from 17Dec15.
Also announced today, Qantas is returning to San Francisco after an absence of some years, with non-stop flights commencing 20Dec15, just in time to take advantage of the busiest travel season of the year. Initially scheduled to operate on peak days, the plan is to ramp up the schedule to six flights per week in January, all going well. Flights to the Golden Gate City will be operated on Qantas’ newer Boeing 747 aircraft with the same style interiors found on their A380s.
As always, these plans are subject to official regulatory approval, but the airlines would not be releasing this information if they expected it to be anything more than a mere formality. The expansion is a natural one and not unexpected, given the close ties Qantas and American have been building over recent years. It’s a win for passengers as it will allow for a more seamless travel experience on the trans-Pacific route and possibly further growth into New Zealand in the future.
We’ll have flight details and fares available on our website as they become available so stay tuned!