Travelling on the inaugural flight, Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said the airline was thrilled to be carrying Australians to New York once again. “While the world has changed dramatically since the start of COVID, one thing that hasn’t changed is the lure of New York City,” said Joyce. “Since international borders re-opened, New York has been one of the most popular destinations for our customers who have been connecting on our partners from Qantas flights arriving into Los Angeles and Dallas, so it’s not surprising that we’ve seen very strong demand since our New York flights went on sale. The launch of the route has been made possible by the delivery of new 787 aircraft in recent weeks and brings us closer to returning our international capacity to what it was before COVID.”
The Qantas Group is expected to return to around 100 percent of its international network pre-COVID capacity by March 2024, up from around 85 percent of pre-COVID levels today. This is a significant increase from just 45 percent 12 months ago.
“The flights are great news for Australian tourism, helping to bring more visitors from the United States to explore the best of New South Wales and beyond with connections from Sydney across our extensive domestic network,” added Joyce. “Flying via Auckland makes it easier for travellers from all parts of Australia to access New York, with the choice of 11 daily flights across the Tasman from Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.
Qantas now operates three of the top five longest flights in the world, including Perth-London and Dallas-Melbourne, as it increases its focus on direct routes that are also among its most popular. The airline’s Perth-London service has the highest customer satisfaction rating on its international network.
Qantas is also progressing plans for a major overhaul of its Auckland International Lounge as part of a $100 million investment in new and upgraded lounges. The lounge will offer more space and feature the best of local design, food and wine when it opens in mid-2024.
Cre: Asian Aviation
