Shaving hours, if not days from a European holiday, Qantas has connected Australia to France with direct services for the first time.
The national carrier took off for Paris on Sunday evening with the new direct flights between the two countries, marking a return for the Flying Kangaroo to the City of Lights for the first time in 20 years.
It should also be easier to secure bookings, with the new route adding 75,000 more seats for Australians heading to Europe each year.
The new route is important as recent surveys show Australians are becoming concerned about long-haul flights that involve stop overs adding to their journey.
There are also hopes that the price of air fares to Europe may at last start to come down.
How long is the flight?
There’s no doubt that you’d want to be seated in the front end of the plane on this mammoth 17-hour 20 20-minute flight.
Mind you, this cuts around three hours off the current fastest travel time between the two cities and takes the title of the longest non-stop flight to France from anywhere in the world.
Travelling on Qantas’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, the 236 passengers across Business, Premium Economy, and Economy are in a layout that the airline said has been designed to maximise comfort for longer distances.
Changes for long-haul travel include all passengers benefitting from large windows, high cabin humidity, and relaxing mood lighting – all said to help them feel more refreshed when they land.
When can you travel?
With the Olympic and Paralympics Games starting shortly, plus the busy European summer holiday season, Qantas will operate the long flights four times a week, dropping to three services per week from mid-August.
Flights will initially operate four times per week over the busy European summer and Olympic and Paralympics before moving to three services per week from mid-August.
Aussies want more long-haul direct flights
If you’re a traveller who enjoys stretching your legs and buying duty-free around the world, you’re becoming a smaller group by the minute.
According to Qantas, more travellers want to cut stopovers altogether and fly direct, prompting the airline to put on direct flights from Perth to London and Rome, and now Paris.
“In recent years we have seen a significant increase in customers wanting to fly direct on long haul routes and avoiding stopovers wherever possible. Our direct flights from Perth to London and Rome have some of the highest customer satisfaction on our international network,” Qantas Group CEO, Vanessa Hudson said.
“With these new flights, our customers can depart Perth in the evening and arrive in Paris in time to enjoy brunch overlooking the Eiffel Tower.”
What can Qantas’s premium guests expect?
Business Class passengers on the inaugural Perth to Paris flights will enjoy limited edition Martin Grant-designed pyjamas with matching amenity kits and Neil Perry-curated menus featuring classic French dishes such as Bouillabaisse of snapper and Skull Island prawns and a French 75 cocktail.
A special selection of movies celebrating French cinema featuring popular films set in Paris such as Amélie and Midnight in Paris will be available across the international inflight system throughout July.
FAST FACTS
Flight numbers: QF33 Perth-Paris, QF34 Paris-Perth
Flight time: 17 hours 20 minutes
Travel distance: 14,264km
Aircraft: Dreamliner carrying 236 passengers across Business, Premium Economy, and Economy cabins in a layout that has been designed to maximise comfort for longer distances.
