Qantas eyes direct flights to Chicago, Seattle in ultra-long-haul push

The new US routes will be introduced before Qantas considers adding more direct European services, which will require both sustained high bookings on the 17-hour Perth flight and a positive trend in the global economy. The London service relies on a higher-than-usual number of business- and premium-economy class seats for its viability, and French or German destinations would need to offer similar levels of high-yield demand.

Adding more European flights would require Qantas to order more 787-9s from 45 options the carrier holds with Boeing. While the first of those have expired, the airline has been able to extend them one at a time, giving it the ability to add planes in short order, Joyce said. Delivery positions for the Dreamliners start from late 2019.

Jumbo Exit

A decision on the retirement of the final six 747s of 11 that are to be replaced by 787s could come this year and would lead to further Dreamliner orders. It's also possible the jumbos, which are among the youngest 747s still flying, could be kept in service longer.

Joyce said he's confident that Boeing and Airbus SE will be able to eke out sufficient extra range from future models to allow Qantas to fly from Sydney and Melbourne direct to London and New York as soon as 2022.

The CEO has described the routes as the "last frontier" of aviation, after which all of the world's major cities will have non-stop air links. Options for making such long flights more bearable would include introducing a new four-class structure, with part of the cargo hold utilized for sleeping berths, Joyce said. "Nothing is off the table," he said.

Qantas's first Perth-London service landed in the UK Sunday after a 14,498-kilometre trip. Though not quite the world's longest flight - the record is currently held by a Doha-Auckland service operated by Qatar Airways - the route signals the beginning of the end of the so-called Kangaroo Route, which has seen planes make the journey from Europe to Australia in a series of hops since the advent of aviation.

Air New Zealand announces non-stop service to Chicago

Air New Zealand will introduce a non-stop service between Auckland and Chicago in November - New Zealand's first ever direct link to the third largest city in the US.

The airline will operate the new route three times a week from November 30, 2018 with its new configuration Boeing 787-Dreamliner aircraft.

The flight time will be about 15 hours there and just over 16 hours on the way back.

"We expect Chicago to be an attractive option for Australians and Kiwis wanting to explore the city or head on to other North American destinations," says Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Christopher Luxon.

"More than one million Australians travel to the US every year so this new route will provide an opportunity to explore deeper into the US."

The new service is expected to provide Australian travellers with a more seamless experience transiting through Auckland, where customers can remain in the same terminal. Eligible frequent flyers will also be able to utilise Air New Zealand's flagship lounge.

With codeshare partner United Airlines offering more flights out of Chicago's O'Hare International Airport than any other airline, there will be easy connections to some 100 destinations across the US, the carrier said.

Travel agencies expect the new route to be popular, have already witnessed an increase in the number of travellers to the US.

Bloomberg, with Stuff.co.nz

See also: How Qantas made it's first record-breaking non-stop flight to London in 1989

See also: Economy passengers give their verdic on Qantas's first non-stop flight from Perth to London