Qantas to fly Dreamliner 787s direct from Melbourne to Los Angeles

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Qantas to fly Dreamliner 787s direct from Melbourne to Los Angeles

By Patrick Hatch
Updated

Qantas' first Dreamliner 787 route will be a direct flight between Melbourne and Los Angeles, commencing in December next year, the airline has announced.

The 236-passenger aircraft will fly six times a week replacing the airline's 747 service, which currently fly twice a week, Qantas announced on Tuesday.

Service will start on December 15 next year and go on sale on Christmas Day.

The first Qantas Dreamliner flights will take to the skies late next year.

The first Qantas Dreamliner flights will take to the skies late next year. Credit: Louie Douvis

Qantas International CEO Gareth Evans said the first of its Dreamliner services would be a "step change" for passenger comfort and operational efficiency.

Alongside Qantas' existing A380 services, the new planes will increase the services on the route from 9 to 13 return services and see a 1400 net seat increase in the route.

"Melbourne - Los Angeles is one of our most popular routes... there's a lot of demand for passengers in both directions," Mr Evans said.

"We believe the demand is absolutely there and particularly there for quality of product and service we'll be offering on the route."

The new service will bump Qantas' seat capacity on the route by 16 per cent and total capacity among all airlines by 3 per cent.

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The Dreamliner is considered a game changer for the industry because of its long-range and fuel efficiency, leading Qantas to consider international routes including Brisbane to the US, Melbourne to Dallas and Sydney to Chicago.

Qantas revealed on Sunday it would fly 787-9s non-stop between Perth and London, starting in 2018.

Mr Evans said Qantas' first Boeing Dreamliner would arrive in Australia in October 2017 and its second a month later, which would be the two aircraft to service the Melbourne - LA route.

Qantas won't announce the routes its remaining 787-9s will fly until the first or second quarter of next year, Mr Evans said.

Virgin Australia ditched the Melbourne to LA route three years ago but will resume services from April 2017.

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