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Qantas has announced its latest long-haul route, this time replacing the longstanding “Kangaroo Route” to New York City. The carrier will add a new nonstop service from Auckland (AKL) to New York (JFK) in June 2023, allowing customers from throughout Australia to have better connection opportunities into Auckland, instead of having to transit via Los Angeles.
For a point of reference, Qantas used to operate, pre-COVID-19, its flight from New York to Australia via Los Angeles (LAX). Customers would board in New York, fly approximately 5 to 6 hours to Los Angeles, deplane, and then board 1 of 3 flights to Australia, either to Sydney (SYD), Brisbane (BNE), or Melbourne (MEL). The layover time in Los Angeles would be just a few hours, sometimes even shorter depending on the timing of the onward flight. Customers had to be traveling from New York to a destination in Australia, and could not purchase the New York to Los Angeles leg separately.
Instead of sending passengers through Los Angeles, the new model will force passengers through Auckland (AKL) in New Zealand. Customers leaving New York will fly over 8,000 miles nonstop to Auckland and then depart from there on one of many services to several services throughout Australia, including Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney. Customers departing from those cities will have more connection opportunities and frequencies into Auckland, making it easier to transit.
The flight from Auckland to New York will take approximately 16 hours, directly competing with Air New Zealand’s route to Newark, and Qantas will have the rights to transport passengers directly from Auckland to New York if it so chooses.
The service will operate 3 times per week on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays with the following schedule:
The route will be operated by a Boeing 787 aircraft, which is capable of flying the long distance. In the next few years, Qantas hopes to launch a nonstop service from JFK to Sydney, though this flight, known as Project Sunrise, needs to jump through several hurdles in order to outfit aircraft with enough fuel and aerodynamics to make the ultra-long-haul distance.
Hot Tip: Make sure you’re earning Qantas Points that you can redeem for future flights!
This new flight from Auckland to JFK is one for celebration. It’s the restoration of Qantas service to New York City, and also a closer step towards nonstop service from New York to Sydney, something that isn’t too far off on the calendar. Customers can book their journey from New York to Auckland now for service commencing June 2023.
