Qantas To Return to Dallas-Fort Worth With Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner

The return to the skies of Qantas brings with it the planned resumption of its route from Sydney (SYD) to Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), which used to be served by the behemoth A380.

However, it will be a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner that you’ll spot over the skies of Texas as of February 16, 2022, rather than an Airbus A380.

Let’s find out more.

Qantas Swaps Airbus for Boeing on Sydney-Dallas Route

Australian airlines have been notably absent from our skies more than most throughout the pandemic as stringent travel restrictions in place since 2020 have meant that international travel has remained out of the question.

In recent months, Qantas has been slowly ramping up its international flights once again with its first passenger flight touching down on U.S. shores in November 2021 after an 18-month hiatus.

The next route to resume will be its route from Sydney to Dallas-Fort Worth, which will return on Wednesday, February 16, 2022.

Initially, there will be 3 weekly rotations on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays with the following schedule:

• Depart Sydney 5:40 p.m. — Arrive Dallas-Fort Worth 4 p.m. 
• Depart Dallas-Fort Worth 8:20 p.m. — Arrive Sydney 6:05 a.m. (+2) 

The mammoth return leg sees the aircraft land in Australia 2 days after departing Texas. The 17-hour slog is the airline’s third-longest route at 8,578 miles, behind Darwin-London at 8,620 miles and Perth-London at a whopping 9,009 miles.

The aircraft swap will herald the end of being able to fly the route in first class as the most premium cabin of Qantas’ Dreamliners is business class.

Upfront in business class, the jets have 42 lie-flat seats in a staggered 1-2-1 configuration. Following on are 28 recliner premium economy seats in a 2-3-2 configuration, and finally, 166 economy seats in a 3-3-3 configuration.

Bottom Line: Dreamliner jets are far more modern than the A380 and boast lower cabin pressure and technology that is proven to reduce the negative effects of jetlag on the body — you’ll need that after 17 hours in the air. 

Qantas’ Presence in the U.S.

Before the pandemic, Qantas operated routes connecting Brisbane (BNE), Melbourne (MEL), and Sydney (SYD) with Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles (LAX), New York (JFK) (via a stop in LAX), and San Francisco (SFO).

However, at the time of writing, only the following 2 routes are in operation:

• Sydney (SYD) to Los Angeles (LAX) (currently 4 times per week until March 1, 2022, when it becomes daily)
• Melbourne (MEL) to Los Angeles (LAX) (currently 3 times per week until March 28, 2022, when it becomes daily)

As well as the return of the Sydney-Dallas route, 2 more are scheduled to restart in 2022. These are:

• Brisbane (BNE) to Los Angeles (LAX) (starting April 1, 2022)
• Sydney (SYD) to San Francisco (SFO) (starting July 29, 2022)

And finally, Qantas’ website has Brisbane (BNE) to Chicago (ORD) listed as 1 of its routes, with a note advising that the launch date is yet to be confirmed.

This will be a brand new route for the airline and become its second-longest at 8,901 miles.

Hot Tip: Learn about the best ways to fly to Australia with points and miles in our detailed guide!

Final Thoughts

Qantas is steadily increasing its weekly hops across the Pacific to the U.S. with the latest route to return set to be Sydney to Dallas.

While the change in aircraft from the Airbus A380 to the Dreamliner means passengers will no longer be able to travel in first class, they’ll get to benefit from all the jet-lag-busting, modern business-class-boasting goodness that the Dreamliner has to offer.