QANTAS readies 20 hour London route announcement

[brooklynite]

Airways Magazine:

MIAMI — According to various reports, Qantas will announce this week plans to operate flights between Sydney and London. At over 20 hours in length, the world record route is reliant on Airbus or Boeing developing an aircraft capable of operating such a long route.

“The world is getting closer and closer together with ultra long haul flights from Delta’s ATL-JNB route to QR’s DOH-AKL. With QF looking at a 20+ hour nonstop from SYD to LHR, this would indeed supersede any flight of that distance,” said William Evans, Founder and CEO of GlobalFlyer Airline Consulting.

...snip...

As Qantas readies this major announcement, Evans believes their announcement will cause more questions than answers. “Currently no manufacturer can provide an airplane that could support a nonstop service. Will it ever happen and on a two engine plane? That is the magic question. Is it economically viable for enough airlines to order enough frames,” said Evans.

Get to know your seatmate...

[ProfessorGAC]

1. Can You Imagine That Flight In Coach?

Oh My! 20 hours in a middle seat with the next seat 22 inches from one's chest? I don't see it as economically viable. People take the trip once and say "Never again." Then it's only the people with the sleeper seats or at least heavy recline 1st class that are ok. And, then the fuel costs aren't even covered.

Not seeing it.

[brooklynite]

2. In fairness, economy seat spacing on QANTAS is currently 31 ft

[aquamarina]

3. 31 feet?

Now that's a roomy seat.

[ProfessorGAC]

11. I'm guessing you meant inches

But that the spacing between the seats
It doesn't count the person sitting in it which takes up some of that depending on size

[hunter]

5. Sounds horrible.

I'd much rather spend a day or two in Hong Kong to stretch my legs.

[kimbutgar]

4. 20 hours on a plane would be torture

I was going buggy non stop after the 10th hour to Sydney from San Francisco and it was almost a total of 14 hours. The first time I went SFO to Hawaii, then Fiji (layover) then Sydney. That wasn't so bad but 20 hours OMG.

[PasadenaTrudy]

6. I don't even

like flying from here in L.A. to NYC or to Hawaii. Can't imagine flying to Europe, I'd have to pay the big bucks for first class.

[DFW]

16. Business class is just fine

We've sometimes gone direct Europe-West Coast in business. Air France once upgraded us to First, but it wasn't anything I'd pay extra for. In business, you can stretch out, see films, etc. Both of my knees are basket cases, so I don't even do well after a three hour flight on a U.S. airline. Same goes for the no frills cheapo European airlines, although for under two hours, it's bearable. The only U.S. carrier I'll take transatlantic is Delta from Düsseldorf to Atlanta, since it's the only regular nonstop flight from here to anywhere in the southern USA.

I've heard that Emirates and Ethihad have unbelievable first class, but I've never had the occasion to take them.

[greymattermom]

7. So will those planes

have extra bathrooms? I was on an LA to Sydney flight once, and yikes, it's a Febreze commercial.

[NightWatcher]

8. 20 hours on a plane and when you land they speak the same language as when you left.

If I'm on a plane longer than 10-12, you better at least speak Dutch or German or something.

I hope for the passengers sake, they'll install laughing gas for that insane ride.

[LittleBlue]

9. 20 hours nonstop? That would be terrible.

The jet lag of doing all that in under one day, wow.

[DFW]

10. If no aircraft currently flying can do the route, what's the point?

They might as well announce upcoming plans for nonstop flights to the moon. Book a month in advance and save! Free upgrades to business class for only ten million miles!

[melm00se]

15. it creates

pressure on Boeing and Airbus to get the lead out and release a product capable of meeting their (Boeing and Airbus) customer's needs and expectation.

[DFW]

17. Even if they started tomorrow

It would be seven to ten years before such an aircraft would be ready for regularly schedules passenger service.

[melm00se]

20. then all the more reason to say something now

and start the clock ticking.

Plus if one customer says we want XXXXXXX, that might trigger others to come forward and publicly say "yeah...we want that too". It's amazing how 7-10 years can become 1-2 years (or even faster) when your customers are demanding something.

[DFW]

21. One to two years--this is a joke, right?

Look at the timeline for the A-380, which has been a reality for 10 years now:
1991--market demand researched
(1993--Boeing cancels a similar project)
1996--Airbus forms a "large aircraft" division
2002--Component manufacturing starts
2004--first engine delivered
2005--maiden flight
2007--first A380 delivered for use

A revolutionary passenger aircraft is not a Windows upgrade, no matter what the airlines might demand.

[JI7]

12. no

[Buns_of_Fire]

13. In other news, Grayhound announces coast-to-coast two-hour nonstop bus service.

As soon as someone invents a bus that'll cruise at roughly twice the speed of sound.

[DrDan]

14. My wife and I have taken a nearly-16 hour non-stop from Dubai to Orlando

(The Orlando-Dubai portion was around 15 hours non-stop.)

This was on Emirates - I would never do this on United or American.

[DFW]

18. Especially United.

After my experiences with them, plus recent stories of how they handle their passengers, you'd be lucky if a Dubai-Orlando flight didn't involuntarily drop you in Hanoi while sending your baggage to the Kamchatka peninsula, and then make you pay to not get beaten up when you complain.

[DrDan]

22. UNITED is the worst imo - couple years back it took us 3 day to get from Montreal to Orlando

worst customer service - en-route service - cleanliness - etc etc etc

I don't see how they stay in business. If fuel prices go back up, it might be their demise. Gone will be the cheap, and I mean cheap, UNITED flights.

[Adrahil]

19. Time for sub-orbital transport.

London-Sydney in 2 hours.