All articles tagged with #qantas
Qantas has confirmed that its second ultra-long-haul route, connecting Sydney and New York nonstop, will launch in mid-2028. Tickets go on sale in August 2027. The 18-hour eastbound flight will use a specially modified Airbus A350-1000ULR with 238 seats and a dedicated 'wellbeing zone.' This follows the Sydney-London route launching in October 2027.
Qantas will launch direct flights between Sydney and New York in mid-2028, cutting travel time by three hours. The route uses Airbus A350-1000ULR jets with extra fuel tanks and 'wellbeing zones.' Tickets go on sale in August 2027, following the Sydney-London route launch in October 2027.
Qantas will begin selling tickets for its first nonstop Sydney to New York flight in August 2027, with service launching in mid-2028. The route will use a specially configured Airbus A350-1000 ULR with an extra fuel tank, offering four cabin classes. This follows the London-Sydney route launching in October 2027. The move aims to capture premium travelers seeking to avoid connections and jet lag, though analysts warn that high prices could limit demand.
Qantas will retire its entire 10-aircraft Airbus A380 fleet in 2028, four years earlier than planned, due to rising maintenance and fuel costs. The A380’s era is ending gradually as carriers pivot to more efficient jets and expanded premium cabins, with Emirates likely remaining the last major operator into the early 2040s.
Two days after maintenance, a battery-powered work light was signed out for a Qantas Airbus A380 and left inside the left wing, going unnoticed during post-maintenance checks. The aircraft flew from Sydney to Dallas/Fort Worth and back before the missing tool was found in an unreturned tool report. Investigators said there was no safety impact; Qantas has tightened tool-control procedures with a mandatory pre-clearance check. The ATSB notes a prior 2023 incident where a tool was left in an engine and a 2020 screwdriver tip caused damage elsewhere; no injuries were reported.
Airbus and Qantas are pursuing 10,000-nautical-mile nonstop flights using the A350-1000ULR, adding a 20,000-liter fuel tank and a higher takeoff weight to enable ~22-hour routes such as Sydney–New York and London–Sydney; a first test flight occurred in June 2026 near Toulouse, with commercial service targeted for 2027, featuring a 238-seat cabin (140 economy, 40 premium economy, 52 business, 6 first-class) and a Wellbeing Zone for long-haul comfort.
Qantas announced that its first nonstop Sydney-to-London flight will launch in October 2027, using 12 specially modified Airbus A350-1000ULR jets designed for up to 22 hours in the air, carrying about 238 passengers and featuring wellness zones to combat jet lag on ultra-long-haul journeys.
Qantas has confirmed Sydney to London as the first route for its Project Sunrise, planning the world’s longest non-stop passenger flight (over 16,000 km) with 19–22 hour durations, using specially modified Airbus A350-1000ULR aircraft. Twelve such planes will be delivered, with the route launching in October 2027 and Sydney–New York expected to follow later.
Qantas’s plan for the Sydney–London Project Sunrise ultra-long-haul flights on the Airbus A350-1000ULR included a promised 33″ economy pitch, but the airline has backtracked. Instead of a uniform 33″ seat, the cabin will feature a mix of 32″, 33″, and 34″ pitches, with an economy-plus section at 34″ achieved by shrinking the back of the economy to 32″. The move preserves some space benefits but undermines the original promise of universal 33″ legroom, prompting criticism of the airline’s hype versus delivery on the world’s longest flight.
Qantas is reshaping its Sunrise plan: six Airbus A350-1000ULRs will be used for ultra-long-haul Sydney–London and Sydney–New York, while the other six will replace Boeing 787-9s on existing routes to diversify the network, effectively sidelining Melbourne from the ULR strategy.
Qantas plans a nonstop roughly 22-hour flight from London to Sydney using an A350-1000ULR, a premium-passenger–driven ultralong route with extra fuel capacity; the service is slated to begin in October next year, and if successful, the airline aims to add a Sydney–New York ultralong direct service afterward.
A disruptive passenger on Qantas flight QF21 from Melbourne to Dallas allegedly bit a flight attendant, triggering a diversion to Tahiti where authorities issued a no-fly ban for the traveler; the aircraft resumed to Dallas about 35 minutes later, highlighting ongoing concerns about in-flight misconduct in Australia.
Hackers claiming to be 'Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters' have leaked extensive data from 39 major companies, including Qantas and Vietnam Airlines, exploiting a Salesforce vulnerability. The leaks contain millions of personal and business records, posing significant risks of identity theft and reputational damage. The hackers have stated they will not release further data, but the already leaked information could have serious industry-wide consequences.
Qantas announced that customer data stolen in a July cyberattack, involving 5.7 million records mostly containing personal details like names and emails, has been posted online. The airline is working with authorities to assess the breach, which did not include sensitive information like credit card or passport details, and has taken measures to enhance security and support affected customers.
An Australian court fined Qantas A$90 million for illegally laying off 1,700 ground workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, marking the largest employer penalty in Australia's history and ending a five-year legal battle.