Qantas Perth-London direct announced!

Great for Perth if they could become a European hub. Still quite a long time on an aircraft though. I'd much prefer a stopover of a few en route as detest long flights, even with a few hours knocked off.

Great for Perth if they could become a European hub. Still quite a long time on an aircraft though. I'd much prefer a stopover of a few en route as detest long flights, even with a few hours knocked off.

Agree...I think Qantas will have to do something really special in terms of service offering to attract and retain passengers on this route. 17hrs is too long for me....14hrs from Dubai to Brisbane was awful and I said to myself never again!

However it may appeal to some travellers.

I'd use this; think it is a great idea. I've used the SYD -> DFW -> SYD route which is similar flight time.

Good one! I'd use it. Now if only Qantas would fly out of Stansted my life would be complete!

Agree...I think Qantas will have to do something really special in terms of service offering to attract and retain passengers on this route. 17hrs is too long for me....14hrs from Dubai to Brisbane was awful and I said to myself never again!

 

However it may appeal to some travellers.

Yes but I imagine they'll consider the time saving factor as special enough. Away from the subject but quite amazed that Qantas paid no tax last year. Looks like they have already discovered to road to saving. That Dubai/Abu Dhabi to Perth stretch, while not quite as long, is equally killing these days. I can barely imagine how in decades past I'd done the flight numerous times with barely a second thought.

Good one! I'd use it. Now if only Qantas would fly out of Stansted my life would be complete!

You'd still need to transit so I'd have thought it was better to transit further into the journey.

My thought was I'd have to fly to London, wait around 2-4 hours to get this so might as well get a flight from Edinburgh and get the journey half over before transiting, at which point I'd appreciate the break.

It'll be good for holiday makers who don't really care where in Australia they start and good for Perth as people may treat it as a stopover on the way to the east coast. And of course good for people that live in Perth. With a stopover in Dubai the journey is about 18 hours I recall so this isn't really saving much time, I wonder if it will cost a

lot more?

17hrs on 1 plane beats 12 hrs on one, dick about through security and hang about knackered for 3 hours, followed by 8 hrs on another plane any day of the week

I would gladly use this. If I lived in Perth I'd be booking it already for whenever my next trip back might be

You'd still need to transit so I'd have thought it was better to transit further into the journey.

 

My thought was I'd have to fly to London, wait around 2-4 hours to get this so might as well get a flight from Edinburgh and get the journey half over before transiting, at which point I'd appreciate the break.

 

It'll be good for holiday makers who don't really care where in Australia they start and good for Perth as people may treat it as a stopover on the way to the east coast. And of course good for people that live in Perth. With a stopover in Dubai the journey is about 18 hours I recall so this isn't really saving much time, I wonder if it will cost a

lot more?

Ah, but I would transit at Perth on the way out - I can make Heathrow easily but Stansted is right next door so I was being lazy! I hate Dubai and Abu Dhabi stops, don't know why, just that I have always gone Singapore, HK, KL and habit is hard to break

17hrs on 1 plane beats 12 hrs on one, dick about through security and hang about knackered for 3 hours, followed by 8 hrs on another plane any day of the week

 

I would gladly use this. If I lived in Perth I'd be booking it already for whenever my next trip back might be

Couldnt agree more. It might actually tempt me into an annual trip now, will have to see how much they're going to charge though.

Great news.

B

17hrs on 1 plane beats 12 hrs on one, dick about through security and hang about knackered for 3 hours, followed by 8 hrs on another plane any day of the week

 

I would gladly use this. If I lived in Perth I'd be booking it already for whenever my next trip back might be

Aye but unless you live in London or Perth then it's 17 hours on a plane dick about through security and hang about knackered for 3 hours and then another hour or more on a plane so I don't really see the difference - of course if you live in London/SE or WA perfect!

Personally, I would rather have the stop over. I have never done a 17 hour flight, but my father in law did and described it as the worst experience ever and he had more miles flown than most airline staff

I wonder is a direct flight to Sydney or Melbourne 'technically' possible?

B

I think I'd probably prefer to do this. On the way to Australia I had a stopover in Singapore but on the way home I went from Perth to Edinburgh with a quick stop in Doha except I think we were running slightly late and security was so busy so it was just a mad rush. First flight was 11 hours. I just found it really stressful. It's a really long flight but I think I could just knock myself out with drink or a sleeping tablet or just watch more films. I'd try it once anyway lol

I wonder is a direct flight to Sydney or Melbourne 'technically' possible?

 

B

Not yet. But, it is rumoured that this new service will start in Melbourne and pick up in Perth before going direct to Heathrow.

I've down Dubai to Auckland which I think was about 16 and a half hours. I would differently do this! When can I book tickets lol! On my return leg from Dubai I found it stressful with the extra security and plane previously taking off an hour and a half late I nearly missed my connection and was informed if I didn't sprint to the gate I would be staying over in Dubai on my own overnight (travelling along). This was stressful and I'd rather stay on the plane and not change.

Aye but unless you live in London or Perth then it's 17 hours on a plane dick about through security and hang about knackered for 3 hours and then another hour or more on a plane so I don't really see the difference - of course if you live in London/SE or WA perfect!

Not just London/SE, there are lots of areas within a 2/3 hour drive of Heathrow who'd benefit from this too.

Too Long on one plane for me. I quite like a stopoff at hk/Singapore from Brisbane to have a shower/relax etc

Got to be good for Perth in the long run. I don't know what Perth airport management expected, since the place was privatised the parking charges (and the cost of just about everything else) is extortionate. We were talking to friends yesterday about the old airport when we emigrated. Quaint I think you could call it. Had a petting zoo with kangaroos and other native animals. Parking was free. We really felt like we'd arrived in Aus seeing a Roo 20 minutes after getting off the plane.

Hardly makes much difference for WA passengers. Just a longer stint in one go on a plane. The attractive thing would be for WA to offer enticing deals to stop over in Perth/WA for a few days or longer. It would need to be attractive though and not the rip off costs that have been the way of things here for the past decade.

Not worth it unless you live in WA- still at least 4 hours over to the East and a couple of hours wait for a connecting flight. Plus you still have to face the boring Australian custom officers.

It's a shame that Perth was chosen and not Darwin. This would have opened up the east coast for connecting domestic flights and made the flight a bit shorter.

The more I think of it, the more I think Qantas are going to struggle with this.

Hopefully i'm wrong!

Not worth it unless you live in WA- still at least 4 hours over to the East and a couple of hours wait for a connecting flight. Plus you still have to face the boring Australian custom officers.

That's my thought and ditto at the UK end - fine if you fly to London airports but with Emirates, Qatar and possibly others flying direct from the North (Newcastle, Manchester) & Scotland (Glasgow, Edinburgh) the thought of an hours flight, a 3-4 hour wait and a 17 hour flight is less appealing than current options to me.

We flew to LAX recently via Dublin & on the way back had a 5 hour wait at Dublin, just horrid. We chose that route to avoid 3* airlines but fly direct and suck it up in future.

It's a shame that Perth was chosen and not Darwin. This would have opened up the east coast for connecting domestic flights and made the flight a bit shorter.

 

The more I think of it, the more I think Qantas are going to struggle with this.

 

Hopefully i'm wrong!

I have to to disagree with this. With such a huge Brit population I reckon they are on to a winner. Time will tell I suppose.