Qantas Flights 7 and 8

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A Qantas Airbus A380-800, the aircraft type that operated these flights from 2014-2020. Airbus A380-842 - Qantas (VH-OQG).jpg
A Qantas Airbus A380-800, the aircraft type that operated these flights from 2014-2020.

Qantas Flight 7 (QF7/QFA7) [lower-alpha 1] and Qantas Flight 8 (QF8/QFA8) [lower-alpha 1] are flights operated by Australian airline Qantas between Sydney Airport and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, which, from 2013 to 2016, were the longest regularly scheduled non-stop commercial flights in the world. As of January 2024, they are the 11th longest regularly scheduled non-stop commercial flights in the world as measured by great-circle distance [lower-alpha 2] 13,804 kilometres (8,577 mi; 7,454 nmi), which is over one third of the distance around Earth. [lower-alpha 3]

Contents

Background

Qantas and American Airlines (AA) were two of the co-founding members of the Oneworld airline alliance, which was launched in 1999. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) has long been American's headquarters and largest hub and is centrally located in the United States. Dallas is less than four hours flying time from all cities in the continental United States and AA serves more of these airports from DFW than from Los Angeles, Qantas's main gateway to the United States. Los Angeles is also an AA hub, but is significantly smaller in terms of departures and destinations and located 4–5 hours flying time from most east coast cities. In 2012, American operated nearly 500 departing flights daily from DFW, but fewer than 100 from Los Angeles. [2] Dallas would be a logical destination for Qantas to serve, but it only had six aircraft with the 13,804-kilometre (8,577 mi) range needed to reach Dallas and they were needed for the Melbourne-Los Angeles and Sydney-Buenos Aires routes. The Boeing 747-400ER has a range of 14,205 kilometres (8,827 mi), [3] although winds aloft and fuel needed for holding can trim that figure.

Qantas had studied the feasibility of the Dallas route for years. [4] At the time of the Great Recession, Qantas' Sydney-San Francisco service became unprofitable, while an open skies agreement between Australia & the US flooded the market with more capacity. [4] [5] In the meantime, the Boeing 747-400ER aircraft were replaced with A380s on the Melbourne-LA route. According to Qantas CEO Alan Joyce: "a lot of things clicked on this and it made absolute sense for us to devote aircraft resources to this destination." [4] By flying to Dallas, Qantas can offer passengers a 70-minute connection to domestic flights, which means onwards connections to cities like New York City, Chicago, Boston, and Miami can be up to two hours faster than transiting through Los Angeles. [4] At launch, Qantas had codeshare agreements on 54 AA flights from DFW to cities in the US, Canada, & Mexico. [6] When announcing the launch of A380 service, Qantas notes that DFW offers more than 30 codeshare destinations beyond the network available from Los Angeles. [7] According to Qantas in 2014, the most popular destinations for connections with QF7 are Orlando, Boston, Houston, Dallas and New York's LaGuardia Airport. [8]

History

747 service to London and Singapore

In March 1974, Qantas launched Flights 7 outbound and 8 returning, between Sydney and London Heathrow Airport, via Melbourne, Perth and Bombay. Initially, Qantas operated the flight pair three times each week using Boeing 747-200Bs, with a journey time of approximately 20 hours. The two flights were promoted as a faster alternative to the daily flight pair of Flight 1 outbound and Flight 2 inbound, also then operated by 747-200B aircraft, but with two or three stops between London and Australia. At the time, Qantas claimed that Flight 8 was the fastest service from London to Sydney of any airline. [9]

During the 1980s, Qantas developed hubs on the Kangaroo Route in Singapore and later Bangkok. [10] By the mid-1980s, Melbourne/Sydney to London flights had reverted to a daily Flight 1/Flight 2 service only, and Qantas was operating other Australia to Europe services, hubbed through Singapore or Bangkok, to Amsterdam, Athens, Belgrade, Frankfurt, Manchester and Rome. Under that hubbing arrangement, Flight 7/Flight 8 was cut back to four days per week Perth to Singapore service, still operated by 747-200Bs. [11]

Qantas eventually abandoned its hub in Singapore, after entering into an alliance with Emirates. Under the new alliance, Qantas operated flights between Australia and London via Dubai, which became a hub for Qantas/Emirates codeshare services to and from other destinations in Europe. [12]

747 service to Dallas (2011–2014)

The Boeing 747-400ER previously operated by Qantas parked at Terminal D of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Qantas VH-OEE at DFW.jpg
The Boeing 747-400ER previously operated by Qantas parked at Terminal D of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

Qantas began operating the Sydney-Dallas route—designated Flight 7 outbound and Flight 8 returning—on 16 May 2011. [6] [13] The route was initially flown 4 times weekly, [6] but was upgraded to daily service on 1 July 2012. [14] Flight 7, from Sydney to Dallas, flew non-stop in 15 hr 25 min. [6] Due to strong headwinds, Flight 8 could not be flown non-stop and flew from Dallas to Brisbane Airport before returning to Sydney. [15] Flights 7 & 8 were operated with a Boeing 747-400ER aircraft from 2011 until 28 September 2014.

When launched as a service to Dallas, Flight 7 was the longest regularly scheduled non-stop flight by distance operated by a Boeing 747 [6] [16] and the third-longest regularly scheduled non-stop commercial flight by distance [lower-alpha 2] —behind Singapore Airlines Flights 21/22 (Newark-Singapore; 15,345 km) and Singapore Airlines Flights 37/38 (Los Angeles-Singapore; 14,114 km). However, unlike the Qantas Boeing 747-400ER, the Singapore Airlines flights were flown with Airbus A340-500 aircraft configured with an all-business class cabin that carried only 100 passengers. [17]

Qantas Flight 7 became the second-longest regularly-scheduled non-stop commercial flight by distance when Singapore Airlines stopped flying non-stop between Singapore & Los Angeles on 20 October 2013. The final Singapore Airlines flight from Newark to Singapore departed 23 November 2013, at which point Qantas Flight 7 became the longest regularly scheduled non-stop flight by distance. [lower-alpha 2] [18] [19] It held this distinction until 1 March 2016, when Emirates began a 14,203 km non-stop service, EK 448 and EK 449, between Auckland, New Zealand and Dubai, UAE. [20]

Incidents

The route suffered some setbacks during the first two weeks of operation, which called into question its feasibility. [21] [22] [23] On 21 May 2011, less than a week after commencing operations on the route, Qantas offloaded three containers of luggage in Dallas in order to reach Brisbane without the need to make an unplanned stop for fuel. Affected passengers waited 24 hours for their luggage to arrive via Los Angeles. Qantas claimed they were forced to make the decision "due to load restrictions as a result of unseasonably strong winds." [22] On 23 May, Flight 7 was forced to divert to Houston because it lacked enough fuel to circle Dallas until thunderstorms—typical during summertime—cleared, resulting in a two-hour delay. [23] Then on 30 May, Flight 8 made an unplanned stop in Nouméa, New Caledonia, when its pilots decided it was safer to stop and refuel there then continue on to Brisbane. [23] [24]

A380 service to Dallas (2014–2020)

Special livery sported on the inaugural A380 service (VH-OQL) Qantas A380-842 (VH-OQL) parked at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.jpg
Special livery sported on the inaugural A380 service (VH-OQL)

In May 2014, Qantas announced that Flight 7 and Flight 8 would be operated by the Airbus A380 beginning 29 September 2014, at which point Flight 8's intermediate stop in Brisbane would be terminated. Although frequency was reduced from seven to six flights per week, the larger capacity of the A380 results in an increase in weekly capacity on the route of more than ten percent. The A380s are configured into four classes, and brings the addition of first class to the route. [7]

The first A380 aircraft to operate Flight 7/8 sported a special livery: the kangaroo painted on the aircraft's empennage (tail) wore a white cowboy hat and star-speckled blue kerchief around its neck. The airplane also sported a commemorative seal with the tagline “G’Day Texas.” The hat and kerchief pay homage to the Dallas region's strong association with cowboy culture and the red background, white kangaroo/hat, and star-speckled blue are suggestive of the US flag. [8] With the change in aircraft, Qantas became the first airline to operate an A380 at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, although Emirates began the A380 to DFW just 2 days later. [25]

The following year on April 13, Qantas flight 7 diverted to Phoenix Sky Harbor because there were no available airports nearby and the weather in Dallas wasn't suitable for the plane. However, after a few hours at Phoenix, the weather at Dallas improved and departed Phoenix to continue onto Dallas. [26]

COVID19 Pandemic Suspension (2020–2022)

Due in part to the global response to the COVID19 Pandemic, Qantas suspended most of their international flights in early 2020. QF7/QF8 was suspended in April 2020 until its resumption in February 2022. [27] Qantas announced in their 3 year post-COVID19 recovery plan, that the A380 fleet was to remain grounded until 2023 at the earliest and "The Boeing 787-9 will become Qantas' international workhorse." [28]

B787-9 service to Dallas (2022–present)

QF7/QF8 resumed on February 16, 2022 operated by 787-9s for all upcoming scheduled flights. [29] [30] [31]

Flight

Qantas Flight 7 operates from Sydney Airport ( IATA : SYD) near Sydney, New South Wales, Australia to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport ( IATA : DFW) near the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth in Texas, USA. Qantas Flight 8 is the return flight from Dallas/Fort Worth to Sydney. Through a codeshare agreement with American Airlines, these flights are marketed as American Airlines Flight 7261 (AA7261) [32] and American Airlines Flight 7262 (AA7262), [33] respectively. It is one of only two non-stop routes between Australia and a US city beyond the west coast (Los Angeles or San Francisco), the other being United flights 100 and 101, which operate between Houston and Sydney. [14] [34] The flights originally operated six times weekly (every day except Tuesday). [7] but moved to daily flights from April 2016 [35] The A380 aircraft initially deployed on this route are configured in a four-class seating with a 14-seat first class cabin, a 64-seat business class cabin, a 35-seat premium economy cabin, and a 371-seat economy class cabin. [36]

Because of the difference in local times, Flight 7 departs Sydney, Flight 7 arrives in Dallas/Fort Worth, and Flight 8 departs Dallas/Fort Worth on the same day (local time). Since Flight 8 is both an overnight flight and crosses the International Date Line, it arrives in Sydney two days after departing Dallas/Fort Worth. For example, Flights 7/8 departing Sydney on 16 February 2022 was scheduled to fly (local times in bold):

Departs/arrivesSydney (AEDT  ; UTC+11)Dallas (CST  ; UTC−6) UTC Duration
QF 7 departs Sydney15:40
16 February
22:40
15 February
4:40
16 February
15:20 hours
QF 7 arrives in Dallas7:00
17 February
14:00
16 February
20:00
16 February
QF 8 departs Dallas13:20
17 February
20:20
16 February
2:20
17 February
16:45 hours [30]
QF 8 arrives in Sydney6:05
18 February
13:05
17 February
19:05
17 February

Qantas Flight 8 from Dallas to Sydney—with a scheduled duration of 16 hours, 45 minutes—is one of the longest regularly scheduled non-stop commercial flights by scheduled duration.

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 Common abbreviated designation of the flight using the IATA and ICAO airline designators for Qantas: QF & QFA, respectively
  2. 1 2 3 As measured by the distance between the origin and destination airports. Especially on ultra-long haul flights, the exact ground distance travelled by a flight can vary substantially based on daily and seasonal weather patterns, air traffic, and other issues. Therefore, the great-circle distance between origin and destination is the only reliable way to measure the "longest flight by distance".
  3. The circumference of Earth is 40,075 km, [1] so 13,804 km is 34.4% of that.

Related Research Articles

Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier and the largest airline in Australia and the largest by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations in the country and Oceania. It is the second-oldest continuously operating airline, having been founded in November 1920. Qantas is an acronym of the airline's original name, Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services, as it originally served Queensland and the Northern Territory, and is popularly nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo". It is considered the only airline in the world to fly to all seven continents, with it being the only airline operating regular sightseeing flights to Antarctica along with flights to Africa, Europe, Asia, North America and South America. Qantas is a founding member of the Oneworld airline alliance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Singapore Airlines</span> Flag carrier of Singapore

Singapore Airlines is the flag carrier of the Republic of Singapore with its hub located at Changi Airport, and a member of the Star Alliance. The airline is notable for highlighting the Singapore Girl as its central figure in the corporate branding segment. Widely renowned as one of the best carriers, airline is ranked as a 5-star airline by Skytrax, and it has also been ranked as the world's best airline five times. The airline operates a variety of Boeing and Airbus aircraft, including the A350, 787, 777, A380, and 737.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airbus A380</span> Wide-body double deck aircraft

The Airbus A380 is a very large wide-body airliner that was developed and produced by Airbus. It is the world's largest passenger airliner and only full-length double-deck jet airliner. Airbus studies started in 1988, and the project was announced in 1990 to challenge the dominance of the Boeing 747 in the long-haul market. The then-designated A3XX project was presented in 1994; Airbus launched the €9.5 billion ($10.7 billion) A380 programme on 19 December 2000. The first prototype was unveiled in Toulouse on 18 January 2005, with its first flight on 27 April 2005. It then obtained its type certificate from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on 12 December 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dallas Fort Worth International Airport</span> Airport in Irving serving the Dallas–Fort Worth metro area in Texas, United States

Dallas Fort Worth International Airport is the primary international airport serving the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex and the North Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sydney Airport</span> International airport serving Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport is an international airport in Sydney, Australia, located 8 km (5 mi) south of the Sydney central business district, in the suburb of Mascot. The airport is owned by Sydney Airport Holdings. It is the primary airport serving Sydney and is a primary hub for Qantas, as well as a secondary hub for Virgin Australia and Jetstar, and a focus city for Air New Zealand. Situated next to Botany Bay, the airport has three runways. Sydney Kingsford Int'l Airport covers 907 hectares of land.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perth Airport</span> Airport in Perth, Western Australia

Perth Airport is an international, domestic and general aviation airport serving Perth, the capital city of Western Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faa'a International Airport</span> Main airport of French Polynesia

Faa'a International Airport, also known as Tahiti International Airport, is the international airport of French Polynesia, located in the commune of Faaa, on the island of Tahiti. It is situated 5 km (3.1 mi) southwest of Papeete, the capital city of the overseas collectivity. It opened in 1960. Regional air carrier Air Tahiti and international air carrier Air Tahiti Nui are both based at the airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing 747-400</span> Wide-body airliner, improved production series of the 747

The Boeing 747-400 is a large, long-range wide-body airliner produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, an advanced variant of the initial Boeing 747. The "Advanced Series 300" was announced at the September 1984 Farnborough Airshow, targeting a 10% cost reduction with more efficient engines and 1,000 nautical miles [nmi] of additional range. Northwest Airlines became the first customer with an order for 10 aircraft on October 22, 1985. The first 747-400 was rolled out on January 26, 1988, and made its maiden flight on April 29, 1988. Type certification was received on January 9, 1989, and it entered service with NWA on February 9, 1989.

Singapore Airlines operates a predominantly widebody fleet, until the second re-introduction of the Boeing 737 in March 2021 following the merger with SilkAir. The airline also operates Boeing 747-400F and Boeing 777F freighters. As of December 2023, there were 161 aircraft registered in the Singapore Airlines fleet, comprising 149 passenger aircraft and 12 freighters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kangaroo Route</span> Flights between Britain and Australia over the Eastern Hemisphere

The Kangaroo Route is a term coined by Qantas, referring to the commercial passenger air routes flown between Australia and the United Kingdom via the Eastern Hemisphere.

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Qantas is Australia's largest airline. Qantas was founded in Winton, Queensland, on 16 November 1920 as Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Limited by Paul McGinness, Sir Hudson Fysh and Sir Fergus McMaster, the latter of whom was chairman. Arthur Baird was employed as a chief aircraft engineer. McGinness left QANTAS for other interests, and Hudson Fysh remained with the company as General Manager & Managing Director. He retired as Sir Hudson Fysh KBE DFC, Chairman of QANTAS in 1966.

<i>City of Canberra</i> (aircraft)

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Ultra-long-haul refers to the duration of a flight being "ultra long." IATA, ICAO, and IFALPA jointly define any flight scheduled to last over 16 hours as "Ultra Long".

Qantas operates a fleet of Airbus A330, Airbus A380, Boeing 737 and Boeing 787 making a total of 125 aircraft. This list excludes subsidiaries Jetstar, QantasLink and Qantas Freight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Emirates (airline)</span> Aspect of history

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wallaby Route</span> Air route between Australia and South Africa

The Wallaby Route or "Wallaby Service" is a term coined by Qantas, referring to the commercial passenger air route between Australia and South Africa.

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