Qantas says it is edging closer to taking the next big step in air travel to fly passengers directly from Sydney and Melbourne to London, as well as Sydney to New York non-stop. The airline’s CEO Alan Joyce says he has challenged plane manufacturers to build an aircraft capable of a 21-hour journey and now believes there is an aircraft that will be capable of the task. (www.news.com.au) 更多...
Would you really want to fly that long non-stop? I think I'd prefer a layover somewhere. I feel like I'd end up like that woman in the movie Airplane! and just keep screaming "I've gotta get out of here!"
“We’ve got to get clearance Clarence, roger roger what’s are vector victor, that’s Clarence oveur over.”
“Surely you can’t be serious, I am serious and don’t call me Shirley.”
“You better tell the captain wevr got to land as some as we can. This women has to be gotten to a hospital. A hospital? What is that? It’s a big building with patients, but that’s not important right now.”
Having flown SYD-MEL_PER-LHR back in November, I would much rather fly non-stop from SYD-LHR. I was in premium economy on MEL-PER-LHR (787) and it was enjoyable but the extra 2hrs in PER was wasted time that could have been spent moving. Starting off in SYD the total travel time from the hotel to LHR was already 26 hrs. If the price is right and seat pitch is good that lets have at it!
There has got to be a B-52 somewhere that Qantas can purchase, with in-flight refueling and enough space for an exercise room, cricket pitch and suits for quiet sleep.Then, get a KC-135 or whatever the USAF can rent to the Ozzies, and do Perth to North Pole, with sewage dump capabilities.
Thirty years ago, Qantas flew a non-stop flight from London to Sydney. The aeroplane that achieved that was Qantas' first of its class: a Boeing 747-400. After more than 25 years service to the airline, VH-OJA, City of Canberra was recalled from Los Angeles, just a short hop from the wreckers at Victorville and put out to pasture at the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society's Museum at Illawarra Regional Airport, just south of Sydney. Boeing found a way to store an extra 10 tons of fuel in tanks in the tail of Qantas' 747-438s. Thirty years earlier, Boeing produced a 'special performance' 707 for Qantas to fly the long hops from Australia to the rest of the world. John Travolta owned one of these "V-Jets". It is hard to believe that Boeing could not produce a new generation of 747s that would do London to Sydney, non-stop, commercially. Sadly, Joe Sutter is no longer with us.
On a flight of this length, I think there might be a business case to be made for eliminating economy altogether and outfitting their equipment with only business and first class cabins.
21 hours? In a plane? Next to someone I may or may not like? They better have good food and movies on that flight? Then again, having to get on and off a plane 2 or 3 times while transferring at an airport I probably don't like on a all ready long trip and converting a 30+ hour trip into a 21 hour trip sounds good.
l think a 21 hour flight from SYD-LHR, or SYD-JFK, although torture, would be better than wasted time connecting planes, worrying if your bags made the connection, if anyone still checks bags anymore? Does anyone really relax on a layover or do you just spend the time finding the next gate, purchasing something ridiculously expensive in a giftshop that you can get for pennies outside the airport and then getting antsy to board the next plane? It isn't too much longer than the 18 hrs is it now from LAX or SEO-SYD.
Ok, 21 hours...plus getting to the airport 2 hours before the flight...traffic to the airport, add another hour...wait for your bag, transportation, check-in...that's another 2 hours. So you're at a 26 hour trip.
After 8 hours: I'm sorry. The Aft bathrooms are full....and cannot be used After 18 hours. I'm sorry all bathrooms are full. and cannot be used AFter 21 hours......and a landing.....
I like the idea of a 4 or 5 hour flight from Sydney to Perth and then non stop to Europe. I don think there is much difference from the current options of 15 and 7 hours. I think for Qantas they dont have to code share and they keep more cash in Australia while having better control of the expenses.
That is a naïve comment; a large portion of QANTAS expenditure is going OUT of Australia to lease/finance, foreign navigation charges and foreign fuel uploads.