Qantas Announces JFK Return via Auckland

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DALLAS - Today, Qantas (QF) announced its return to New York (JFK) from Sydney (SYD) via Auckland (AKL), New Zealand, with flights scheduled to begin in June of 2023.

The flights mark the long-awaited return of QF to New York after a three-year hiatus due to COVID-19. Prior to the suspension of flights to New York, QF operated flights to JFK via Los Angeles (LAX) using Boeing 787 aircraft.

Qantas will be facilitating the new flights with the introduction of three new Boeing 787 aircraft, scheduled to be delivered next year.

In order to fly from Sydney to JFK, passengers will first fly three hours to AKL, followed by an ultra-long-haul 16-hour flight to the Big Apple. The flights allow QF to directly compete with Air New Zealand (NZ), which is scheduled to begin operating direct flights between AKL and JFK in September of this year.

Additionally, the new flights will bring QF’s total daily services to AKL to 11, with connections from SYD, Brisbane (BNE), and Melbourne (MEL). 

Lounges Upgrades

To complement the new flights, QF will be redesigning and expanding its existing lounge at AKL, which had been previously planned but paused due to the pandemic.

The two existing lounges will be combined to create a single Qantas International Lounge with a total capacity increase of 40% to 340 seats.

According to the airline, the new lounge will also include elements specifically designed for long-haul travel based on positive feedback from other network lounges.

Additionally, QF will be upgrading or building new lounges at Adelaide Domestic Airport (ADL), Rockhampton (ROK), and Port Hedland (PHE).

The Overture to Project Sunrise

Due to Australia’s geographic location, long-haul flying is one of the most crucial elements of QF’s network in order to connect Australians to the rest of the world. 

With the introduction of ultra-modern, fuel-efficient planes with significant ranges, QF has begun to prepare for nonstop flights between Australia and some of its most important destinations, dubbed ‘Project Sunrise’.

Qantas is planning to operate direct flights between Melbourne and Sydney in Australia and New York City in London as part of Project Sunrise using specially-configured Airbus A350-1000 aircraft.

Before the scheduled start of those flights in 2025, QF’s passengers will be making the trek to JFK with a stop in AKL.

Executive’s Comments

Qantas Group Chief Executive Officer Alan Joyce said, “We can’t wait to return to New York and it’s made possible by the delivery of new aircraft, which have been caught up in delays that have impacted lots of airlines.”

He continued, “Customer feedback on our direct London and Rome services show how well suited our Dreamliner cabins are to longer international flights like these, which is helped by the fact we designed them with more room and fewer seats than most of our competitors.”

Featured Photo: Noah Pitkin/Airways