DALLAS — Qantas (QF) has added another non-stop flight between Australia and the United States. The route, which is between Dallas-Fort Worth Airport (DFW) and Melbourne Airport (MEL), will complement QF's already-existing route between DFW and Sydney (SYD). This new route will be the world’s fourth-longest route, according to Qantas. 

Initially, the MEL-DFW route will operate three times a week in both directions on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. The outbound flight, QF21, departing MEL, is scheduled to take 15 hours and 45 minutes, but the return flight, QF22, is scheduled to take 17 hours and 35 minutes. The world’s longest flight is from New York (JFK) to Singapore (SIN), which takes 18 hours and 50 minutes and is operated by Singapore Airlines (SQ).

It is followed by Newark (EWR) to SIN which is 18 hours and 45 minutes also operated by Singapore Airlines (SQ).

This is the carrier’s eighth new international route since Australia dropped travel restrictions. Flights are timed to maximize connections on either end of the route, with arrivals at DFW at midday and an early morning arrival at MEL. Travelers can connect to many domestic destinations in Australia via MEL and QF's' partner, Jetstar (JQ).

Also, oneworld Alliance partner American Airlines (AA) offers connections throughout their vast network for travelers at DFW, which is the biggest hub. 

Qantas will use the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on the route, which can accommodate 236 passengers across three classes. This included 42 in business class, 28 in premium economy, and 166 in economy.

This is the first time these two cities have been connected, and the new route will increase capacity from Melbourne to the United States by over 6,000 seats a month. 

Comments from MEL, Qantas officials

Andrew David, Qantas Domestic and International CEO, commented, “New routes also open up new opportunities to bring more visitors to Australia. Around 40% of bookings on this route are people coming from the US directly into Melbourne, and this will have flow-on benefits for local businesses. We’d like to thank the Victorian Government and Melbourne Airport for their support and collaboration in getting this route up and running.”

He further added, “We’ve already seen a great response to these flights since they went on sale, not just from those wanting to visit Dallas, but from travellers wanting to take advantage of the excellent connections to popular destinations like Orlando, Miami, and Boston.”

Lorie Argus, Melbourne Airport CEO, commented, “Qantas’ new service to Dallas will be the longest route ever flown out of Melbourne, and the fourth longest in the world... This is the first time Victoria has had a non-stop connection to a North American city that’s not located on the west coast and will help provide local travellers and exporters with faster and easier access to much of the continent while bringing more international tourists to Victoria.”

Featured image: Daniel Gorun/Airways