FUTURE PROOF

Buckle in for international travel where jetlag is not on the itinerary, writes Shannon Harley.

AUSSIES LOVE TO TRAVEL. Stats from Tourism Research Australia show we took about 40 million flights in the past year alone. That adds up to a whole lot of jetlag. In a world-first, Qantas is working to combat the disruptive effects of long-haul travel on our body’s circadian rhythms, aka jetlag. As the airline launches its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight from Perth to London this month, they’ve teamed up with the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre to reshape the travel experience.

“Our partnership will examine everything from reducing the impact of jetlag, through to health, nutrition and sleep through the entire journey, from the lounge to the cabin,” says Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce.

The Dreamliners have game-changing features, including higher humidity to combat dehydration – the enemy of wellbeing when you’re in the air – plus new coloured lighting, sound effects and meal and sleep schedules.

What you eat and drink has a serious impact, says Neil Perry, the airline’s Food & Beverage Creative Director. His new anti-jetlag menu includes breakfast bowls loaded with grains, seeds, supergreens and healthy proteins; and sleep-promoting dinners (less spices, more complex carbs to calm the parasympathetic nervous system). His ‘Quench’ program encourages rehydration through kombucha, herbal teas, fresh juices and flavoured waters.

This all sounds great, but does it mean we can no longer enjoy a glass of wine after take-off if we want to avoid jetlag?

“I would hate to fly to London without at least three glasses of wine; it would be a tragedy!” Perry assures me. “So, if you drink wine, match every glass with a water.”