Qantas flight to ‘nowhere’ may be fastest-selling in airline’s history
Qantas’ seven-hour nonstop flight around Australia launched for travellers missing the experience of flying sold out in 10 minutes, the airline said on Friday.
“It’s probably the fastest-selling flight in Qantas history,” an airline spokesperson said.
The “Great Southern Land” scenic flight to nowhere is due to take off from Sydney airport on October 10 with “no passport or quarantine required.” The Boeing 787 Dreamliner will take a low-flying circuit over iconic attractions such as Uluru, the Great Barrier Reef and Sydney Harbour, before landing back where it started.
Economy seats sold for around 780 dollars (570 US dollars), while the business class price tag started at 3,787 dollars.
“We knew this flight would be popular, but we didn’t expect it to sell out in 10 minutes,” Qantas said.
“People clearly miss travel and the experience of flying. If the demand is there, we’ll definitely look at doing more of these scenic
flights while we all wait for borders to open.” Australia’s flagship carrier has taken a big financial hit from the coronavirus pandemic.
Last month it reported that its 12-month revenue had been slashed by 20.6 per cent, equating to 4 billion Australian dollars.
Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said the second half of the year was the toughest set of conditions the airline had faced in its 100-year history.
“This flight, and possibly more like it, means work for our people, who are more enthusiastic than anyone to see aircraft back in the sky,” Joyce said in a statement on Thursday.