NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 17: (left to right) Qantas flight crew First Officer Jeremy Sutherland, ... [+]
It could soon be possible to fly direct between New York City and Sydney or London and Sydney – but it may not be a very enjoyable flight. To test that metric, Qantas, the flag carrier of Australia, is embarking on a new campaign called Project Sunrise, which will test the fortitude of crews and passengers during the ultra long haul flight. In total, the journeys will cover 10,000 - 11,000 miles over the course of 19-20 hours, testing the limits of passenger patience and crew engagement along the way.
According to Flightradar24, a tool that monitors aircraft around the world, QF7879, the first aircraft participating in the campaign, left JFK last night en route to Sydney.
This is one of the first times in which long haul flights covering distances of over 10,000 miles have been a feasible prospect for commercial air service. In the last few years, Airbus and Boeing have both released ultra long haul, high efficiency aircraft that technically have the capability to fly these great distances, but few carriers have been willing to subject their crews or passengers to that much time in the air.
To run the tests, Qantas is relying on Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners to cover the range, though the carrier says that both the Airbus A350 and the Boeing 777X can also make the journey.
Perhaps for that reason, Qantas has approached the prospect of offering long haul service between Sydney and New York (a distance of 10,000 miles) and Sydney and London (a distance of just over 11,000 miles) very carefully. Project Sunrise, which was announced late this summer, was built as a brief effort to test the mettle of crews and passengers over an extended duration in flight. To gather data, Qantas is outfitting test subjects with wearable devices to monitor sleep patterns, food and beverage consumption and movement throughout the long haul flight.
Should the tests prove fruitful, it’s possible that Qantas or another carrier may consider opening up a formal route between the New York City area and Sydney. Right now, any passenger making that journey needs to connect through an interim airport like Los Angeles or San Francisco and by taking out that layover, travelers may be able to save 3-4 hours along the way.
Airfares between the east coast and Australia would also logically drop as the new service between the hubs would add inventory and soak up passenger demand.
The only variable that remains is how well passengers and crew can handle the time on board. Qantas, for its part, has carefully planned its crews such that multiple pilots and flight attendants are on board to accommodate rotating shifts. But for passengers, the real question is whether 19-20 hours in an economy seat is tenable. After Project Sunrise at Qantas wraps up, we may know the answer.
