Qantas to Begin Flying Its Dreamliner to New York via Los Angeles and Brisbane
Qantas has announced the next route for its newest Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft — the same aircraft that will soon operate the world's longest flight. On Monday, the carrier announced that it's set to begin Dreamliner operations on its route between Brisbane (BNE) and Los Angeles (LAX), continuing on to New York (JFK).
Beginning September 1, 2018, Qantas will offer daily Dreamliner service between BNE and LAX, then continuing on to JFK. The Dreamliner will replace one of Qantas' Boeing 747-400 aircraft that currently flies on the route. While the swap represents a reduction in capacity — 371 seats on the 744 versus 236 seats on the 789 — the new aircraft is both an improvement in the hard product as well as being much more fuel efficient. The daily Dreamliner flights will operate on the following schedule:
- QF15 Brisbane (BNE) 10:20am Departure ⇒ Los Angeles (LAX) 6:00am Arrival
- QF11 Los Angeles (LAX) 8:20am Departure ⇒ New York (JFK) 4:40pm Arrival
- QF12 New York (JFK) 6:10pm Departure ⇒ Los Angeles (LAX) 9:00pm Arrival
- QF16 Los Angeles (LAX) 11:25pm Departure ⇒ Brisbane (BNE) 6:10am (+2) Arrival
In addition to these Dreamliner-operated flights, between September and December 2018, LAX-BNE daily Dreamliner operations will also be complemented by 3x weekly 747 service on the route. As of December 1, 2018, a Dreamliner will take over for the 747 and also increase options with 4x weekly service. In addition to the daily schedule listed above, the 4x weekly Dreamliner service between BNE and LAX will operate on the following schedule on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays:
- QF55 Brisbane (BNE) 5:15pm Departure ⇒ Los Angeles (LAX) 11:55am Arrival
- QF56 Los Angeles (LAX) 9:05pm Departure ⇒ Brisbane (BNE) 5:00am (+2) Arrival
Since Qantas took delivery of its first Dreamliner, it's announced that the latest addition to its fleet will fly on the following routes: Melbourne (MEL) to Los Angeles (LAX), Melbourne (MEL) to San Francisco (SFO) and Perth (PER) to London (LHR), which will be the world's longest flight, and now Brisbane (BNE) to New York (JFK) via Los Angeles (LAX).
Qantas' Dreamliner features three cabins: business (42 seats), premium economy (28 seats) and economy (166 seats). The business-class cabin is arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration, offering each lie-flat seat direct aisle access. The premium economy cabin is arranged in a 2-3-2 configuration, with each seat offering 38 inches of pitch and 20.5 inches of width. Finally, the economy cabin is arranged in a 3-3-3 configuration, with each seat offering 32 inches of pitch and 17.2 inches of width.
Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be much award space on this route with the new product — check out this guide for the best websites to search Oneworld availability. However, if you're looking to fly it regardless, use this guide to figure out where you should sit. Also, check out this TPG review of the premium economy cabin.
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