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Qantas to Fly Its Dreamliner Between San Francisco and Melbourne

Dec. 15, 2017
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2 min read
Qantas 787-9
Qantas to Fly Its Dreamliner Between San Francisco and Melbourne
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Update 1/18/2018 5:30pm ET: Qantas has announced that it's launching this new service on September 1, 2018 (August 31, 2018, in the US). Fares are available as of today.

Here's the operating schedule — both operate on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays:

  • QF49 Melbourne (MEL) 9:40pm Departure ⇒ San Francisco (SFO) 7:00pm Arrival
  • QF50 San Francisco (SFO) 10:00pm Departure ⇒ Melbourne (MEL) 6:30am (+2) Arrival

Qantas announced on Thursday that it's set to launch a new Dreamliner route. In 2018, the Australian carrier will deploy its 787-9 on a new route between San Francisco (SFO) and Melbourne (MEL).

The new service is expected to launch at some point in late 2018, though an exact date hasn't been set. In the announcement, the carrier said that tickets between SFO and MEL will go on sale in early 2018.

Qantas has released very few details at this point. We don't yet know the frequencies with which this route will operate, and we don't yet know the schedule. Once the route launches in 2018, it will be the only nonstop option between the two cities.

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The carrier took delivery of its first 789 in October. TPG's JT Genter flew the aircraft in premium economy between Sydney (SYD) and Melbourne (MEL) and enjoyed his experience. On Friday, the carrier will launch the aircraft on its first international long-haul route between Melbourne (MEL) and Los Angeles (LAX). Eventually, in March 2018, Qantas will use the 789 to operate the world's longest flight between London (LHR) and Perth (PER).

Premium economy on the 787.

The carrier's Dreamliner aircraft are equipped with three cabins: business, premium economy and economy. More specifically, you'll find 42 business seats in a 1-2-1 configuration, 28 premium economy seats in a 2-3-2 configuration and 166 economy seats in a 3-3-3 configuration.

Featured image by Tim Stake

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  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
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  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
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