Qantas has commenced its first direct flight between Melbourne and Dallas/Fort Worth, to create more travel options for Australians traveling to North America. The flights will be thrice weekly on Boeing Dreamliner aircraft.
The Qantas flights are the first non-stop flights by any airline between the two cities in addition to its direct flights from Melbourne to Los Angeles. The new route will increase the number of seats between the UK and the US by over 6000 per month.
Andrew David, CEO of Qantas, said: “The new route is a win for local travel and tourism operators and for many Victorians wanting to travel overseas. We are excited to be providing our customers with another new international destination out of Melbourne as travel demand continues to grow strongly.”
Qantas’ joint business partner American Airlines will also offer codeshare services on this flight as part of the joint network into Australia, marketing and selling the route to its customers across North America.
Lorie Argue, CEO of Melbourne Airport, said: “Qantas’ new service to Dallas will be the longest route ever flown out of Melbourne, and the fourth longest in the world. This is the first time Victoria has had a non-stop connection to a North American city that’s not located on the west coast and will help provide local travellers and exporters with faster and easier access to much of the continent while bringing more international tourists to Victoria.
Melbourne-Dallas/Fort Worth is one of eight new international routes Qantas announced since borders reopened and the second new route from Melbourne, following the launch of Delhi flights last year.