Qantas will start a non-stop scheduled service from Auckland in New Zealand to New York JFK in June 2023. The Australian company will compete with Air New Zealand, which will start flying non-stop on this route as early as September. With a distance of more than 14,200 kilometers Auckland to New York is in the top five of longest scheduled services in the world.

Auckland is slightly closer to New York than Australian cities such as Sydney and Melbourne, making that distance easier to bridge for the Boeing 787-9s that Qantas will use on the flights. In a few years, Qantas wants to go non-stop from Sydney to New York for Project Sunrise, but that will only happen once the ordered Airbus A350-1000s have been delivered.

The Australian airline flies from almost all major Australian cities to Auckland, where travelers can then transfer to flights to New York. The 787s for the route come from Sydney. To ease the wait for premium passengers, the Qantas lounges in Auckland are being renovated and merged into one large lounge.

Pre-corona Qantas also flew to New York, but with a stopover in Los Angeles. In recent years, Australians have increasingly focused on non-stop ultralonghaul routes. Qantas now also flies from Perth to London and Rome in one go. The airline notices that passengers are willing to pay extra for a flight without a stop.

--- DB4 - 20220519
* Origin: AVIATION ECHO HQ (2:292/854)