It's the announcement frequent flyers to the US have been waiting for.
Qantas has announced non-stop flights to Chicago commencing April 20, 2020.
Passengers will be able to fly directly from Brisbane to Chicago, with fares going on sale today. Direct flights to San Francisco are also on the way, with fares on sale February 9, 2020.
The airline's jetlag-defying 797-9 Dreamliners will be used on the routes.
The service will be the world's fourth longest passenger flight, with the 14,326 km distance covered in around 16 hours and 20 minutes.
It will save passengers travelling return to Chicago six hours on today's shortest possible route.
That makes the journey slightly shorter than its longest - Perth to London - which travels a distance of 14,498 km over 17 hours.
Singapore Airlines currently holds the title of the world's longest flight. Its new route to New York from Singapore takes 18 hours and 45 minutes and traverses a whopping 15,343 km.
Qantas International Acting CEO Naren Kumar said: "This is the first time Australians will have a direct link to Chicago, the third-largest US city.
"We expect the flights will be popular with corporate travellers looking to do business there, but also with tourists wanting to experience some of the culture and history that Chicago is famous for."
The new flights are expected to draw an increasing number of tourists to Queensland, pumping $150 million into the economy over the next three years.
"As the world's largest economy, the United States offers enormous potential for inbound tourism to Queensland," Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said.
"These flights represent a great opportunity for Queensland, one that is forecast to support more than 1700 jobs over the next three years."
The inaugural service to Brisbane will take off at 3.30pm on Thursday, August 20, 2020 and will arrive at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport at 4.40pm the same day.
The service will initially run four times a week, although CEO Alan Joyce has said Qantas wants to increase that number to daily flights "as fast as we can."
Qantas now operates three non-stop routes to the US from Australia, currently flying directly to San Francisco and Los Angeles from Melbourne and Sydney, and from Brisbane to Los Angeles.
See also: Scientists baffled as man stays in seat for 17 hours on non-stop London-Australia flight
See also: 17 hours in economy class: Passenger verdict on first non-stop London flight
http://www.traveller.com.au/qantas-announce-direct-flights-to-chicago-starting-april-20-2020-h1ghop
2019-07-24 02:52:00Z
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