Inbound tourism to Australia has been given a major boost, with this week’s (Sep 29) debut of the Airbus A380 on services between Sydney and Dallas-Fort Worth.
Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said the Airbus A380 was well suited for this long haul route, previously flown by the Boeing 747.
He said with the change in aircraft, Qantas has introduced a new schedule to offer more seats and greater options for customers flying to and from the US.
“Not only will the A380 increase seats on the route by more than 10 per cent each week, it will also provide us with greater fuel efficiency and the range to operate the return service direct back to Sydney,” said Joyce.
Joyce said introducing A380 services between Sydney and Dallas-Fort Worth, which is the only direct flight from Australia to inland United States, would also provide greater convenience for customers.
“The Dallas-Fort Worth service offers direct access right into the heart of the US with over 50 connections to all US major cities all within four hours, including Orlando, Boston and Houston,” he said.
“Since starting on the route in 2011 the feedback from our corporate customers, especially those in the resources, technology and agricultural sectors, tells us they like flying into the Dallas hub because it gets them closer to their final destination in the US and offers great onward connections.”
The new A380 service will also create further opportunities for both tourism and trade between Australia and the US.
“Dallas-Fort Worth is home to our partner American Airlines, and it’s the perfect hub for both business and leisure travellers heading in either direction across the Pacific,” Joyce said.
Destination NSW Chief Executive Officer Sandra Chipchase said: “The new non-stop services, supported by Destination NSW, will deliver an extra 13,700 visitors to Sydney every year, providing a boost to the State’s economy and making it easier for Americans to experience our pristine beaches, vibrant and diverse events, Aussie hospitality and our State’s outstanding food and wine.
“The US is one of our top five key inbound visitor markets. In the past financial year 317,000 visitors from the United States contributed approximately $546 million into the NSW economy, so the more we can do to encourage them to visit Sydney and NSW the better,” she said.
The new A380 service is the result of several scheduling changes designed to unlock more flying time of the Qantas fleet, as part of the wider Qantas Transformation program.
This new service comes in the 60th anniversary year of Qantas services between Australia and the US. In 1954, Qantas operated a Super Constellation from Sydney to San Francisco – its first trans-Pacific route to North America.