By The SATimes News Service
Sydney: Pre-pandemic, many of us viewed flying simply as a method of getting from one destination to another as quickly as possible.
That’s where “flights to nowhere” come in — air travel that takes place purely for the purpose of the journey, not the destination.
Proving how popular these now are, a sightseeing flight to nowhere offered by Qantas sold out within 10 minutes, according to the airline, with passengers eager to take to the skies at a time when Australia has grounded almost all international flights paying premium prices.
“It’s probably the fastest selling flight in Qantas history,” the airline’s CEO, Alan Joyce, said in a statement.
“People clearly miss travel and the experience of flying. If the demand is there, we’ll definitely look at doing more of these scenic flights while we all wait for borders to open.”
The seven-hour scenic flight will perform a giant loop taking in Queensland and the Gold Coast, New South Wales and the country’s remote outback heartlands.
From above, keen fliers should be able to spot famous Aussie attractions including Sydney Harbour and the Great Barrier Reef. The jet will do a low flyover over certain landmarks, including Uluru and Bondi Beach.
Special onboard entertainment is promised too, including a surprise celebrity host.
The journey will take place on a Qantas Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, usually reserved for intercontinental journeys across continents. Right now, there are very few flights operating to and from Australia due to travel restrictions and Qantas international fleet has been grounded.
The Dreamliner is renowned for its big windows, making it ideal for sightseeing from 30,000 feet.
Meanwhile All Nipon Airways (ANA) also operated a short scenic flight in Japan in August, which the airline said sought to replicate “the Hawaiian resort experience,” with 300 travelers boarding the 1.5 hour flight.
