Qantas Launches Flights to Dallas Fort Worth

Australian national carrier Qantas Airways has launched flights from Sydney to Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport, with brand ambassador, Hollywood superstar, John Travolta, the star guest as this week’s celebrations. The inaugural flight touched down at the Texas airport on May 16, where it received a customary water cannon salute from the Airport Fire Service.

"We are very excited at the arrival of Qantas Airways here at DFW," said Jeff Fegan, Chief Executive Officer, DFW International Airport. "This flight really is a game-changer. The Qantas service opens up an entirely new part of the world to DFW passengers, giving American travelers unprecedented access to Australia and the entire South Pacific region."

The inaugural flight was celebrated with a ceremony and press conference inside DFW's International Terminal D, and included remarks from Australia's ambassador to the United States, His Excellency Kim Beazley, and Wally R Mariani, Qantas' Senior Vice President for the Americas and the Pacific. The new flight operates four times a week with a three-class onboard service on the airline’s Boeing 747-400 aircraft, and includes a stop in Brisbane on the return leg to Australia. The new service is expected to generate approximately $130 million in annual economic impact for the Dallas-Fort Worth region.

"Not only is Dallas/Fort Worth an outstanding destination in its own right, it is also the largest hub of our partner American Airlines, which means we can now offer passengers many additional options to connect conveniently to and from other cities throughout the rest of the United States, Canada and Mexico," said Mr Mariani, thanks to the airline’s membership of the oneworld alliance.

Elsewhere in the US, Qantas is to increase the number of flights per week between Melbourne and Los Angeles to be operated by its Airbus A380s, as it takes delivery of additional aircraft. The airline currently uses the ‘Super Jumbo’ on four flights per week, with the additional three services currently being flown by Boeing 747-400s.

However, from the start of the Northern Winter schedules on October 30 it will use the A380 on six of its seven weekly flights, with just a single rotation being operated by a 747-400. This will represent a further increase in capacity on the route as Qantas’ A380s are configured with around 100 more seats than its four-class 747-400s.

The airline has seen its share of this market diluted over the past year: despite carrying an estimated 20,000 additional O&D passengers during the past 12 months its share of traffic has slipped from 56 to 50 per cent. This has been mainly due to the arrival of V Australia (now Virgin Australia) on the route, increasing its share from 9 to 21 per cent. However, on a bright note, Qantas has significantly enhanced its yield with average fares increasing by a third during the period, and the arrival of the A380 on the route is likely to have played a part in this success.