Australia to Italy in a day: Qantas’ new route takes off

If you’re dreaming of a European holiday but dreading the thought of multiple flights, you’ll love Qantas’ new route.

Is Qantas’ new route a game changer? Yes, yes it is. Let me explain why.

The flying kangaroo has just started flying direct from Australia to Italy, making it the only airline to operate a direct service between Australia and continental Europe.

You know what that means? No more annoying stopovers in places like Doha, Abu Dhabi, Kuala Lumpur or Singapore (even though Changi airport is delightful).

It means you can board a plane here in Australia and less than 20 hours later, you can be licking a gelato in front of the colosseum in Rome.

Traffic on the Via dei Fori Imperiali street in front of Colosseum in Rome. Picture: Getty

The inaugural flight from Perth and Rome took off on Saturday, with Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce telling news.com.au that direct flights are the way of the future.

“We’re seeing an increasing preference for a non-stop flight to and from Australia to make the travel experience as efficient and easy as possible and we expect that will be a permanent shift in the way people want to travel,” he said.

Speaking about the new route, Mr Joyce said: “Qantas began services from Sydney to Rome in 1948 as part of our seven-stop Kangaroo Route to London, and from the early 1990s we flew our Queen-of-the-skies Boeing 747 twice a week until 2003 when direct services were suspended during the SARS pandemic.

“Almost 20 years later, we are excited our flight path once again leads to Rome proving it really is the Eternal City.”

Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

Here’s all the info you need about Qantas’ new route from Australia to Italy.

The flight

Qantas will operate three return flights from Sydney to Rome (via Perth) per week from now until October 6.

The flights to Europe leave Perth at 10.20pm local time with a flight time of 16 hours and 25 minutes, meaning they’ll arrive in Rome at 8.20am local time, just in time for a cappuccino and a cornetti.

You’re probably wondering how much a ticket costs, right? Fares start at $1785 return.

You can also combine Qantas’ Rome flights with the airline’s double-daily direct flights between Australia and London, meaning you can fly into Rome and then out of London on one return ticket (available until October this year).

And if you’re keen to check out more of Europe while you’re there, Qantas will also offer connections to 16 other destinations including Paris and Barcelona as well as 15 other destinations in Italy, including Venice and Milan.

Trevi fountain in Rome. Picture: iStock

The plane

The planes that will be used for the flights from Perth to Rome are Qantas’ Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

If you haven’t been on one before, they’re pretty bloody cool.

They have turbulence dampening technology meaning there’s less chance you’ll spill your pinot noir on your lap at some stage during the flight, and there’s improved air quality to reduce jet lag.

My favourite feature is the windows (seriously!) which are much bigger than regular plane windows.

“They’re not only the largest and the widest but they’re also the best positioned of any aircraft window flying today and they were designed so that a middle seat passenger can look out the window without having to crane their neck,” Rachelle N. Ornan-Stone, a design researcher at The Boeing Company, told news.com.au in 2017.

The windows don’t have shutters on them. Instead, they have an electronic dimming button with five different levels.

“At the darkest you can sleep very comfortably but you’re still able to look outside,” Dr Ornan-Stone said.

Look how big those windows are. Picture: Qantas

The food

Qantas has added an Italian twist to its on-board menu for the flights between Australia and Italy.

Let’s start with the business class menu.

On the flight from Perth to Rome, those lucky enough to be sitting up the pointy end of the plane can have dishes including:

• Zucchini and basil soup with parmesan crouton

• Plant-based dining – caramelised potato gratin with peas, mushrooms and roasted fennel

• Spaghettini with prawns, garlic, chilli, slow roast cherry tomatoes and pangrattato

• Tiramisu

On the way back to Australia from Rome, the menu highlights include:

• Bucatini all’ Amatriciana

• Grilled fish with peperonata, pine nuts and basil

• Mozzarella bufala, finiocchiona salumi, anchovy, artichokes, olives, marinated red capsicum with warm focaccia

As for those in economy, they can look forward to:

• Braised Wagyu beef with broccoli, carrots and soft polenta

• Rosemary, garlic, sea salt and olive oil focaccia

• Mixed arancini

Qantas has also added Negroni cocktails across its lounges and in-flight.

Entertainment

Qantas has also beefed up the number of Italian movies available to watch on the in-flight entertainment system.

Some of the titles added include: Scent Of A Woman, Rome and Life is Beautiful (you’ll need your tissues for that one).

This writer is a guest of Qantas on the inaugural flight from Perth to Rome