Qantas Dreamliner goes the distance from Perth to London
Before launching its 17-hour direct flights between Australia and the UK, Qantas worked with the Charles Perkins Centre on how to improve passengers’ experience.
If you think the 17-hour non-stop flight from Perth to London on Qantas’s 787 Dreamliner sounds like an endurance test, then be prepared: the airline is planning even longer flights in the future. Qantas CEO Alan Joyce has given the world’s leading aircraft manufacturers a challenge: build an aeroplane that can fly from Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane to London and New York non-stop by 2022. If it comes to fruition it is estimated that flight times would be just over 20 hours for the Sydney-to-London flight and just over 18 to New York.
Despite the long time spent in the air, the concept of direct flights from Australian capital cities to London and New York will completely revolutionise the way we think about travel and our connection with Europe and North America. It’s a game changer. It’s also revolutionising the inflight experience. Qantas knows that 17 hours in a metal tube is a lot for a passenger to bear, and so for the introduction of the direct flight from Australia to Europe in March this year it completely rethought every aspect of the flight experience, from the seats to the lighting to the food served on board. It even changed up pre-flight procedures to better prepare guests for the journey.
At Qantas’s new International Business Class Lounges in Perth and London passengers can partake in a stretching class before or after their flight, to calm the muscles and prepare the body for sleep. Bathrooms have been fitted with innovative light-therapy shower suites designed to help the body adjust to the destination time zone (the lights are activated by the guest for a 15-minute session). The Perth lounge also has a unique open-air terrace to give passengers access to natural light and vitamin D-supplying sunlight.
Qantas worked with the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre to develop the wellness strategies it is deploying on its Dreamliner long-haul flights. According to the airline, it is the first integrated, multidisciplinary collaboration between an airline and a university around passenger health before, during and after flight. Steve Simpson, academic director of the Charles Perkins Centre, says there is the potential for “extraordinary health, science and engineering discoveries and innovations to come out of this research partnership, which will also provide the evidence base needed for Qantas to implement strategies to further improve how people feel after a long-haul flight”.
As well as concepts to help alleviate the effects of jetlag and the consequences of sitting on an airline seat for 17 hours, the Charles Perkins Centre also worked with Qantas’s creative director of food, beverage and service, Neil Perry, on menu items that can help keep passengers hydrated, facilitating sleep and reducing jetlag. According to Simpson, the “new menu incorporates the latest scientific knowledge on nutrition and hydration and our scientists are excited by this opportunity to discover how the wide variety of influences work together during long-haul flights”.
What does that research look like on a plate, you ask? New dishes feature hydrating ingredients such as green leafy vegetables, cucumber, strawberries and celery. As well as some passenger favourites, new, lighter, dishes such as tuna poke salad bowls have been introduced to the menu. A special herbal tea has been created by Dilmah exclusively for Qantas that’s made from lemon verbena, chamomile and lemongrass and is said to encourage relaxation. However, if you like a stronger-sounding hot beverage, you’ll be pleased to know the Charles Perkins Centre says hot chocolate made with warm milk contains the sleep-inducing amino acid tryptophan and is an ideal way to finish off an inflight meal.
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