Travel agents say they are backing Qantas’s non-stop Project Sunrise flights, with one Sydney-based advisor declaring the industry has a duty to get behind the “world first” service.
“This is Australia doing it,” said Belle Goldie, Founder and lead travel advisor at The Cruise & Travel Store. “It’s every advisor should get behind it, be talking about it, pushing it out on socials, reminding clients when they’re coming in, getting a database together for those clients when they come out and they want a book to really help fill these seats, so that it is a success.”
Goldie recently attended a recent Qantas product showcase, where she got hands-on access to the airline’s new business and first class seating, along with lightweight tableware developed specifically for the ultra-long-haul service, including 3D-printed coffee pots and melamine cutlery designed to minimise weight.
She said Qantas had also introduced “wellness zones” between cabins on the aircraft, featuring padded walls for stretching, along with televisions, snacks and water, as part of a broader effort to ease the physical toll of the up to 22-hour flights.
Goldie said client interest was strongest among older travellers keen to avoid stopovers, particularly through the Middle East, and to fly direct between Sydney and London or New York.
“We already have a wait list of clients, so as soon as that flight comes out, we are booking people,” she said.
Goldie said she treated client wellbeing and fitness to fly as part of her duty of care when discussing the ultra-long-haul route with customers.
“We now more than ever drill down to the nitty gritty, like it’s not just asking if you have any medical or dietary requirements anymore,” she said. “It’s asking, do you have any allergies? Do you have any accessible needs or requests? … It’s really about ensuring that we’re looking after our clients’ needs rather than just putting them on that one-stop shop.”
Andrew Sullivan, director at The Don’t Forget Travel Group & Callous Cactus, said he expected demand to build gradually once the service launched, drawing a comparison with Qantas’s Perth–Paris route.
“I think there’ll be an initial hesitation, like the Perth Paris flights that came about, but people have now jumped on board and gone, it’s actually great,” Sullivan said. “I think the same thing will happen with Project Sunrise once it’s actually in the air and you can actually fly it.”
Sullivan said most of his clients preferred to fly direct rather than break up their journey with a stopover, a trend he expected would work in the new route’s favour. However, he said price would be a key factor, citing reports of a fare premium of around 25 per cent over current business class pricing.
“Add another 25 per cent onto like $12,000, and you’re going, okay, that’s starting to make it interesting,” he said.
Susan Barton, from MTA, said client reaction so far was mostly curiosity rather than firm demand, but expected that to shift once the product was better understood.
“At this moment it is pure curiosity with clients,” Barton said. “A few have mentioned they would like to do it in the future, but can’t imagine themselves sitting that long. I think once there is more experience and education regarding the seating options and wellbeing zone it will become an iconic rites of passage for some enthusiasts.”
For agents like Goldie, that shift can’t come soon enough. “This is a world first, right?” she said. “And this is Australia doing it – that’s even more exciting.”
