Qantas to launch Sydney-Auckland-New York direct flights in 2023

The Flying Kangaroo is returning to New York City once more, but not via Los Angeles. Instead, Qantas will launch a new thrice-weekly Sydney-Auckland-New York route from June 2023, flown by the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The airline will also completely redesign its Auckland lounges ahead of the launch.

This time-saving route means travellers can avoid the hassle of transiting within the USA and connecting to a domestic flight on American Airlines. Passengers will instead transit in New Zealand for just under two hours, with lounge-worthy guests directed to the new Qantas Auckland International Lounge.

Qantas CEO, Alan Joyce, told Point Hacks that the new flights would offer better convenience for passengers. Three new Boeing 787s are scheduled to be delivered in 2023.

We can’t wait to return to New York and it’s made possible by the delivery of new aircraft, which have been caught up in delays that have impacted lots of airlines. We think this route will be very popular with Australians given the opportunity to connect via Auckland and it also gives New Zealanders more choice.

– Alan Joyce, Qantas CEO, 25 August 2022

Act fast for the Points Plane

Qantas is making the first Sydney-New York and return flight a Points Plane on 16 June 2023. That means every seat, in Economy, Premium Economy and Business, can be redeemed as a Classic Flight Reward with Qantas Points. Here are the rates for flying all the way from Sydney to JFK:

• Economy: 55,200 points + $221
• Premium Economy: 108,400 points + $311
• Business: 144,600 points + $361

Flying to New York onboard the Boeing 787

The team at Point Hacks has travelled onboard Qantas’ Boeing 787 across all classes in the last few months – including from Perth to Rome, Dallas Fort Worth to Sydney and Melbourne to London via Darwin. In Business Class, the hours fly by quickly thanks to a comfortable fully-flat bed.

Premium Economy has a quirky seat, but with the downside of being ever-so-slightly tight on legroom. Meanwhile, there are only 166 Economy seats nestled at the back, in a 3-3-3 layout.

Here are the flight timings when the route launches in June:

• QF3 SYD-AKL: Depart at 10:05 am, arrive at 3:15 pm (4 hours)
• QF3 AKL-JFK: Depart at 5:00 pm, arrive at 5:15 pm (16 hours 15 minutes)
• QF4 JFK-AKL: Depart at 7:30 pm, arrive at 5:00 am (+2) (17 hours 30 minutes)
• QF4 AKL-SYD: Depart at 6:30 am (+2), arrive at 7:40 am (+2) (3 hours 40 minutes)

Summing up

Qantas is launching a new direct Sydney-Auckland-New York route in June 2022, with a quick stop in Auckland both ways. The non-stop Auckland-JFK legs will take up to 17-and-a-half hours, but offer a more convenient connection for travellers.

It’s not Qantas’ first foray into NYC, though. The airline previously flew a Boeing 747 between Los Angeles and New York, carrying transiting passengers. And even earlier, Qantas flew an Airbus A330 from Auckland to Los Angeles, which then continued on to New York as QF107.

Of course, you’ll want to be nestled in Business Class or Premium Economy for these ultra-long-range flights, so be quick with nabbing a seat on the Points Plane on 16 June 2023.