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American Airlines and Qantas are set to ramp up their services between Australia and the US from December this year.
In a new seasonal service, American will fly three times per week between Brisbane and LAX, complementing Qantas’ existing route, starting 5 December and continuing until the end of January.
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Qantas will also increase to a daily Melbourne–Dallas-Fort Worth service from 3 December to the end of January, and will upgauge all its Sydney-DFW flights to A380s from January onwards.
The Flying Kangaroo will bring in its 787s on daily flights from Brisbane to Los Angeles starting in October, before scaling them back in December and January to increase Melbourne-DFW to a daily service, though Qantas and American will still between them operate daily from Brisbane to LAX during that period. Qantas 787 flights from Brisbane to LAX will return to daily starting in February.
“American is proud to partner with Qantas to increase travel options for customers to Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne this winter,” Steve Johnson, American’s vice chair and chief strategy officer, said.
“Together, we offer the most comprehensive service connecting the United States with Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific.
“For our customers, this means more ways to plan vacations to visit friends and family or jet off for a new adventure in one of the most picturesque regions of the world.”
Qantas International chief executive Cam Wallace said the Qantas-American partnership has enhanced connectivity for both Australian and US passengers.
“The strength of our partnership with American Airlines continues to bring great benefit to our customers around the world,” he said.
“We know Australia remains very popular with US travellers, and these changes will provide increased connectivity onto our vast domestic network to some of Australia’s most unique destinations.”
Brisbane Airport, which saw the return of American Airlines last October, welcomed the news. Executive general manager for aviation, Ryan Both, said it will “help attract more high-value visitors to the state”.
“With one of the largest loyalty programs in the world, American Airlines customers will now have the opportunity to use their points to fly from Los Angeles to Brisbane, bringing even more tourists to Queensland,” he said.
“It’s an exciting milestone, marking the second U.S. carrier to connect the host city of the 2028 Olympics with the future home of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“Queensland’s gateway to North America is strong this Christmas, served by American Airlines, Qantas, United Airlines, Delta and Air Canada.”
The news comes as Qantas International prepares to replace Jetstar’s 787-8 service from Sydney to Honolulu starting in October, having already moved onto the Melbourne–Honolulu route.
