Kangaroo Route

The Kangaroo Route traditionally refers to air routes flown by Qantas between the countries of Australia and the United Kingdom, via the Eastern Hemisphere. [cite web | title = About Qantas - Our Company - History - Constellations Span the World | publisher = Qantas | url = http://www.qantas.com.au/info/about/history/details13 | accessdate = 2008-01-10 ] The term is trademarked by Qantas, [cite web | title = Trade Mark Details for Trade Mark 330928 | publisher = IP Australia | url = http://pericles.ipaustralia.gov.au/atmoss/Falcon_Details.Print_TM_Details?p_tm_number=330928&p_ExtDisp=D&p_Detail=DETAILED&p_Search_No=1&p_Lastrecord=FALSE&p_Is_Internal=F | accessdate = 2008-01-10 ] although it is used in the media as well as airline competitors such as Singapore Airlines. [cite press release | title = Land Yourself A Singapore Airlines A380 | publisher = Singapore Airlines | date = 2006-02-13 | url = http://www.a380.singaporeair.com/content/news/newsrelease/20060213/index.html | accessdate = 2008-01-10 ]

Today, over 20 airlines operate on the route, [cite press release | title = Qantas statement on Virgin Atlantic becoming 21st carrier on the Kangaroo Route | publisher = Qantas | date = 2003-11-28 | url = http://www.qantas.com.au/regions/dyn/au/publicaffairs/details?ArticleID=2003/nov03/3000 | accessdate = 2008-01-10 ] although only Qantas, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways offer a continuous flight number, albeit with a single stopover, and only from Melbourne Airport and Sydney Airport.

History

In 1935 Qantas started flying passengers to Singapore in a De Havilland 86 to connect with a London-bound Imperial Airways. The Kangaroo Route was first flown by Qantas on 1 December 1947. A Lockheed Constellation ferried 29 passengers and 11 crew from Sydney to London, with stopovers in Darwin, Singapore, Calcutta (Kolkata), Karachi, Cairo and Tripoli (passengers would stay overnight in Singapore and Cairo). A return fare was £585, equivalent to 130 weeks average pay [cite news | last = Creedy | first = Steve | title = Qantas' Kangaroo route 60th birthday | publisher = news.com.au | date = 2007-11-30 | url = http://www.news.com.au/travel/story/0,26058,22847036-5014090,00.html | accessdate = 2008-01-10 ] . Qantas changed the routing to variably include other interline stops, including Frankfurt, Zürich, Athens, Rome, Beirut, Tehran, Mumbai and Colombo.

From 1958 Qantas had round-the-world flights with aircraft flying continuously eastwards or westwards, encompassing both the Kangaroo Route and the "Southern Cross Route" (routing to/from London via the United States and the Pacific. In 1966 Qantas started a third route to London via the Pacific, Mexico and the Caribbean, called the "Fiesta Route". Both the Southern Cross and Fiesta routes have long since been discontinued by QantasFact|date=January 2008, but other airlines still offer flights from Australia to London via the Western Hemisphere.

From 1959 Qantas introduced Boeing 707s to the Kangaroo Route, and later in 1971 added Boeing 747s.Fact|date=January 2008 These aircraft cut the time required to travel from Europe and Australia, as well as the number of stopovers (from the late 1970s flights would typically travel via Singapore and Bahrain). Fares dramatically fell in cost, opening up air travel to increasingly more people, with Qantas subject to increasing competition on the Kangaroo Route by other carriers. Starting on 16 January 2009, Qantas will operate some services using Airbus A380 aircraft. [cite web |title = Qantas A380 Implementation Schedule|publisher = Qantas Airways Limited|url = http://www.qantas.com.au/info/flying/A380/schedule|accessdate = 2008-06-22 ]

Operations

Aside from codeshares, Qantas's flights to London comprise two daily flights from Sydney (one via Singapore, one via Bangkok), and two daily flights from Melbourne (one via Singapore, one via Hong Kong). Passengers from Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin and Cairns fly to any one of the three Asian transit points and change to another Qantas plane to continue onwards to Europe.

It is rumoured that Qantas is still looking into buying aircraft, such as the Boeing 777-200LR or the Airbus A340-500, capable of flying Sydney-London non-stop. [cite news |publisher=Seattle Post Intelligencer |url=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/247908_qantas11.html |title=Long-range 777 would let Qantas add nonstop London-Sydney route |date=November 10, 2005 |author=James Wallace |accessdate=2007-02-05 |quote=Qantas Chief Executive Geoff Dixon said a plane that could fly nonstop between London and Sydney, round trip, was a long time dream. "Any aircraft that can give us competitive operating costs and can bypass the Asia hubs would be of great attraction to us," he said." One day, that's what Qantas needs -- a hub buster."] Virgin have ordered Boeing 787 aircraft with the intention of flying direct from London to Perth (http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/transport/article1701266.ece).

References