Aviation enthusiasts will be in for a treat in November when American Airlines brings its flagship Boeing 777-300ER to Sydney for a flying visit ahead of its resumption of service to Australia.
The aircraft is scheduled to land at Sydney on the morning of Friday, November 13, a statement from alliance partner Qantas said on Thursday.
American and Qantas are inviting aviation, corporate and sales agents for tours of the aircraft’s in-flight product.
American is resuming service to Australia for the first time since the early 1990s when it launches daily Sydney-Los Angeles flights as part of an expanded partnership with Qantas from December 19.
At the same time, Qantas is also bringing back direct flights between the NSW capital and San Francisco from December 18.
American chief executive Doug Parker said the 777-300ER was part of the oneworld alliance member’s extensive fleet renewal and $2 billion capital investment program – which apart from picking up on average a new aircraft a week also includes cabin interiors, in-flight wifi and airport checkin kiosks – demonstrated “the best American has to offer”.
“It’s been more than 20 years since we’ve had service to Australia, and we’ve made incredible strides to make sure American offers a world-class product to important business and leisure customers,” Parker said in a statement.
The airline last served Australia with its own aircraft in the early 1990s, when it briefly operated a four-times weekly LAX-Honolulu-Sydney service using Douglas DC-10 trijets.
In July, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has given interim approval for Qantas and American to expand their partnership on trans-Pacific routes, which has been updated to include, among other things, a revenue-sharing component.
Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said he was looking forward to hosting American’s visit to Australia.
“Our expanded relationship with American Airlines is great news for customers of both airlines travelling across the Pacific and North America,” Joyce said.
Currently, Qantas flies from Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney to Los Angeles. The Flying Kangaroo also offers nonstop service from Sydney to Honolulu and Dallas/Fort Worth, as well as seasonal flights to Vancouver.
