Qantas Airways 'flight to nowhere' that sold out in minutes takes off
The 787 Dreamliner was set to dip as low as 4,000 feet to afford great views
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Qantas Airways “flight to nowhere” that sold out within minutes last month took off on Saturday.
According to an announcement from the Australian airline, the “Great Southern Land” tourism flight -- which took off and landed at the Sydney airport -- included “low-level flybys of key locations along the New South Wales and Queensland coasts as well Uluru in the Northern Territory.”
The locations were chosen “to showcase the unique Australian landscape from a different perspective, and without having to worry about continued border closures,” the airline said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}INDIGO PASSENGER GIVES BIRTH TO SON DURING FLIGHT
Though most of the flight stayed at 35,000 feet, for some landmarks the 787 Dreamliner went as low as 4,000 feet.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“We will angle the aircraft so that passengers on both sides get a great view, in particular of Uluru after we were granted special permission for the flyover,” Capt. Alex Passerini said in a statement ahead of the flight.
The Qantas "flight to nowhere" took off on Saturday. (iStock)
Passengers were also able to hear “first-hand facts from local experts” who called up from Whitsundays and Uluru on ground-to-air satellite phones, the release said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“It’s going to be a really special day, and we are excited to be back in the air again,” Passerini said.
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According to the announcement, the flight to nowhere “was inspired by Frequent Flyers who said they missed stepping on board a Qantas flight and wanted an opportunity to enjoy some of the airline’s Spirit of Australia hospitality even if they couldn’t travel as they normally do.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The flight was also reportedly operated “with net zero emissions – with carbon emissions from the flight 100% offset,” the announcement said.
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When Qantas announced the unique flight in September, the 134 tickets -- which cost between $575 and $2,765 -- sold out within 10 minutes.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“It’s probably the fastest-selling flight in Qantas history,” a spokeswoman said at the time. “People clearly miss travel and the experience of flying. If the demand is there, we’ll definitely look at doing more of these scenic flights while we all wait for borders to open.”