Australia non-stop? Poll reveals sharp differences in travellers' views

Heathrow-Perth will be cover 9,000 miles-plus and take 17 hours

Perth will be the first Australian city with a non-stop connection from the UK

Plans for a new non-stop link from the UK to Australia have sharply divided prospective passengers. More than 1,200 travellers responded to a Twitter poll which asked “Would you spend 17 hours on a plane or do you prefer to pause en route?”

From March 2018, Qantas plans to fly from Heathrow to Perth, a distance of more than 9,000 miles, with no refuelling stops.

A solid 40 per cent were in favour of the move, opting for “Yes, just get me there”. But 30 per cent were dead against the idea, insisting: “No, I'd go stir crazy”. The remaining 30 per cent kept their options open, answering “Maybe, at the right price”. If this ambivalent category is omitted, the majority is 57:43 in favour of the non-stop option.

Peter Mugridge was among those in favour of flying straight through: “A non-stop is definitely my choice. Would only consider a stopover flight if they revert to letting you stay on.”

British Airways, the only European airline currently flying to Australia, insists passengers on its Heathrow-Singapore-Sydney flight get off the plane during the en-route stop.

But Kevin Wyatt claimed he would “rather take a slow boat to China! 17 hours cooped up in main cabin. Not likely!” And Sandy Young wrote: “17 hours of screaming kids & the same without tobacco will be a killer journey.”

Some travellers were concerned by the potential dangers of ultra-long-haul. Betty Redondo feels the prospect of a 17-hour flight is: “My idea of hell! Not too healthy either.” And Alison Williams asked: “What about the increased risk of DVTs [deep-vein thrombosis]?”

Rob Chisholm observed: “Not sure if thats progress, torture or forced imprisonment!”

One problem with the flight is that Perth is only the fourth-largest Australian city. To to reach the bigger trio — Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane — requires an onward flight.

Tim Needham was among a number of respondents who noted: “You still need two flights to Sydney. So might as well stick with SQ [Singapore Airlines]”.

The extra distance involved to the three larger cities would involve a “weight penalty”, with the aircraft unable to carry a full payload of passengers and cargo.

However, the new flight will also open up another stopover option en route to the eastern cities of Australia and Auckland in New Zealand. Qantas has a “code-share” partnership with Emirates, which means that travellers could fly out to Perth, spend 48 hours in the city and continue to Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane, flying back via Dubai.

Meanwhile, the view from airline staff was also reflected. Joe Smith, who works as cabin crew, said: “Wow. VERY pleased I won't be working that one!”

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