You’ll soon be able to once again fly from Sydney to New York directly, as Qantas relaunches the route for the first time since 2020.
The airline has announced that from Wednesday, June 14, it’ll be flying its 787 Dreamliner aircraft from Sydney to New York three times per week, increasing to four a week from October. The route will, for the first time, transit through Auckland before a 17-hour flight direct to New York.
To celebrate the new route, Qantas Creative Director of Food, Beverage, and Service, Neil Perry, created a range of New York-inspired dishes to be added to the in-flight menu.
“New York is one of the culinary capitals of the world, from its much-loved street food, to its internationally revered, fine-dining, Michelin-starred restaurants,” Perry says. “We are using some amazing Australian produce to put our own spin on some of New York’s most famous food experiences.”
Perry says his new menu additions will include a classic Reuben sandwich, New York-style spaghetti, General Tso chicken with smashed cucumber salad, broccolini, and steamed rice, and, to finish, New York-styled baked cheesecake with blueberry compote. New York bagels with lox, cream cheese, and capers, and classic hot dogs with sauerkraut and spicy brown mustard also feature.
For a limited time, Business Class customers on the New York route will be offered a navy sleeper suit, designed in collaboration with Australian fashion designer Rebecca Vallance. She follows in the steps of Peter Morrissey and Martin Grant, who have also produced PJs for the airline.
“New York has always felt like a second home to me, and I’m so proud to be working with the national carrier to offer travellers some keepsake PJs and amenity kits to enjoy long after they have landed,” says Vallance. “We curated the bespoke Rebecca Vallance design as an homage to one of the world’s most vibrant and exciting cities, with inspiration from our latest collection ‘Avenue Astoria’.”
Business Class guests on the New York route will also get a custom Rebecca Vallance amenity kit with a matching eyeshade, instead of the Koskela amenity kit being rolled across the international network.
In March 2023, Qantas announced a multi-million-dollar investment in its menus that would see it introduce new dishes and larger portions across all its flight cabins and airport lounges. The airline added that it would also look to use more high-quality ingredients from premium Australian producers.
This menu upgrade was the single biggest investment in Qantas in-flight and lounge dining in a decade, and came as the airline returns to profit and accelerates its customer investment programs. These have included a $100 million expansion of domestic and international lounges, progressive renewal of aircraft, and new flight routes.
“Premium food and wine is one of the top three reasons our customers choose to fly with Qantas, so this significant boost means we will be able to further our efforts to deliver a world-class experience in the sky,” said Qantas Group Chief Customer Officer, Markus Svensson at the time.
“We are proud to work with established and emerging Australian food and wine producers to offer the best possible dining experience to our customers.”
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