The coronavirus pandemic has forced many of us to simply make do – from makeshift offices to makeshift travel plans.
The latter is being served most admirably by Australia’s national airline, Qantas. On October 10th, the airline will embark on a “Flight to Nowhere” to give passengers the thrill of travel without actually going anywhere. The journey is a scenic seven-hour flyover of Australia, which has been burdened by some of the strictest lockdown regulations in the world.
Tickets went for between $600 and $3,000 CDN and sold out in 10 minutes.
“It’s probably the fastest selling flight in Qantas history,” the Qantas CEO, Alan Joyce, said in a statement. “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.” The environment weeps.
The flight will depart and land from Sydney airport. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, with extra big windows, will make its way over Queensland, the Gold Coast, New South Wales, the outback, Sydney Harbour and the Great Barrier Reef. There will also be a surprise celebrity guest on board. I hope it’s Kylie Minogue.
Anyway, I’m not sure why anyone would do this.