View source for Qantas Flights 7 and 8

{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
[[File:Airbus A380-842 - Qantas (VH-OQG).jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|A Qantas [[Airbus A380-800]], the aircraft type currently operating these flights.]]
'''Qantas Flight 7''' (QF7/QFA7){{efn|name=QF/QFA|Common abbreviated designation of the flight using the [[Airline codes#IATA airline designator|IATA]] and [[Airline codes#ICAO airline designator|ICAO]] airline designators for Qantas: QF & QFA, respectively}} and '''Qantas Flight 8''' (QF8/QFA8){{efn|name=QF/QFA}} are flights operated by Australian airline [[Qantas]] between [[Sydney Airport]] and [[Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport]], which, from 2013 to 2016, were the longest regularly scheduled non-stop [[commercial flight]]s in the world. Today they are currently [[Longest flights#Non-stop flights (top 30, by great circle distance)|the seventh longest]] regularly scheduled non-stop commercial flights in the world as measured by distance{{efn|name=distance|As measured by the distance between the origin and destination airports. Especially on ultra-long haul flights, the exact ground distance travelled by a flight can vary substantially based on daily and seasonal weather patterns, air traffic, and other issues. Therefore, the distance between origin and destination is the only reliable way to measure the "longest flight by distance".}}—{{convert|13804|km|mi nmi}}, which is over one third of the distance around Earth.{{efn|The circumference of Earth is 40,075&nbsp;km,<ref>{{cite web|title=What is the circumference of the earth?|url=http://geography.about.com/library/faq/blqzcircumference.htm|website=About.com|accessdate=3 October 2014}}</ref> so 13,804&nbsp;km is 34.4% of that.}} Both flights are operated with [[Airbus A380]] aircraft.

==Background==
Qantas and [[American Airlines]] (AA) were two of the co-founding members of the [[Oneworld]] [[airline alliance]], which was launched in 1999. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) has long been American's headquarters and largest hub and is centrally located in the United States. Dallas is less than four hours flying time from all cities in the continental United States and AA serves more of these airports from DFW than from Los Angeles, Qantas's main gateway to the United States. Los Angeles is also an AA hub, but is significantly smaller in terms of departures and destinations and located 4–5 hours flying time from most east coast cities. In 2012, American operated nearly 500 departing flights daily from DFW, but fewer than 100 from Los Angeles.<ref>{{cite web|title=(AA) American Airlines Scorecard|url=http://www.flightstats.com/go/Airline/airlineScorecard.do?airlineCode=AA|website=Flightstats|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121130141936/http://www.flightstats.com/go/Airline/airlineScorecard.do?airlineCode=AA|archivedate=30 November 2012}}</ref> Dallas would be a logical destination for Qantas to serve, but it only had six aircraft with the {{convert|13804|km|adj=on}} range needed to reach Dallas and they were needed for the Melbourne-Los Angeles and Sydney-Buenos Aires routes. The Boeing 747-400ER has a range of {{convert|14205|km|mi}},<ref>{{cite web|title=Technical Characteristics -- Boeing 747-400ER|url=http://www.boeing.com/boeing/commercial/747family/pf/pf_400er_prod.page|website=Boeing.com|publisher=Boeing|accessdate=29 September 2014}}</ref> although winds aloft and fuel needed for holding can trim that figure.

Qantas had studied the feasibility of the Dallas route for years.<ref name="Longest 747">{{cite web|title=Qantas to fly world's longest 747 route|url=http://www.traveller.com.au/qantas-to-fly-worlds-longest-747-route-1a7py|website=Traveller.com.au|accessdate=29 September 2014|date=28 January 2011}}</ref> At the time of the [[Great Recession]], Qantas' Sydney-San Francisco service became unprofitable, while an [[Open skies|open skies agreement]] between Australia & the US flooded the market with more capacity.<ref name="Longest 747" /><ref name="CFA Open skies">{{cite web|title=United Airlines' 787 Australia announcement marks the 5th anniversary of US open skies agreement|url=http://centreforaviation.com/analysis/united-airlines-787-australia-announcement-marks-the-5th-anniversary-of-us-open-skies-agreement-153959|website=Centre for aviation|accessdate=29 September 2014|date=3 March 2014}}</ref> In the meantime, the Boeing 747-400ER aircraft were replaced with A380s on the Melbourne-LA route. According to Qantas CEO [[Alan Joyce (executive)|Alan Joyce]]: "a lot of things clicked on this and it made absolute sense for us to devote aircraft resources to this destination."<ref name="Longest 747" /> By flying to Dallas, Qantas can offer passengers a 70-minute connection to domestic flights, which means onwards connections to cities like New York City, Chicago, Boston, and Miami can be up to two hours faster than transiting through Los Angeles.<ref name="Longest 747" /> At launch, Qantas had codeshare agreements on 54 AA flights from DFW to cities in the US, Canada, & Mexico.<ref name=nycaviation /> When announcing the launch of A380 service, Qantas notes that DFW offers more than 30 codeshare destinations beyond the network available from Los Angeles.<ref name=Qantas /> According to Qantas in 2014, the most popular destinations for connections with QF7 are [[Orlando International Airport|Orlando]], [[Logan International Airport|Boston]], Houston<!-- The source said "cities", but it didn't specify airport except LaGuardia. The airports in Orlando & Boston can be determined by AA destinations from Dallas. However, AA & American Eagle fly to Houston-Bush & Houston-Hobby airports. Since they specified which airport in New York, it's possible the mention of Houston can be to both airports or only one. -->, and New York's [[LaGuardia Airport]].<ref name="ABT A380 launch">{{cite news|last1=Flynn|first1=David|title=Qantas begins Airbus A380 flights to Dallas|url=http://www.ausbt.com.au/qantas-to-start-airbus-a380-flights-to-dallas-from-september|accessdate=29 September 2014|work=Australian Business Traveller|date=29 September 2014|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140929003006/http://www.ausbt.com.au/qantas-to-start-airbus-a380-flights-to-dallas-from-september|archivedate=29 September 2014}}</ref>

==History==
===747 service===
[[File:Qantas VH-OEE at DFW.jpg|300px|thumb|The [[Boeing 747-400#747-400ER|Boeing 747-400ER]] previously operated by [[Qantas]] parked at [[Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport#International Terminal D|Terminal D]] of [[Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport]].]]

Qantas began operating the Sydney-Dallas route—designated Flight 7 outbound and Flight 8 returning—on 16 May 2011.<ref name=nycaviation>{{cite web|last=Farris|first=Brandon|title=Qantas Begins Flights Between Sydney and Dallas, Longest 747 Route Ever|url=http://www.nycaviation.com/2011/05/qantas-begins-flights-between-sydney-and-dallas-longest-747-route-ever/#.UpECytJDvis|publisher=NYC Aviation|accessdate=23 November 2013|date=2011-05-16}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=QANTAS to launch Dallas service and cancels San Francisco from May 2011|publisher=Airline Route|date=14 January 2011|url=http://airlineroute.net/2011/01/14/qf-sfodfw-s11/|accessdate=23 January 2011}}</ref>  The route was initially flown 4 times weekly,<ref name="nycaviation" /> but was upgraded to daily service on 1 July 2012.<ref name="747 daily">{{cite web|last1=Flynn|first1=David|title=Qantas does Dallas (daily) with upgraded Boeing 747s|url=http://www.ausbt.com.au/qantas-does-dallas-daily-with-upgraded-747s|website=Australian Business Traveller|accessdate=28 September 2014|date=8 May 2012}}</ref> Flight 7, from Sydney to Dallas, flew non-stop in 15 hr 25 min.<ref name="nycaviation" /> Due to strong headwinds, Flight 8 could not be flown non-stop and flew from Dallas to [[Brisbane Airport]] before returning to Sydney.<ref name=wsj>{{cite news|last=McCartney|first=Scott|title=The World's Longest Flight, in Coach|url=https://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052970203735304577168982939061916|accessdate=27 November 2013|newspaper=[[Wall Street Journal]]|date=January 19, 2012}}</ref> Flights 7 & 8 were operated with a [[Boeing 747-400#747-400ER|Boeing 747-400ER]] aircraft from 2011 until 28 September 2014.

When launched, Flight 7 was the longest regularly scheduled [[non-stop flight]] by distance operated with a [[Boeing 747]]<ref name="nycaviation" /><ref name="trip report">{{cite news|last=O'Sullivan|first=Kay|title=Qantas jumbo haul: flying the world's longest 747 route|url=http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/qantas-jumbo-haul-flying-the-worlds-longest-747-route-20110519-1euh8.html|accessdate=23 November 2013|newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|date=19 May 2011}}</ref> and the third-longest regularly scheduled non-stop commercial flight by distance{{efn|name=distance}}—behind [[Singapore Airlines Flight 21|Singapore Airlines Flights 21/22]] (Newark-Singapore; 15,345&nbsp;km) and Singapore Airlines Flights 37/38 (Los Angeles-Singapore; 14,114&nbsp;km). However, unlike the Qantas Boeing 747-400ER, the Singapore Airlines flights were flown with [[Airbus A340-500]] aircraft configured with an all-business class cabin that carried only 100 passengers.<ref>{{cite press release | url = http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/03-04-2008/0004767056&EDATE=# | title = Singapore Airlines to Launch First All-Business Class Flights From USA to Asia | publisher = [[Singapore Airlines]]}}</ref>

Qantas Flight 7 became the second-longest regularly-scheduled non-stop commercial flight by distance when Singapore Airlines stopped flying non-stop between Singapore & Los Angeles on 20 October 2013. The final [[Singapore Airlines Flight 21|Singapore Airlines flight]] from Newark to Singapore departed 23 November 2013, at which point Qantas Flight 7 became the longest regularly scheduled non-stop flight by distance.{{efn|name=distance}}<ref name=abt>{{cite web|last=Flynn|first=David|title=Qantas claims "world's longest flight" for Sydney-Dallas route|url=http://www.ausbt.com.au/qantas-claims-world-s-longest-flight-for-sydney-dallas-route|publisher=Australian Business Traveler|accessdate=27 November 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Bachman|first1=Justin|title=The End of the World's Longest Nonstop Flights|url=http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-10-21/singapore-airlines-ends-longest-commercial-flights-from-newark-and-los-angeles|accessdate=28 September 2014|work=Bloomberg Businessweek|date=21 October 2013}}</ref>  It held this distinction until 1 March 2016, when [[Emirates (airline)|Emirates]] began a 14,203&nbsp;km non-stop service, EK 448 and EK 449, between [[Auckland Airport|Auckland, New Zealand]] and [[Dubai International Airport|Dubai, UAE]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/todayinthesky/2016/03/01/emirates-overtakes-qantas-worlds-longest-flight/81120884/ |title=Emirates overtakes Qantas for world's longest flight |last=Mutzabaugh |first=Ben |publisher=[[USA Today]] |date=2016-03-01 |accessdate=2016-04-18}}</ref>

====Incidents====
The route suffered some setbacks during the first two weeks of operation, which called into question its feasibility.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Wayne|first1=Dan|title=Dumping luggage at Dallas: what choice did Qantas have but to leave baggage behind?|url=http://www.ausbt.com.au/dumping-luggage-at-dallas-what-choice-did-qantas-have-but-to-leave-baggage-behind|website=Australian Business Traveller|accessdate=29 September 2014|date=25 May 2011}}</ref><ref name=ABT-luggage>{{cite web|last1=Warne|first1=Dan|title=Qantas leaves baggage behind in Dallas... deliberately|url=http://www.ausbt.com.au/qantas-leaves-baggage-behind-in-dallas-deliberately|website=Australian Business Traveller|accessdate=29 September 2014|date=24 May 2011}}</ref><ref name=WCARN>{{cite web|title=Qantas Confident About Dallas Flights|url=http://www.wcarn.com/cache/news/14/14328.html|website=World Civil Aviation Resource Network|accessdate=29 September 2014|date=31 May 2011}}</ref> On 21 May 2011, less than a week after commencing operations on the route, Qantas offloaded three containers of luggage in Dallas in order to reach Brisbane without the need to make an unplanned stop for fuel. Affected passengers waited 24 hours for their luggage to arrive via Los Angeles. Qantas claimed they were forced to make the decision "due to load restrictions as a result of unseasonably strong winds."<ref name=ABT-luggage /> On 23 May, Flight 7 was forced to divert to Houston because it lacked enough fuel to circle Dallas until thunderstorms—typical during summertime—cleared, resulting in a two-hour delay.<ref name=WCARN /> Then on 30 May, Flight 8 made an unplanned stop in [[Nouméa]], New Caledonia, when its pilots decided it was safer to stop and refuel there then continue on to Brisbane.<ref name=WCARN /><ref>{{cite web|last1=Heasley|first1=Andrew|title=Too far: Qantas 747 forced to land for more fuel on Dallas route|url=http://www.traveller.com.au/too-far-qantas-747-forced-to-land-for-more-fuel-on-dallas-route-1fdl1|website=traveller.com.au|accessdate=29 September 2014|date=31 May 2011}}</ref>

===A380 service===
[[File:Qantas A380-842 (VH-OQL) parked at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.5|Special livery sported on the inaugural A380 service (VH-OQL)]]
In May 2014, Qantas announced that Flight 7 and Flight 8 would be operated by the [[Airbus A380]] beginning 29 September 2014, at which point Flight 8's intermediate stop in Brisbane would be terminated. Although frequency was reduced from seven to six flights per week, the larger capacity of the A380 results in an increase in weekly capacity on the route of more than ten percent. The A380s are configured into four classes, and brings the addition of [[First class (aviation)|first class]] to the route.<ref name=Qantas>{{citation|title=Qantas Customers to Experience World-Class A380 Services to Dallas/Fort Worth|url=http://www.qantasnewsroom.com.au/media-releases/qantas-customers-to-experience-world-class-a380-services-to-dallasfort-worth|accessdate=7 May 2014}}</ref>

The first A380 aircraft to operate Flight 7/8 sported a special livery: the kangaroo painted on the aircraft's [[empennage]] (tail) wore a white [[cowboy hat]] and star-speckled blue [[kerchief]] around its neck. The airplane also sported a commemorative seal with the tagline “G’Day Texas.” The hat and kerchief pay homage to the Dallas region's strong association with [[Cowboy#Culture|cowboy culture]] and the red background, white kangaroo/hat, and star-speckled blue are suggestive of the [[Flag of the United States|US flag]].<ref name="ABT A380 launch" /> With the change in aircraft, Qantas became the first airline to operate an A380 at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, although Emirates began the A380 to DFW just 2 days later.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Maxon|first1=Terry|title=Qantas will begin flying the Airbus A380 to Dallas/Fort Worth in late September|url=http://aviationblog.dallasnews.com/2014/05/qantas-will-begin-flying-the-airbus-a380-to-dallasfort-worth-in-late-september.html/|accessdate=28 September 2014|work=dallasnews.com|publisher=The Dallas Morning News|date=7 May 2014}}</ref>

The following year on April 13, Qantas flight 7 diverted to Phoenix Sky Harbor because there were no available airports nearby and the weather in Dallas wasn't suitable for the plane. However, after a few hours at Phoenix, the weather at Dallas improved and departed Phoenix to continue onto Dallas.<ref name=Twitter>{{citation|url=https://twitter.com/PHXSkyHarbor/status/1117130654003548160}}</ref>

==Flight==
Qantas Flight 7 operates from [[Sydney Airport]] {{Airport codes|SYD}} near [[Sydney]], [[New South Wales]], [[Australia]] to [[Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport]] {{Airport codes|DFW}} near the cities of [[Dallas, Texas|Dallas]] and [[Fort Worth, Texas|Fort Worth]] in [[Texas]], [[United States of America|USA]]. Qantas Flight 8 is the return flight from Dallas/Fort Worth to Sydney. Through a [[codeshare agreement]] with [[American Airlines]], these flights are marketed as American Airlines Flight 7308 (AA7308)<ref>{{cite web|title=American Airlines flight AA 7308: Sydney - Dallas/Ft. Worth|url=http://info.flightmapper.net/flight/American_Airlines_AA_7308|website=flightmapper.net|accessdate=29 September 2014}}</ref> and American Airlines Flight 7375 (AA 7375),<ref>{{cite web|title=American Airlines flight AA 7375: Dallas/Ft. Worth - Sydney|url=http://info.flightmapper.net/flight/American_Airlines_AA_7375|website=flightmapper.net|accessdate=29 September 2014}}</ref> respectively. It is one of only two non-stop routes between Australia and a US city beyond the west coast (Los Angeles or San Francisco), the other being United flights 100 and 101, which operate between Houston and Sydney.<ref name="747 daily" /><ref>{{cite web | url=http://newsroom.united.com/2017-09-07-United-Airlines-Strengthens-Commitment-to-Houston-with-Nonstop-Service-Between-Houston-and-Sydney | title=United Airlines Strengthens Commitment to Houston with Nonstop Service Between Houston and Sydney | publisher=[[United Airlines]] | language=en | date=7 September 2017 | accessdate=8 April 2018}}</ref> The flights originally operated six times weekly (every day except Tuesday).<ref name=Qantas /> but moved to daily flights from April 2016<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.qantasnewsroom.com.au/media-releases/growth-on-asia-and-network-changes/|title=Media Releases - GROWTH TO ASIA AND NETWORK CHANGES|website=Qantas News Room|language=en|access-date=2017-09-02}}</ref> The A380 aircraft initially deployed on this route are configured in a four-class seating with a 14-seat [[First class (aviation)|first class cabin]], a 64-seat [[Business class|business class cabin]], a 35-seat [[Premium economy|premium economy cabin]], and a 371-seat [[Economy class|economy class cabin]].<ref name=seatguru2>{{cite web|title=Qantas Airbus A380 Seat Map|url=http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Qantas_Airways/Qantas_Airways_Airbus_A380_B.php|publisher=[[SeatGuru]]|accessdate=7 May 2014}}</ref>

Because of the difference in local times, Flight 7 departs Sydney, Flight 7 arrives in Dallas/Fort Worth, and Flight 8 departs Dallas/Fort Worth on the same day (local time). Since Flight 8 is both an overnight flight and crosses the [[International Date Line]], it arrives in Sydney two days after departing Dallas/Fort Worth. For example, Flights 7/8 departing Sydney on 29 September 2014 was scheduled to fly (local times in '''bold'''):

{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|-
! Departs/arrives
! Sydney ([[Australian time|AEST]] ; UTC+10)
! Dallas ([[Central Time Zone#Central Daylight Time|CDT]] ; UTC−5)
! [[UTC]]
! Duration
|-
| QF 7 departs Sydney
| '''14:40<br>29 September'''
| 9:00&nbsp;p.m.<br>28 September
| 4:40<br>29 September
|rowspan="2"|15:20 hours
|-
| QF 7 arrives in Dallas
| 4:00<br>30 September
| '''1:00&nbsp;p.m.<br>29 September'''
| 18:00<br>29 September
|-
| QF 8 departs Dallas
| 13:00<br>30 September
| '''8:00&nbsp;p.m.<br>29 September'''
| 2:00<br>30 September
|rowspan="2"|17:05 hours
|-
| QF 8 arrives in Sydney
| '''6:05 <br>1 October'''
| 1:05&nbsp;p.m.<br>30 September
| 19:05<br>30 September
|}

Qantas Flight 8 from Dallas to Sydney—with a scheduled duration of 17 hours, 5 minutes—is one of the [[Longest flights#Non-stop flights (top 30, by great circle distance)|longest regularly scheduled]] non-stop [[commercial flight]]s by scheduled duration.

==See also==
* [[Longest flights]]
* [[Flight distance record#Commercial aircraft|Flight distance records]]
* [[Singapore Airlines Flight 21]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

[[Category:Qantas]]
[[Category:Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport]]
[[Category:Sydney Airport]]
[[Category:Commercial flights]]