UPDATE 15 JULY 2024: Qantas has taken off for the first time to Paris from Perth marking the first Qantas flight to the City of Lights in 20 years. The new route cuts three hours off the current fastest travel time between the two cities and is the longest non-stop flight to France from anywhere in the world. Initially Qantas will operate four times per week over the busy summer and Olympic period before moving a regular three services per week.
Fast Facts
Qantas has announced that it will begin non-stop flights from Australia to Paris in July 2024. Not only will this allow them to capitalise on the lead-up to the Olympics, but also service long-established demand to the ever-popular European city.
Flights will run from Sydney to Perth to Paris, following the same pattern as Qantas’ seasonal services to Rome. For context, Qantas currently flies year-round from Melbourne to Perth to London using Boeing 787’s, year-round from Sydney to Singapore to London using Airbus 380s and seasonally from Sydney to Perth to Rome using Boeing 787s. This makes Paris Qantas' third destination in Europe and also the carrier’s second year-round destination in Europe. With flights to Paris being considered for years now, it’s nice to see Qantas finally take the step.
The first flight will take off on July 12, 2024, and run four times a week to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport. Flights are scheduled every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday until the Olympics end in mid August 2024. Qantas won’t be removing the flights after the Olympics, but rather dropping them down to three times a week - Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Qantas flights to Paris will be serviced by the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, with fully flat Business Class beds available, along with Premium Economy and Economy options. Melbourne-Perth-London and Sydney-Perth-Rome flights are also currently served by Dreamliners. The 787 Dreamliner offers a total of 236 seats, including 42 Business Class, 28 Premium Economy and 166 Economy seats.
This expansion follows extensive talks with Qantas and Perth Airport over the city’s role as a ‘western gateway’ for Qantas.
Vanessa Hudson mentioned “This route has been on our wish list for a while and we think customers will be as pleased as we are to see it go on sale today.”
“Our direct flights to London and Rome have been hugely popular and Paris is the next most-requested destination, so we know the demand for this service will be strong as well.”
QF33 will depart Sydney around 2pm and reach Perth at 5pm. After around a 2 hour stopover, the flight will depart from Perth at 7:25pm and begin its long-haul 17-hour trek to Paris, arriving at 7am the following day.
QF34 will leave Paris around 10am, touching down in Perth at 8:30am the next morning, then departing Perth at 10am for Sydney, reaching its final destination at 4pm.
Qantas’ partnership with Air France will be beneficial to passengers looking to explore more, with Air France providing onward flights to over 70 other destinations. This will provide an alternative path to Emirates for getting from Australia into Europe, although changing flights at Dubai is generally far smoother than at Charles de Gaulle.
Qantas will also offer a ‘oneworld circle fare’ allowing travelers to fly into Paris and return from London or Rome on the one QF ticket. Eligible travelers, including Business Class passengers plus mid-tier Qantas Frequent Flyers and Qantas Club members, will have access to Qantas’ Perth International Transit Lounge during the Perth stopover.
Qantas has yet to advise which lounge it will use at Charles de Gaulle, however its flights will depart from CDG Terminal 2, where Oneworld partners American Airlines and Cathay Pacific both have lounges (although both are currently closed).
Qantas’ new route to Paris in preparation for the 2024 Olympics and to meet demand to the European destination will result in it being the world’s sixth longest flight route, and Qantas’ second longest route, being marginally shorter than the existing Perth to London service.
With these flights being on Qantas’ radar for quiet some time, it’s good to see this become a reality.
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