Qantas 'flight to nowhere' departs Sydney under heavy criticism

The Qantas Dreamliner called 'Emily' hosts the flight. Photo / File

With many itching to travel but forced to stay grounded due to the pandemic, 150 passengers were lucky enough to board a commercial aircraft for Qantas yesterday – en route to nowhere!

Last month, the Australian airline announced that it will operate a special seven-hour scenic joy flight across the Northern Territory, Queensland and NSW to cater for frequent flyer members desperate to experience life at 38,000 feet.

The flight departed Sydney at 10.45am on Saturday morning.

But many people weren't too impressed.

Dubbed the 'Great Southern Land' scenic flight, passengers boarded the airline's famed 'Emily' Boeing 787 Dreamliner which is normally reserved for international flying.

The Qantas "flight to nowhere" has been airborne for 5 hours https://t.co/gMqfnDDfXo pic.twitter.com/txK717CljB

— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) October 10, 2020

The unprecedented 'flights to nowhere' sold out in record time, within 10 minutes of going on sale.

There were 150 seats listed for $787 for an economy seat, $1787 for Premium and a few business class seats for $3787.

The move was slammed for being a waste of money and also bad for the environment.

This is obscene. https://t.co/Ed8QPu4Ku3

— Terry Hughes (@ProfTerryHughes) October 10, 2020

This is obscene. https://t.co/Ed8QPu4Ku3

— Terry Hughes (@ProfTerryHughes) October 10, 2020

7 hour QANTAS flight to nowhere.

Glad ‘The Great Reset’ is shredding our children’s future for fake environmental salvation. #thegreatresethttps://t.co/40Ujq59uus pic.twitter.com/JU7FzFSPfM

— E.V. Nabokov (@katevonlaegel) October 10, 2020

Others also said it was a sign of how desperate to travel Australians are becoming in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

How badly people want to get out:
“It's probably the fastest selling flight in Qantas history." Qantas' seven-hour flight to nowhere sells out in 10 minutes. https://t.co/mgLu89LYVZ pic.twitter.com/iBrwISq3tz

— Phil Cooke (@PhilCooke) October 10, 2020

Before the pandemic most people viewed flying as just a way to get from A to B. In a time where Australia has grounded almost all international flights it appears people’s desire to travel is so strong that a “flight to nowhere” offered by Qantas sold out in 10 minutes.

— BeestonP Travels and Tours (@AndBeestonp) October 10, 2020

"We knew this flight would be popular, but we didn't expect it to sell out in 10 minutes," a Qantas spokesman said.

"It's probably the fastest-selling flight in Qantas history."

The border-free flight touched down in Sydney after seven hours of soaring over some of the country's most iconic landmarks, including Uluru, Kata Tjuta, the Whitsundays, Gold Coast, Byron Bay and of course Sydney Harbour.

Passengers also enjoyed a specially curated Neil Perry dining menu on board.