Qantas is about to fly 22 hours nonstop, and sell you the tube time as a spa

Qantas is about to fly 22 hours nonstop, and sell you the tube time as a spa

A decade of sleep science went into making the least efficient way to cross the planet feel bearable, so here is the number that decade left out.

Marieke van der Velde

Photo Cody F / Unsplash

Qantas is about to fly 22 hours nonstop Sydney to London and sell the tube time as a wellness product, but on Cirium's modeling the nonstop would emit up to 50 percent more carbon per passenger than the same trip with one stop.

A July 23 test flight, Toulouse to Melbourne, 10,500 miles, precedes the launch in October 2027.

The plane is real: an A350-1000ULR with a 20,000-liter extra tank, just 238 seats, and a stretch-and-hydrate Wellbeing Zone built on a decade of Sydney sleep science.
Cirium says one stop would burn about 10 percent less fuel, and puts the nonstop at up to 50 percent more CO2 per passenger, on the extra fuel and the low seat count.
"Carbon neutral from day one" means offsets, and expect a fare premium on top.

The cheaper, lighter body-clock fix still exists. It is called breaking the trip.