Every airline in the world has had a rough 12 months. Qantas is no exception. While Australian airlines have been blessed with a larger domestic market to sustain them than, say, Qatar Airways or Emirates (which have taken this chance to grab market share on an international level), that internal energy has proved crucial, with Australians still currently forbidden from travelling overseas.
To cope with this last challenging 12 months, Qantas has launched a number of initiatives, from business class memorabilia sell-offs to flights to nowhere. It has also, today, announced the return of mystery flights – a popular trend from the 90s.
The trend? Rolling up to the airport, and hopping on whatever flight you felt like, based on whatever was left on offer that day.
Qantas says it is doing this to help boost domestic tourism, which has been fiscally crushed by The Bat Kiss and its vacuuming of demand.
Flight to nowhere? ✔️. Flight to somewhere? ✔️. Flight to who knows where? That’s next. We're operating three mystery flights across Australia to combat the border blues. Seats go on sale on https://t.co/3SnaE5AA13 at midday Thursday 4 March >> https://t.co/U3ZIstDWwm
— Qantas (@Qantas) March 2, 2021
Qantas' mystery trips will be available to be booked from Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney, and passengers will be flown to "undisclosed interstate locations" – then taken on day trips where they land.
The day trips will be organised by Qantas and local tour operators.
“Our customers tell us that where they can and can’t travel within Australia has been a bit of a mystery lately,” Qantas chief customer officer, Stephanie Tully has said of the initiative.
“These flights turn that mystery into a positive by creating a unique experience for the many people keen to start travelling again.”
The announcement comes after last week's news Australia’s international borders will be shut until mid-June.
View this post on Instagram
“All passengers need to do is book and turn up at the airport,” Qantas announced this morning.
Passengers will be in the air for about two hours before arriving at their mystery destination.
Clues will be dropped along the way, with low-level flybys of landmarks (subject to weather conditions and air traffic control) taking place.
RELATED: 'It Was Super Quiet': Staycationing In An Australian Quarantine Hotel
Activities at the destinations range from winemaking and snorkelling to gourmet lunching. Think: premium wine regions and tropical islands.
Customers will also be given hints to make sure the destination fits their interests, and will be told whether they need to bring items like snorkels or sneakers.
View this post on Instagram
This comes in a context where many Australians are more open than ever to explore their domestic surrounds, some even going to great lengths to "pretend they're in Europe" or to find Australian alternatives to big-ticket overseas destinations (which in some cases end up being better than the 'real' deal).
DMARGE recently spoke to Maddison Papantoniou, who is currently travelling Australia in a Land Cruiser with her partner Jake Rusanoff, to get a taste of what life is like for domestic travellers right now.
She told DMARGE: “We’ve experienced hot outback and vast desert, lush tropics, gnarly surf beaches and bustling cities – all without even jumping on a plane – so we’d say we are coping just fine with not being able to travel overseas right now (although we do hope we are able to in the not so distant future)."
Many other Australians are taking to exploring the country on four wheels too.
However, Qantas' initiative is sure to raise the interest (and booking fingers) of many Australians too, with previous initiatives selling out very quickly, and with the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine boosting certainty around state borders opening.
RELATED: Why Health Passports Are So Damn Important Right Now, According To An Aviation Expert
Flights will all be on Qantas Boeing 737s. Economy tickets begin at $737.
Fare sales will begin on Thursday midday on Qantas.com.
See the full details of the flights, courtesy of Qantas, below.
Mystery Flight Adventure from Brisbane, Saturday 27 March 2021
This is the perfect getaway if you love:
- Country hospitality
- Gourmet food and wine
- The great outdoors
Mystery Flight Adventure from Sydney, Sunday 18 April 2021
This is the perfect getaway if you love:
- The tropics
- Salt water on your skin
- Long lunching on the beach
Mystery Flight Adventure from Melbourne, Saturday 1 May 2021
This is the perfect getaway if you love:
- The great outdoors (including a little walking)
- Gourmet food and wine
- Regional farmers markets
Read Next
- Photographer Captures One Of The Saddest Moments In Aviation History
- Photo ‘You Won’t Believe Is In Australia’ Blow Minds Down Under
Subscribe to the DMARGE newsletter
Follow DMARGE on Instagram
Follow DMARGE on Facebook
The post Qantas Launches Most Mysterious Flight Route Yet…But Will Australians Bite? appeared first on DMARGE.
from DMARGE https://ift.tt/2O00iKa
0 comments:
Post a Comment