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QANTAS MARKS NORTH AMERICAN ANNIVERSARY

LOS ANGELES - North American travelers have flown the "Flying Kangaroo" to and from Australia for 50 years, marking a significant milestone in Qantas' 84-year history.

In 1954, Qantas began flying Super Constellation propeller aircraft twice weekly from Sydney to San Francisco and Vancouver via Fiji, Canton Island and Hawaii, bringing North American passengers Down Under with a flying time of three days.

To commemorate this half-century heritage of flight, Qantas will embark on celebrations across North America, and a new service enhancement including first-ever non-stop service between Los Angeles and Brisbane, as well as an additional four new weekly services between Los Angeles and Sydney.

During Qantas' 50 years of flight between North America and Australia, the airline has taken a lead in making aviation history. In 1959, Qantas carried the Olympic torch into the Southern Hemisphere for the first time on its longest trip ever; that same year, the airline made a landmark decision to order its first Boeing 707-138 jetliners.

Just one year later, Qantas inaugurated a pioneering round the world service with two Super Constellations, one of which traveled via the United States. The Super Constellations circumnavigated the globe in opposite directions, and before long, eight round the world services were operating weekly, a journey that took five and a half days.

Twenty-five years after launching service to North America, Qantas set a new standard for the airline industry by pioneering the world's first international Business Class service in 1979. That same year, Qantas boasted the world's only all-747 fleet with non-stop service from California to Sydney.
 
Today, the 747 flies non-stop from Los Angeles to Sydney in 13 hours, 20 minutes.
The airline currently operates a fleet of 187 aircraft, across a network spanning 142 destinations in 32 countries.

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