Qantas test flight completes record 19-hour non-stop flight from New York to Sydney

Australian airline Qantas has completed the longest non-stop commercial passenger flight, researching the potential impacts of ultra-long haul flights on pilots, crew and passengers.

With 49 people on board, the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner flight completed the 10,066-mile journey from New York to Sydney in 19 hours and 16 minutes.

Qantas Group Chief executive Alan Joyce said: “This is a really significant first for aviation. Hopefully, it’s a preview of a regular service that will speed up how people travel from one side of the globe to the other.”

Research into the health and well-being of those on board were conducted during the flight with tests ranging from monitoring pilot brain waves, melatonin levels and alertness to exercise classes for passengers.

Joyce added: “We know ultra long haul flights pose some extra challenges but that’s been true every time technology has allowed us to fly further. The research we’re doing should give us better strategies for improving comfort and wellbeing along the way.”

The next test flight will take place in November, from London to Sydney, while there will be another New York to Sydney flight before the end of the year.

Qantas has said it hopes to operate direct flights from three cities on Australia’s east coast – Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane – and New York and London by 2022 or 2023.

Captain Sean Golding said: “Overall, we’re really happy with how the flight went and it’s great have some of the data we need to help assess turning this into a regular service.”

The Qantas Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane arrives at Sydney International Airport after flying direct from New York on Sunday, October 20, 2019.

How will the passengers be monitored?

Researchers from Sydney University’s Charles Perkins Centre, Monash University and the Alertness Safety and Productivity Cooperative Research Centre – a scientific program backed by the Australian government – will examine the impact of the long flight on those on board.

Passengers in the main cabin wore monitoring devices, and experts from the Charles Perkins Centre will study how their “health, wellbeing and body clock” was impacted by a set of variables that include lighting, food and drink, movement, sleep patterns and inflight entertainment.

Those on board were advised to keep a daily log in the lead-up to the flight and for two weeks afterwards, to show how they feel and how they’ve coped with jet lag.

Pilots and cabin crew will also keep sleep diaries. Cameras were mounted in the cockpit to record pilot alertness.

“People seem to be wildly different when it comes to the experience of jetlag – and we need more research on what contributes to jetlag and travel fatigue, so we can try and reduce the impact of long-haul flights,” Professor Stephen Simpson, academic director of the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre, told CNN Travel.

“We have a long way to go in terms of understanding how the wide variety of influences – including nutrition, hydration, exercise, sleep and light – might work together for maximum benefit.”

Flying Down Under: Once upon a time, in a more romantic if ultimately slower and less efficient era, high-rolling passengers could make the marathon journey from London to Perth, Australia in a luxury flying boat.

Promenade deck: The trip was an adventure in itself, taking 10 days and 37 stops, leaving plenty of time for in-flight strolling on the promenade deck and pointing at dirty marks on the window.

Time to type: Some used the time to work, much like on long-haul flights today but with a typewriter instead of a tablet.

In-flight entertainment: Others kept their golf game sharp.

Broken journey: The early journeys were in two parts -- Southampton, England, to Darwin, Australia, in a Short C Class flying boat, before transferring to local carrier MacRobertson Miller Airlines (MMA) for the trip to Perth in a puddle-jumping DH-84.

Air con: The larger "state-of-the-art" DH-86 was a later improvement on the Darwin to Perth leg. The twisty air con nozzle didn't work then, either.

Super Constellation: The flying boats were superseded by converted Lancaster bombers and then pressurized four-engine Lockheed Constellations. In 1958, Qantas was the first airline to launch a round-the-world service with the Super Constellation.

Drinking it in: The "Super Connie" cut the four-day traveling time on the "Kangaroo Route" to 54 hours and 30 minutes, which still left enough time for a glass of red in bed.

Chrome Comet: The shiny-winged De Havilland Comet 4 joined the BOAC fleet in September 1958.

Cabin clutter: From the exclusive luxury of the flying boats, the more recognizable cattle class of today was taking shape.

Balancing act: But the high-flying jets offered a much smoother ride, which the airline was very keen to advertise with a series of completely unstaged pictures.

Boeing 707: Australia's Qantas, meanwhile, had gone for the mid-sized Boeing 707.

Air advance: In turn, BOAC ordered Rolls-Royce-powered 707s. The chrome finish was still very much in vogue.

Longer range: BOAC then introduced the Vickers VC-10 on routes to Australia in the 1960s and 70s. As technology improved, the greater range meant stopovers such as Darwin could be dropped.

Jumbo era: The jumbo era began in 1971 with Qantas's first Boeing 747-200. Two stops were still required, though.

Top deck: Qantas was very proud of its First Class Captain Cook lounge on the upper deck, but it didn't last long and was soon replaced by seats.

In 1989, the more powerful and economical engines of Qantas' Boeing 747-400 enabled the airline to introduce one-stop flights between the UK and Australia.

The final link in the chain is Qantas' new Boeing 787 which has shrunk flights to a non-stop 17-hour dash between the UK and Australia. Onboard golf is not allowed.

From 10 days to 15 hours: the evolution of London to Australia flights

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Monash University scientists will focus on the flight crew, recording their melatonin levels before, during and after the flights, as well as studying brain wave data from electroencephalogram devices worn by the pilots.

This information will then be shared with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority “to help inform regulatory requirements associated with ultra-long-haul flights,” Qantas said in a statement.

Francesca Street and Emily Dixon contributed to this report.