Here in 2022, some of us are debating whether we really would want to take one of those soon-to-be-a-reality one-flight trips from Sydney to London. Is spending 20 hours on a plane worth it to avoid having to walk around like a zombie for three hours in a Middle Eastern airport?
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The Qantas 'Kangaroo route' from Perth to London is already one giant hop, and soon the increasing range of jets will soon put Sydney at one end of the single-flight bound.
That idea would have seemed like science fiction back in 1957 when, on this day, Qantas was promising around the world trips would take just five days aboard its Super Constellation aircraft. Total flying time - 95 and 1/2 hours and lots of stops along the way.
That would be cut in half when Boeing jets came into service in 1959, the airline promised.
This has been made possible by a new air agreement between Australia and the United States, allowing Qantas to fly to Europe via the US in return for US flights being able to use Australia as a stepping stone to Antarctica, Africa or South East Asia.
