I would choose to stop over in Singapore rather than fly non-stop from Sydney to London on Qantas, but not everyone has the same point of view.
As someone who spends a significant part of her life in the air reviewing hotels, interviewing hospitality leaders and travelling between continents, I appreciate the ambition behind Qantas’ Project Sunrise. The ability to fly non-stop from Sydney to London or New York represents an extraordinary feat of aviation engineering and Australian innovation.
However, despite being a frequent long-haul traveller and a former elite athlete who represented Australia, I have come to the conclusion that, given the choice, I simply won’t be flying these ultra-long-haul routes.
For me, the issue is not one of convenience. It is one of wellbeing.
Twenty-plus hours inside an aircraft, regardless of how sophisticated the cabin design, feels contrary to everything we know about health and longevity. We are increasingly aware of the importance of movement, circadian rhythms, hydration, muscle preservation and air quality to long-term health. Even with dedicated stretching zones and wellness initiatives onboard, remaining in a pressurised cabin for almost an entire day raises questions that, in my view, deserve further consideration.
Having recently flown from Perth to London non-stop, I can honestly say it was one of the most physically challenging flights I have experienced. I arrived feeling significantly more fatigued than I typically do on journeys that include a stopover.
It is also worth noting that ultra-long-haul flying is not new. Airlines have been operating exceptionally long non-stop services for years. Singapore Airlines currently operates the world’s longest scheduled commercial flight between Singapore and New York, while Qantas already flies non-stop from Perth to London and Perth to Paris. Carriers including Qatar Airways, Air New Zealand and United Airlines have also built successful long-haul networks connecting distant corners of the globe.
What Project Sunrise does, however, is take the concept even further, with flights between Sydney and London expected to exceed 20 hours and become the longest scheduled commercial services in the world.
Perhaps I am in the minority, but I have always viewed the stop in Singapore not as an inconvenience, but as one of the great pleasures of long-haul travel.
As a Qantas Platinum frequent flyer, those precious few hours in Singapore often become an experience in themselves. Even a 2.5-hour transit at Changi Airport, regularly voted among the world’s best airports, offers an opportunity to stretch, walk, reset and prepare mentally for the next sector. The First Lounge transforms transit from something to be endured into something genuinely enjoyable.
Better still is the opportunity to turn the journey into a stopover.
Some of my most memorable travel experiences have begun with a night or two in Singapore. Whether checking into the legendary Raffles Singapore, with its extraordinary sense of history and timeless glamour, or enjoying the sleek contemporary luxury of COMO Metropolitan Singapore, the city offers travellers the chance to break a long journey into two deeply enjoyable experiences rather than one endurance event.
And then there is the food.
Few things excite me more than the prospect of dinner at JAAN by Kirk Westaway. Westaway is, in my opinion, one of the most exciting and fastest-rising chefs working globally today, and dining at JAAN has become one of those travel rituals that I actively look forward to. The anticipation of a memorable meal, exceptional service and an overnight stay in one of Asia’s great cities adds immeasurably to the overall journey.
Travel, after all, is not simply about getting from A to B as quickly as possible.
It is about the experiences, encounters and moments of joy along the way.
Interestingly, after I posted about Project Sunrise on Instagram, several people asked whether the entire initiative is, at least in part, a publicity exercise for Qantas. It is an intriguing question. There is no doubt that Project Sunrise will appeal to many travellers, particularly those under significant time pressure, and there will undoubtedly be a market for it. Equally, the project has generated enormous global publicity for Qantas and reinforced the airline’s reputation as an aviation innovator. In marketing terms, it has already been extraordinarily successful.
For others, however, the journey itself remains an integral part of the adventure. Count me firmly in that camp.
I would be interested to know whether others see ultra-long-haul flying as the future of travel, or whether, like me, they still value the pleasure of a well-timed stopover.
