Qantas and Emirates airlines have teamed up for a new partnership in the skies. They kicked off their merger with a tandem flight over the Harbor Bridge and Opera House in Australia on Sunday.
The new "kangaroo route" is sure to be a game changer in the airline sector, said CNN Travel's John Defterios, as European traffic from Australia will now more through Dubai, then on to Europe.
For 30 years, Qantas has flown through Singapore. Now, the route through the Middle East will create more direct flights into Europe and the UK.
The change, Defterios said, will pluck Qantas' 17-year-old alliance with British airways from prominence.
Despite that, representatives from the newly doubled up airlines said Sunday's flyover couldn't have gone more swimmingly, with both A380 superjumbos soaring over Sydney's most iconic sites.
At about 10:30 a.m., the two jets hit an altitude of about 1,500 feet, in what is believed to be the first time any two commercial A380's have flown in sync with one another. (See photos)
The planes were named "Seismic 1" and "Seismic 2", for the seismic difference the merger will make in the airline business.
Qantas Chief Pilot Captain Philip Green told CNN that Qantas and Emirates had to work very closely before lift off.
"There has been a huge amount of planning, which has been necessary to make this possible, including seeking approval from safety regulators in both Australia and the United Arab Emirates," he said. "Pilots from both airlines have conducted dozens of special simulator training sessions since January this year. Emirates pilots came to Australia earlier this month to conduct joint sessions in Qantas' A380 simulator in Sydney and conducted several more practice runs over the past few days."
Qantas and Emirates will send out 98 flights a week to 65 destinations to start.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
