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Qantas launching Antarctica pleasure flights
Australians deprived of overseas travel will be finally able to leave the country in November, and they won’t even need a passport.
However, they can forget about sunning themselves on tropical beaches for days on end.
Aussies will soon be able to take a Qantas flight over Antarctica on a day trip.
Qantas plans to operate charter flights from Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth over the frozen continent.
Flights, which take about 12 hours roundtrip, are technically classed as domestic journeys so passengers won’t even need their passport.
This is as close to an overseas trip as they are likely to get for many months.
The flights will cross the South Magnetic Pole.
"There is no passport or luggage needed for an Antarctica flight, you can even go in board shorts if you wish," Antarctica Flights CEO Bas Bosschieter told 7News.
"I personally think it’s the best answer to the question ‘What did you get up to on the weekend? Just popped down to Antarctica’."
The flights will have Antarctic expeditioners onboard to give passengers a first-hand account of the Antarctica ecosystem accompanied with video screenings.
"We glide effortlessly over mountainous peaks, ice sheets, glaciers and incredible polar landscapes for about four hours," Bosschieter said.
"Whilst it is very difficult for Australians to travel overseas at this time, our Antarctica Flights guests will be able to ‘visit’ another continent in a day."
by Ray Montgomery, Asia Pacific editor
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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