Hot new destinations Australians can fly to: A guide to the best new airlines and routes

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Hot new destinations Australians can fly to: A guide to the best new airlines and routes

By Michael Gebicki
United Airlines is flying direct from Melbourne to San Francisco.

United Airlines is flying direct from Melbourne to San Francisco.Credit: Boeing

It's the big international and domestic airline reroute rethink. The recent easing of travel restrictions has been the catalyst for carriers to look to a host of new destinations to which to fly, post-pandemic, providing speedier access and fresh holiday opportunities for prospective travellers.

While the new direct ultra-long haul Qantas flights from Australia's east coast to London and New York announced last week may not take off until late 2025, the new routes and flights we list below are available now or soon.

For some airlines, the new routes include completely new and untested ports with others marking a return after decades away.

Take Qantas, which in the second-half of June will begin flights from Sydney to Rome via Perth. It will represent the first non-stop service from Australia to any continental European city, and 18 years since Qantas last flew to the Italian capital.

India is also high on the Qantas radar, with non-stop flights to New Delhi and, from mid-September, four non-stop flights per week to Bengaluru, India's IT boomtown, formerly known as Bangalore.

South India is a first for Qantas, testimony to the growing economic relationship between the two countries, as well as catering to the significant South Indian diaspora now resident in Australia. Importantly, it will also allow keen and adventurous leisure travellers direct access to another fascinating part of India rather than the traditional, well-trammelled north.

But it's not only the de facto national carrier that's expanding its horizons. Vietnamese leisure airline Bamboo Airways, a newcomer to Australia, will soon begin a once-per-week service between Hanoi and Melbourne and Sydney, supplementing its Melbourne-Ho Chi Minh charter service which kicked off in February 2022.

Elsewhere, another recent highlight has been the revival of tourism to New Zealand, a major boost for trans-Tasman air routes which suffered badly during the height of the pandemic.

"We have five of our nine Australian ports back up and running," says Paul McLean, Air New Zealand's general manager in Australia. "Over the coming months we will return to Hobart, Adelaide, Cairns and the Sunshine Coast and direct flights from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane into Queenstown back just in time for the ski season."

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Air New Zealand has also made a bold play with a non-stop, thrice-weekly service between Auckland and New York, starting in mid-September. As McLean points out, this new route offers Australians a greater choice of how to reach North America with connections to Auckland from nine Australian ports.

So, sit back, relax and feel free to recline your seat as Traveller on Sunday presents this special guide to the bold new world of airline destination possibilities.

THE ROUTE

SYDNEY TO SEOUL, KOREA

Credit: iStock

WHO

Qantas Airways, Jetstar

WHY FLY

With seven flights per week between them, Qantas and Jetstar are thinking big on this route. As well as capitalising on South Korea's status as Australia's fourth largest trading partner, Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce is also expecting keen interest from leisure travellers, noting that South Koreans see Australia as an aspirational destination.

SEE + DO

Gyeongbokgung Palace complex is one of the city's highlights, and make sure you watch the changing of the guard, held several times daily. Nearby Changdeokgung is the most spectacular of Seoul's five main palaces and you need to be on a guided tour, preferably one that includes the lovely Secret Garden. Jongmyo Royal Shrine is worth a look since it's also in the same area as Bukchon Hanok, home to almost 1000 hanok, traditional Korean homes. Try one of the traditional tea houses here. A visit to the DMZ, where the two Koreas confront one another over barbed wire and minefields, is a must, and is surprisingly and scarily close to Seoul. See english.visitkorea.or.kr

ESSENTIALS

Jetstar will operate three Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner weekly flights between Seoul and Sydney from November2 . Qantas will operate four Sydney-Seoul services a week from December 10 aboard A330 aircraft. Flight time is 11 hours. From about $1500 return economy. See qantas.com; jetstar.com

THE ROUTE

MELBOURNE TO SAN FRANCISCO, US

Credit: iStock

WHO

United Airlines

WHY FLY

You might pant on those steep hills but San Francisco is one of the most likeable, cosmopolitan and good-looking cities in the US.

SEE + DO

Ride the Powell-Hyde Cable Car, browse the City Lights Bookstore, check out the hottest Asian dining scene this side of the Pacific and take a tour of Haight-Ashbury, crucible of the hippie movement. Take a ferry ride across San Francisco Bay to funky, artsy Sausalito, and a tour of Mountain View and Santa Clara Valley, also known as Silicon Valley, home to some of the most famous names in the digital world. The wineries of the Napa Valley are well worth a visit and don't miss Yosemite National Park, a four-hour drive east. See sftravel.com

ESSENTIALS

The thrice-weekly service aboard a 787 Dreamliner, originally planned to start on May 10 has been pushed back to June 5. Flight time is from 14 hours 35 minutes. Return economy prices from $1616. See united.com

THE ROUTE

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND, TO NEW YORK US

Credit: iStock

WHO

Air New Zealand

WHY FLY

For creative sparkle, capitalist zeal, chutzpah and sheer lust for life, New York is in a class of its own. It's a repository of high culture but also a city of a million experiences, whether they happen on the subway system or standing in front of a Picasso in the Guggenheim. Strap yourself in and prepare for one of life's great adventures.

SEE + DO

Walk the High Line, take in The Met, a Broadway show, ramble through the Ramble in Central Park, slink into Tiffany's, try the cocktails and tasting menu at Banzabar and the izakaya food at the Tokyo Record Bar then head for the Comedy Cellar for the best stand-up in the country. Need a break? The rolling Berkshire Hills, Cape Cod, Nantucket and the sugar maples of Vermont are all within reach. See nycgo.com

ESSENTIALS

Air New Zealand's thrice-weekly Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner Auckland-New York service will start on September 17. Flight time from 16 hours 15 minutes with Auckland around three hours from our two biggest cities. Return economy fares Sydney-New York from about $2200. See airnewzealand.com.au

THE ROUTE

SYDNEY-PERTH-ROME, ITALY

Credit: iStock

WHO

Qantas

WHY FLY

It's one of the greatest of all the classical cities, stuffed with architectural treasures, churches and art – but also a gritty, passionate and exhausting whirlwind. Pace yourself, and don't ask for a cappuccino after 11am.

SEE + DO

Have a granita in Piazza Navona near Bernini's lovely fountain then stroll to another baroque wonder, the Contarelli Chapel inside the Church of San Luigi dei Francesi to see some miraculous works by Caravaggio, bad boy of Italian art. Toss a coin into the Trevi Fountain, take in the Pantheon, walk to the Spanish Steps and stroll along Via Condotti, the catwalk of Roman fashion. The Doria Pamphilj Gallery, housed in the palace of the family of the same name, is an ornamented backdrop to the works of Bernini, Titian and Raphael. See visititaly.eu

ESSENTIALS

Qantas will operate three Boeing 787 Dreamliner flights a week from June 22 to October 6, coinciding with the peak holiday period. Flight time Sydney-Rome is 22 hours 20 minutes. Return economy prices from $1900. See qantas.com

THE ROUTE

MELBOURNE TO DALLAS FORT WORTH, US

WHO

Qantas

WHY FLY

Qantas has been registering high demand from Melbourne flyers keen to take this route without transiting through Sydney. Dallas Fort Worth is a major airline hub as well as the home of American Airlines, with flights to every major US city in less than four hours.

SEE + DO

You won't escape Dallas without some cowboy bling so head to legendary western outfitter Wild Bill's Western Store and get yourself kitted out for the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame & Museum and Billy Bob's Texas. Dallas balances its taste for tacos, line dancing and rodeos with the largest urban arts centre in the US and a Design District. Austin, a three-hour drive south, is the cultural and creative capital of Texas. Obscure and mellow bars, funky hotels and a chart-topping music industry that has spawned major blues, rock and country artists give it a quirky charisma. See visitdallas.com

ESSENTIALS

Qantas will start four weekly 787 Dreamliner flights on December 2. Flight time is from 15 hours, 45 minutes. Return economy from about $1500. See qantas.com

THE ROUTE

SYDNEY TO BENGALURU, INDIA

WHO

Qantas Airways

WHY FLY

Bengaluru – formerly known as Bangalore – is the heart of India's Silicon Valley, with strong connections for many Indian nationals now working in Australia's technology and financial services industries. Bengaluru is also a gentler introduction to India than the full-frontal assault on the senses of New Delhi and Mumbai. Qantas is partnering with IndiGo, India's largest low-cost carrier, to offer travellers one-stop access from Bengaluru to more than 50 Indian cities.

SEE + DO

Bengaluru is a sophisticated and rather Westernised city with a strong cafe culture and fashion sense that puts it at odds with most other Indian cities. Traditional Indian culture is not its strong suit and travellers don't tend to stay long, but nearby Mysuru – Mysore – is one of the finest of India's mid-sized cities. Bengaluru is also well placed for anyone who wants a speedy entree to Tamil Nadu or Kerala, and the temples of Thanjavur, the food and opulent mansions of the Chettinad district and the tea plantations of the Cardamum Hills are tailor-made for the traveller looking for another side of India. November to February is prime time. See incredibleindia.org

ESSENTIALS

Qantas will operate four weekly return flights between Sydney and Bengaluru from September 14, using Airbus A330 aircraft. Flight time outward is 11 hours 55 minutes. Return economy fares start from about $1350. See qantas.com

THE ROUTE

DARWIN TO DILI, TIMOR-LESTE

WHO

Qantas

WHY FLY

Expect to do so alongside volunteers and professionals working with the country's NGOs and missionaries but, at least for now, few tourists.

SEE + DO

Take a walking tour of Dili, the capital city and join the locals for a beach stroll in the relative cool of the evening. However, the real attractions lie outside the capital. Furnished with coral reefs that shame our own, giant limestone caves, markets in misty highland villages, pousadas – inns - that hark back to Portuguese colonial times and a mountain that tops out at almost 3000 metres, Timor-Leste is made for the traveller with a sense of adventure. For the Robinson Crusoe experience with just the right level of comfort, head for Atauro Island. See timorleste.tl

ESSENTIALS

The thrice-weekly service takes just 80 minutes aboard an Embraer E190, Qantas' shortest international flight. Return economy fares from about $600. The direct flight time from Melbourne and Sydney to Darwin to connect to Dili is about four and a half hours. See qantas.com

HERE COMES BONZA, THE CUT-PRICE DISRUPTOR

Australia's aviation industry is headed for a shake-up when Bonza, our latest low-cost carrier, makes its debut in mid-year.

The all-economy airline has announced plans to operate 25 routes across 17 regional locations from its home base on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. Included on the list are Albury, Avalon, Bundaberg, Cairns, Coffs Harbour, Gladstone, Mackay, Melbourne, Mildura, Newcastle, Port Macquarie, Rockhampton, Sunshine Coast, Tamworth, Toowoomba, Townsville and the Whitsunday Coast. Melbourne's Tullamarine will act as a secondary hub, but there are no flights from Sydney.

Chief executive Tim Jordan says the airline's fares will be comparable to Jetstar's, and about half the cost of Qantas' and Virgin Australia's, quoting a one-way ticket between Melbourne and the Sunshine Coast at between $75 and $100.

It's a bold play for the leisure market, with a game-changing strategy. Rather than trying to compete with the established carriers, Bonza says 80 per cent of its routes are not presently served, while all but four have no low-cost airline operating the route.

While low-cost carriers have proliferated in North America and Europe, Australia has lagged. Over the past decade, the needle has remained stuck on the number of Australian cities served by a low-cost carrier. Bonza's entry onto Australia's aviation playing field will expand our low-cost network by some 40 per cent. Initially, all Bonza routes are on the east coast but Jordan sees this as a first step, with plenty of blue sky in other regions.

Funding for Bonza comes from US investment firm 777 Partners, which already has a presence in the low-cost aviation industry with Canadian carrier Flair Airlines. In tandem with Flair, Bonza will operate an all-Boeing 737 fleet.

See flybonza.com

FIVE NEW DOMESTIC ROUTES

MELBOURNE AND SYDNEY TO AYERS ROCK (ULURU), NT

Erupting from the rippling sandhills of the central Australian desert as suddenly as a breaching whale exploding from a still sea, Uluru is our most recognisable icon. Qantas and Jetstar each operate once per week Melbourne-Ayers Rock. Qantas operates five non-stop Sydney-Ayers Rock services per week, Jetstar flies daily.

See northernterritory.com

MELBOURNE, SYDNEY TO MERIMBULA, NSW

Merimbula is the heart of sea change territory, a slow-moving, soothing part of the world with miraculous seafood, tangled forests and bouldery beaches where creamy waves die among the splintered remnants of ancient lava flows. Rex flies daily from Melbourne and Sydney, Qantas once per week from both. See visitnsw.com

SYDNEY TO BROKEN HILL, NSW

The unofficial capital of outback NSW, rich in history, colours, textures, flora, fauna and Indigenous sites, this region has been a powerful source of inspiration for the legendary artists of Broken Hill, the "Brushmen of the Bush". Rex operates daily flights, Qantas twice per week. See visitnsw.com; rex.com.au

SYDNEY TO TOOWOOMBA, QLD

Queensland's largest inland city, Toowoomba, blends country charm with urban buzz. Take a trip back to pioneering days at the Cobb+Co Museum, wander among the exotic flora at Queens Park, explore the gracious homes on the Russell Street Historical Walk and meet the animals at the Darling Downs Zoo. Qantas flies twice per week. See queensland.com

NEWCASTLE, NSW, TO ADELAIDE, SA

From the fabulous home-grown produce in its Central Market to its gorgeous colonial architecture to its lively festival calendar to a red-hot restaurant scene where you don't need to book weeks in advance, Adelaide is a pocket-sized wonder. Qantas operates three flights per week. See southaustralia.com

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