Qantas Airways made big headlines last year — and generated more than $100 million Australian dollars in free publicity, according to the airline — when it launched the first nonstop flight between Australia and London, a flight path that’s long been called the Kangaroo Route. The flight took off from Perth in Western Australia on March 24, 2018, and landed 17 hours and 20 minutes later at London’s Heathrow Airport.
The Dreamliner is growing up. A new, longer version of the plane powered by a pair of GEnx jet engines recently landed an FAA certification. In September, Boeing delivered the bigger jet to United Airlines, the first carrier to operate the plane in North America.
Starting next month, United will be flying the aircraft, which can carry 252 passengers, six times per week between Los Angeles and Melbourne, Australia.