Southern Cross Route Explained

Southern Cross Route is a term for passenger flights from Australasia (or Oceania) to Europe via the Western Hemisphere. The term was coined by British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines when they began services from Sydney to Vancouver in 1949.[1] [2] The route was extended to Europe following the signing of an air services agreement between Australia and the United Kingdom in 1957,[3] which saw Qantas flying from Sydney to London via Los Angeles and New York using Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellations.[4] The name is in honor of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith's historic 1928 flight in the aircraft Southern Cross.[5] The equivalent route running through the Eastern Hemisphere is known as the Kangaroo Route.[6]

Qantas operated on the route from 1949 — 1974, when it discontinued the London leg of the trip.[4] BOAC began flying to Australia via the South Pacific in April 1967.[7] Air New Zealand operated an Auckland–Los Angeles–London Heathrow from 1982 — 2020.[8] Other airlines to use the route include Air Tahiti Nui, French Bee, Air France, Air Canada, Aerolíneas Argentinas, and LAN Airlines.

Operations

Aside from codeshares and alliances/partners, airlines on the Southern Cross Route (with seasonal destinations in italics) are the following:

AirlineDestination in OceaniaIntermediate StopDestination(s) in Europe
Air Canada,, , ,,
Air France
Air Tahiti Nui
[9]
American Airlines, [10] , Barcelona,,,,,,
,[11]
Delta Air Lines,[12] [13],, [14]
French Bee
LATAM Chile, [15] [16]
United Airlines,,,
,
,, ,[17] [18],, , Barcelona[19] [20],,,, ,

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: GIANT AIRLINER ON PIONEERS' TRACKS . . 12,186 . New South Wales, Australia . 16 February 1949 . 23 January 2022 . 10 (LATE FINAL EXTRA) . National Library of Australia.
  2. News: Huge Airliner to Fly Across to Vancouver . . 23 . 6822 . Australian Capital Territory, Australia . 17 February 1949 . 23 January 2022 . 3 . National Library of Australia.
  3. News: Exchange Of Air Routes In New Agreement . . 31 . 9,293 . Australian Capital Territory, Australia . 7 October 1957 . 23 January 2022 . 5 . National Library of Australia.
  4. Australia Through the Prism of Qantas: Distance Makes a Comeback . Rimmer . Peter J. . Otemon Journal of Australian Studies . 31 . 2005 . 23 January 2022.
  5. Web site: QANTAS Airways celebrates 60 years of flying to the United States . World Airline News . 18 May 2014 . 23 January 2022.
  6. News: London to Perth: Everything you need to know about the first non-stop flights from Britain to Australia. The Telegraph. 2017-12-30. en-GB.
  7. Annual report by the Minister for Civil Aviation for year 1966-67 . Commonwealth Government Printer . 1967 . 12 . 23 January 2022 . National Library of Australia.
  8. Web site: Air New Zealand to axe London flights after 36 years . 22 October 2019 . Stuff . 23 January 2022.
  9. Web site: TN57 schedule. (Air Tahiti Nui flight: Paris -> Tahiti via Seattle) . 2023-06-16 . info.flightmapper.net.
  10. Web site: Direct nonstop flights (Operated by AA from DFW) . 3 June 2024 . FlightsFrom.com.
  11. Web site: American Airlines Resumes Los Angeles – Auckland Route From Dec 2023 . 2023-04-24 . AeroRoutes . en-CA.
  12. Web site: Delta launches first-ever service from Los Angeles to Auckland and more paths to popular European destinations Delta News Hub . 2023-01-24 . news.delta.com . 20 January 2023 . en.
  13. Web site: 7 May 2024 . Delta pauses Auckland route in move that could see US fares climb . 2024-05-16 . www.stuff.co.nz.
  14. Web site: Delta Air Lines To Offer Robust Summer 2023 Europe Schedule Aviation Week Network . 2024-06-10 . aviationweek.com.
  15. Web site: LATAM resumes Melbourne-Santiago . 2023-12-11 . Business Traveller . en-GB.
  16. Web site: LATAM Flights between Australia/NZ and Europe . 21 June 2023 . Flightsfrom.com.
  17. Web site: United Announces Largest South Pacific Expansion in Aviation History, Including New Direct Flight to Christchurch, New Zealand . 2023-04-24 . United - Newsroom . UA NZ.
  18. Web site: 2023-10-24 . The Americans are coming, so are cheaper airfares! . 2023-10-24 . NZ Herald . en-NZ.
  19. Web site: United Adds San Francisco – Barcelona From late-May 2024 . 2023-12-11 . AeroRoutes . en-CA.
  20. Web site: United Airlines flights from San Francisco to Barcelona. . 2024-05-24 . info.flightmapper.net.
  21. Web site: LondonAirTravel . 2022-05-01 . The History Of Flight Between The UK and Australia From 1935 Onwards . 2022-11-29 . London Air Travel . en-US.
  22. News: April 16, 2019 . Quiz: Beach Boys Lyric or Qantas Route? . Qantas . November 25, 2022.

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