Travellers rush to book £4,000 plane seats on 13-hour flight to nowhere
The world's most expensive flight to nowhere costs £4,000 and lands back at the place it took off just 13 hours later.
For the past 30 years Australian airline Qantas has been flying well-heeled customers from various cities across the country over the most remote, inhospitable part of the world. The commercial jet takes off from either Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane and heads due to south.
For 13 hours the pilots keep flying, plunging deep into the coldest and wildest continent on Earth. They have no means in making an emergency landing for most of the trip if something goes wrong, meaning a three-hour trek back across the ocean to Australia or New Zealand will have to do.
The flight is made more challenging because the pilots are flying low, keeping close to the ice shelves and glacial formations so that passengers are able to feast their eyes on the wonder of the Antarctic below.
The flight is probably the easiest way to see the penguin rich continent (Getty Images)The chartered flights take place aboard a Boeing 787s because of that plane's large windows, which give those onboard the best chance to see as much of the continent as possible. Given the unique international status of the Antarctic and its very difficult-to-reach location, the flights are not cheap.
Qantas gives first look at lavish First Class suites with sliding doors and beds
The lowest costing ticket aboard the plane goes for the equivalent of £630. This will get you a spot in the Explorer Economy Class, which are seats that have no clear view of a window or views obstructed by the wing.
The better the view out of a window you get, the more you'll pay. If you fancy a turn in Business Class Deluxe, then you'll end up forking out £5,000. Halfway through the flight customers swap seats, so that those in the aisle are given better access to the window.
The flights only take place during a small window in summer when Antarctica is lit up by sunlight and landmarks such as the Admiralty Mountains and Cape Hallett can be seen. Since the Captain's Choice flights first starting running in 1994, 150 have taken off. Another five are scheduled to take place early next year, and almost all tickets have already sold out.
Pilots have no means of making an emergency landing during the flight (Antarctica Flights)The flights take about three hours from Melbourne to reach the southern continent and spend about three to four hours passing over spectacles at a low altitude, before heading back up to the Australian city.
"We're a long way from anywhere we can land if something goes wrong. The airports on the Antarctic continent we can't use. We can't land at McMurdo (Station) or we can't land at Wilkins (Runway) so if we need to go somewhere, we need to fly a long way back to New Zealand or Australia," Captain James Boland told News.com.au.
During the flight passengers can soak in the remarkable landscape with a glass of Champagne or G&T from the bar, before tucking in to two full meals.
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