Air New Zealand - The only true 'Round-the-world' Airline?
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Air New Zealand - The only true 'Round-the-world' Airline?
Just wondering? Is Air New Zealand the only airline that can claim to fly around the world? I know they fly B777s west through Asia to LHR and B747s east through LAX to LHR. Does any other airline have such a reach? Maybe Singapore with their JFK to SIA? Not sure if SIA flies east to the USA.
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I think Air New Zealand is the only airline which flies around the world.
May I add another question? What other airlines can (historically) claim a round the world operation? BOAC definitely. Pan Am (less sure). Qantas (remember the Australia-London service via Acapulco?). There may be others.
Over to you...
May I add another question? What other airlines can (historically) claim a round the world operation? BOAC definitely. Pan Am (less sure). Qantas (remember the Australia-London service via Acapulco?). There may be others.
Over to you...
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PanAm used to operate PA001 and PA002 which were RTW flights, originating in NYC and terminating in SFO for the eastbound and vv. for the westbound. Stops were HNL HKG/BKK DEL FRA LON and somewhere else in the Middle East, it might have been Beirut.
Pan Am always claimed PA1/2 were RTW but I was always a little uncomfortable with that because of the gap across the USA. But, to give them their due the flight was (theoretically) continuous. At various times it stopped in TYO.HKG.BKK.DEL.BOM.THR.BEY?FRA.LHR.
Air NZ operate flights between LHR and AKL both ways (e.g. via HKG and LAX) but it's not one continuous flight RTW.
I too remember the QF via MEX and the BA flight over the Pacific - an aunt used it once from SFO to TYO with an overnight in HNL. There was also a BA flight that went TYO.HKG.somewhere, probably SIN.SEZ.JNB. I remember getting caught ny a typhoon in HKG trying to get home to LHR back in '78 and that was one of the other flights that was caught out.
I don't think anybody manages a southern hemisphere RTW. QF go to South Africa and, using a codeshare (I think) to South America but I don't think they close the gap; you'd have to use SA.
I'd guess the next candidates are probably somewhere in the Middle East although I thinks there's a Korea South America flight so that's another candidate.
Of course we're talking E-W routings. With some of the north polar routings out of the Far East to the USA it might be possible someone will RTW N-S one day.
Air NZ operate flights between LHR and AKL both ways (e.g. via HKG and LAX) but it's not one continuous flight RTW.
I too remember the QF via MEX and the BA flight over the Pacific - an aunt used it once from SFO to TYO with an overnight in HNL. There was also a BA flight that went TYO.HKG.somewhere, probably SIN.SEZ.JNB. I remember getting caught ny a typhoon in HKG trying to get home to LHR back in '78 and that was one of the other flights that was caught out.
I don't think anybody manages a southern hemisphere RTW. QF go to South Africa and, using a codeshare (I think) to South America but I don't think they close the gap; you'd have to use SA.
I'd guess the next candidates are probably somewhere in the Middle East although I thinks there's a Korea South America flight so that's another candidate.
Of course we're talking E-W routings. With some of the north polar routings out of the Far East to the USA it might be possible someone will RTW N-S one day.
Air France were also round-the-world once they took over UTA in 1990. UTA had operated from Paris across Asia to Noumea and Tahiti, and thence to LAX. Air France operated from Paris directly to LAX, so after the takeover they were RTW. This link has now been broken.
The UTA flghts from Paris through Tahiti had some strange features. The sector that had the highest frequency was from Tahiti to LAX, but the operation was based in Paris; aircraft had to be operated the "long way round" out from Paris to Tahiti, then to operate to LAX and back maybe multiple times, and finally back to Paris.
There are several all-cargo RTW operators as well, for whom I believe TMA from Beirut were the pioneer with cargo 707s around 1980. Federal Express have round the world MD-11s nowadays.
The Pan Am "round the world" operation was always characterised by not only a gap across the USA, but also aircraft changes of type/gauge along the way as well, even back in prop aircraft days - and the 747SP was a initial request from them to have something smaller than the standard 747 for the sectors between London and Tokyo.
The UTA flghts from Paris through Tahiti had some strange features. The sector that had the highest frequency was from Tahiti to LAX, but the operation was based in Paris; aircraft had to be operated the "long way round" out from Paris to Tahiti, then to operate to LAX and back maybe multiple times, and finally back to Paris.
There are several all-cargo RTW operators as well, for whom I believe TMA from Beirut were the pioneer with cargo 707s around 1980. Federal Express have round the world MD-11s nowadays.
The Pan Am "round the world" operation was always characterised by not only a gap across the USA, but also aircraft changes of type/gauge along the way as well, even back in prop aircraft days - and the 747SP was a initial request from them to have something smaller than the standard 747 for the sectors between London and Tokyo.
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Maybe Singapore with their JFK to SIA? Not sure if SIA flies east to the USA.
The Great Circle between the two points passes slightly on the "Atlantic" side of the North Pole.
From reports I have seen the outbound from Singapore more often than not routes across the North Pacific and across the Canadian/Alaskan west coast. The return from New York tends to go due north, and pretty much overhead the North Pole. But there are several accounts of it heading across Europe and the Middle East as well.
If it does the Great Circle across the North Pole it's 8,288nm. If it routes overhead Manchester as described here the two Great Circle segments come to 8,821nm. Not as much more as you might otherwise think. There must be occasions when the aircraft effectively performs a round-the-world trip.
If I recall correctly the original A340-300 did a round-the-world trip for publicity purposes nonstop Toulouse-Auckland-Toulouse, heading eastwards (of course, for prevailing upper winds). If it could do that with the original hairdryer engines then the Singapore operation with an A340-500, with the limited seating Singapore have installed, should be no problem.
If I recall correctly the original A340-300 did a round-the-world trip for publicity purposes nonstop Toulouse-Auckland-Toulouse, heading eastwards (of course, for prevailing upper winds).
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ANDYSPPR and WHBM
My posting did refer to SIN-EWR/JFK rather than EWR/JFK-SIN for which there are far fewer available routings!
In that I think I am correct in the routing, altough on re-reading the OP it did indeed mention EWR/JFK-SIN, in which I apologise for confusing the issue.
My posting did refer to SIN-EWR/JFK rather than EWR/JFK-SIN for which there are far fewer available routings!
In that I think I am correct in the routing, altough on re-reading the OP it did indeed mention EWR/JFK-SIN, in which I apologise for confusing the issue.
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SQ operated SIN-EWR in the A340, west to east and they operated JFK to SIN, (via FRA), either in a B777 or, as it used to be, in a B747 - which is pretty much a RTW route for the pax aircraft. Freighters would do round the world east bound also but with several stops.
Last edited by parabellum; 29th Dec 2010 at 03:35. Reason: Clarification and changing JFK to EWR
The NZ routes through LHR must be one of (if not the) quickest way to fly a proper RTW these days, starting and finishing in AKL.
AKL-LAX-LHR arrives around lunchtime, which gives about 8-9 hrs in London before taking the evening departure LHR-HKG-AKL.
Flew the entire route myself early in 2009 (although not quite as quickly!) and in the reverse direction starting and finishing in LHR, a great experience
AKL-LAX-LHR arrives around lunchtime, which gives about 8-9 hrs in London before taking the evening departure LHR-HKG-AKL.
Flew the entire route myself early in 2009 (although not quite as quickly!) and in the reverse direction starting and finishing in LHR, a great experience
In the old days (circa 1970) airlines flights had a lot more stopovers but were generally less frequent.
QF used to fly LHR - SYD via JFK / California / HNL and also via the Far East so would qualify as a RTW airline.
According to some old records I have TWA flight 743 went SFO - LAX - HNL - Guam - Okinawa - Taipei - HKG - BKK whilst flight 741 went BKK - BOM - TLV - ATH - FRA - JFK. You could complete the circle with a domestic flight. TW 740/2 operated in the other direction. This certainly ceased after the 1974 oil crisis, if not earlier.
Japan airlines used to operate to London via Anchorage, Moscow and the Silk Road route.
In 2001 UA1 used to operate LAX - HKG - DEL - LHR - IAD with UA2 in the opposite direction.
Sadly these are no longer with out. As previous posts have mentioned, if you include NYC as a city SQ with SIN - EWR & JFK - FRA - SIN would qualify.
It can be very interesting looking at old timetables!
On a slightly separate issue, I have wondered why NZ does not operate the majority of its flights eastbound, i.e. AKL - LAX - LHR - HKG - AKL although you could substitute YVR or SFO for LAX. You could save a couple of hours on a round trip with significant savings in fuel and other operating costs. Cabin crews would have to fly the entire route (at the moment crews based in AKL & LHR fly from their respective cities to LHR & HKG) but I can't believe that the additional cost would be anything like the savings elsewhere. Passengers would still have the opportunity to stopover.
A number of freight operators have a-symetrical routes - I know that Cathay has a RTW freight route (HKG - ANC - ORD - AMS - DXB - HKG, CX 3272 eastbound only twice a week) and that Fed-Ex & Polar Air cargo certainly used to. Obviously air cargo is highly directional with far more traffic from the Far East to North America than vice versa. Please reply if you are aware of any other such routings.
QF used to fly LHR - SYD via JFK / California / HNL and also via the Far East so would qualify as a RTW airline.
According to some old records I have TWA flight 743 went SFO - LAX - HNL - Guam - Okinawa - Taipei - HKG - BKK whilst flight 741 went BKK - BOM - TLV - ATH - FRA - JFK. You could complete the circle with a domestic flight. TW 740/2 operated in the other direction. This certainly ceased after the 1974 oil crisis, if not earlier.
Japan airlines used to operate to London via Anchorage, Moscow and the Silk Road route.
In 2001 UA1 used to operate LAX - HKG - DEL - LHR - IAD with UA2 in the opposite direction.
Sadly these are no longer with out. As previous posts have mentioned, if you include NYC as a city SQ with SIN - EWR & JFK - FRA - SIN would qualify.
It can be very interesting looking at old timetables!
On a slightly separate issue, I have wondered why NZ does not operate the majority of its flights eastbound, i.e. AKL - LAX - LHR - HKG - AKL although you could substitute YVR or SFO for LAX. You could save a couple of hours on a round trip with significant savings in fuel and other operating costs. Cabin crews would have to fly the entire route (at the moment crews based in AKL & LHR fly from their respective cities to LHR & HKG) but I can't believe that the additional cost would be anything like the savings elsewhere. Passengers would still have the opportunity to stopover.
A number of freight operators have a-symetrical routes - I know that Cathay has a RTW freight route (HKG - ANC - ORD - AMS - DXB - HKG, CX 3272 eastbound only twice a week) and that Fed-Ex & Polar Air cargo certainly used to. Obviously air cargo is highly directional with far more traffic from the Far East to North America than vice versa. Please reply if you are aware of any other such routings.
Last edited by Peter47; 30th Dec 2010 at 20:08.
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Is Air New Zealand the only airline that can claim to fly around the world?
The only airline to fly around the world? No. Only passenger airline? Maybe.
