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]: 145  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]: 148  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:

Airline Destination in Oceania Intermediate Stop Destination(s) in Europe
Air Canada New Zealand Auckland, Australia Brisbane, Australia Sydney Canada Vancouver Republic of Ireland Dublin, Germany Frankfurt, United Kingdom London–Heathrow, Switzerland Zurich
Air France French Polynesia Papeete United States Los Angeles France Paris–CDG
Air Tahiti Nui French Polynesia Papeete United States Los Angeles
United States Seattle[9]
American Airlines New Zealand Auckland, Australia Brisbane (begins Oct 27, 2024)[10] United States Dallas/Fort Worth Netherlands Amsterdam, Spain Barcelona (begins Jun 4, 2024),[11] Republic of Ireland Dublin, Germany Frankfurt, United Kingdom London–Heathrow, Spain Madrid, France Paris–CDG, Italy Rome–Fiumicino
New Zealand Auckland,[12] Australia Sydney United States Los Angeles United Kingdom London–Heathrow
Delta Air Lines New Zealand Auckland,[13] French Polynesia Papeete, Australia Sydney United Kingdom London–Heathrow[14], France Paris–CDG[15]
French Bee French Polynesia Papeete United States San Francisco France Paris–Orly
LATAM Chile New Zealand Auckland, Australia Melbourne[16] Australia Sydney (via Auckland) Chile Santiago Spain Madrid[17]
United Airlines Australia Sydney United States Houston[18] Netherlands Amsterdam, Germany Frankfurt, United Kingdom London–Heathrow, Germany Munich
New Zealand Auckland,[19][20] Australia Brisbane,[19][21] Australia Melbourne, Australia Sydney United States Los Angeles United Kingdom London–Heathrow
New Zealand Auckland, Australia Brisbane, New Zealand Christchurch,[19][20] Australia Melbourne, French Polynesia Papeete, Australia Sydney United States San Francisco Netherlands Amsterdam[22], Spain Barcelona (begins May 24, 2024),[23] Germany Frankfurt, United Kingdom London–Heathrow, Germany Munich, France Paris–CDG, Italy Rome–Fiumicino[24], Switzerland Zurich

See also

References

  1. ^ "GIANT AIRLINER ON PIONEERS' TRACKS". The Sun. No. 12, 186. New South Wales, Australia. 16 February 1949. p. 10 (LATE FINAL EXTRA). Retrieved 23 January 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. ^ "Huge Airliner to Fly Across to Vancouver". The Canberra Times. Vol. 23, no. 6822. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 17 February 1949. p. 3. Retrieved 23 January 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ^ "Exchange Of Air Routes In New Agreement". The Canberra Times. Vol. 31, no. 9, 293. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 7 October 1957. p. 5. Retrieved 23 January 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ^ a b Rimmer, Peter J. (2005). "Australia Through the Prism of Qantas: Distance Makes a Comeback" (PDF). Otemon Journal of Australian Studies. 31. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  5. ^ "QANTAS Airways celebrates 60 years of flying to the United States". World Airline News. 18 May 2014. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  6. ^ "London to Perth: Everything you need to know about the first non-stop flights from Britain to Australia". The Telegraph. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
  7. ^ Annual report by the Minister for Civil Aviation for year 1966-67 (Report). Commonwealth Government Printer. 1967. p. 12. Retrieved 23 January 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. ^ "Air New Zealand to axe London flights after 36 years". Stuff. 22 October 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  9. ^ "TN57 schedule. (Air Tahiti Nui flight: Paris -> Tahiti via Seattle)". info.flightmapper.net. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  10. ^ "Bound for Brisbane: American Airlines to fly Down Under next winter". American Airlines Newsroom. 1 February 2024. Retrieved 1 February 2024.((cite news)): CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. ^ "American Airlines NS24 Long-Haul Network Changes – 20AUG23". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  12. ^ "American Airlines Resumes Los Angeles – Auckland Route From Dec 2023". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  13. ^ "Delta launches first-ever service from Los Angeles to Auckland and more paths to popular European destinations | Delta News Hub". news.delta.com. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  14. ^ Seet, Charlotte (23 September 2022). "Gatwick & Geneva: Delta Air Lines Adds 9 New Transatlantic Routes For 2023". Simple Flying. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  15. ^ Seet, Charlotte (23 September 2022). "Gatwick & Geneva: Delta Air Lines Adds 9 New Transatlantic Routes For 2023". Simple Flying. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  16. ^ "LATAM resumes Melbourne-Santiago". Business Traveller. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  17. ^ "LATAM Flights between Australia/NZ and Europe". Flightsfrom.com. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  18. ^ "United adds Houston – Sydney service from Jan 2018". Routes. 7 September 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  19. ^ a b c "United Announces Largest South Pacific Expansion in Aviation History, Including New Direct Flight to Christchurch, New Zealand". United - Newsroom. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  20. ^ a b "The Americans are coming, so are cheaper airfares!". NZ Herald. 24 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  21. ^ "United Shortens Los Angeles – Brisbane Service in 1Q24". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  22. ^ "United adds 3 new European destinations". SFGate. 30 August 2018.
  23. ^ "United Adds San Francisco – Barcelona From late-May 2024". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  24. ^ Rains, Taylor. "United announced 7 new international routes for summer 2023 as post-pandemic demand to Europe continues to soar — see the full list". Business Insider. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  25. ^ LondonAirTravel (1 May 2022). "The History Of Flight Between The UK and Australia From 1935 Onwards". London Air Travel. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  26. ^ "Quiz: Beach Boys Lyric or Qantas Route?". Qantas. 16 April 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
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