Qantas is to increase the number of US Flights
Qantas Airways Ltd is to increase the number of flights to the United States to a record 47 a week, just a month after applying for unlimited capacity under an "open skies" agreement that gives American and Australian carriers unlimited access to the route.
A generational low in the US dollar is encouraging Australians to travel to the US.
Qantas says it will operate four more flights to the United States from Brisbane and Sydney from later this month.
The carrier will add two new return services a week between Brisbane and Los Angeles, one return service per week from Sydney to LA and another return weekly service from Sydney to Honolulu.
The new services will add about 800 extra seats on the US route.
Qantas executive general manager John Borghetti said the airline would further enhance its US service in October when it began operating its first A380 flight to Los Angeles.
"The latest increase in capacity confirms our confidence in the growth potential of this important international route," he said.
Mr Borghetti said additional services from Brisbane meant Qantas would offer a daily, non-stop service between Queensland and California for the first time.
Qantas has applied for unlimited capacity and frequency rights to the US following last month’s "open skies" agreement between Australia and the United States governments.
The "open skies" deal does not give every carrier access to the route, just Australian and American airlines.
The deal blocks established international carriers such as Singapore Airlines and Air Canada from operating on the Australia/US route.
Virgin Blue offshoot V Australia expects it will offer 10 flights a week between Australia and the US by Christmas this year.
Qantas’s only other competition on the route is United Airlines.
