The first passengers on board the Qantas non-stop 17-hour flight from Perth to London have shared their in-flight experience after the historic Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner landed in Heathrow on Sunday morning.
The 17 hour and 20 minute journey on a plane called Emily ended a few minutes ahead of schedule at 5.02am after travelling 9,000 miles without stopping.
Self proclaimed ‘aviation geek’ Wayne Kwong rode in economy for the 17-hour flight and shared several photos to social media detailing his journey.
Wayne Kwong rode in economy for the 17 hour flight and shared photos detailing his journey. ‘Tasty, filling but not heavy on your stomach!’ he wrote describing his meal (pictured)
Passengers on board shared photos of the specially crafted menu, complimentary amenity bags and the self-serve pantry, loaded with free snacks and drinks (pictured)
He shared photos of the menu, uploading a photo of a chicken breast accompanied by a glass of wine.
‘Specially designed meals for this ultra longhaul flight. Tasty, filling but not heavy on your stomach! Well Done Qantas,’ he wrote.
The legroom was spacious and there was a ‘lovely retro pillow’ to help prevent knee injuries for taller passengers, Mr Kwong told Yahoo 7.
The aircraft is twice as fuel-efficient as the Boeing 747, has lower cabin noise, larger windows, improved air quality and technology to reduce turbulence.
Passengers onboard shared photos of the specially crafted menu, complimentary amenity bags and the self-serve pantry, loaded with free snacks and drinks.
A free-for-all snack cabinet was available onboard where passengers could access food and drinks throughout the flight (pictured)
The flight was scheduled to last 17 hours and 20 minutes and landed triumphantly at Heathrow Airport at 5.02am after the historical 9,000 mile journey (route pictured)
The flight was 24 per cent further than the UK’s previous longest route, operated by Garuda Indonesia between Heathrow and Jakarta which was just 7,275 miles in comparison.
The inaugural trip took off with more than 200 passengers and 16 crew members, as those on board began the journey with a round of applause.
The plane had 42 business class flat-bed seats, 28 premium economy seats and 166 economy seats.
Passengers were greeted with complimentary amenity bags, which included a sleeping mask, ear buds, a Qantas fleece blanket and a toothbrush.
Passengers were greeted with complimentary amenity bags, which included a sleeping mask, ear buds, a Qantas fleece blanket and a toothbrush (pictured)
Meals were designed to maintain hydration, aid sleep and reduce jet lag, according to the airline
There was a main meal, mid-flight, morning bakery and breakfast menus, as well as a free-for-all snack cabinet passengers could access throughout the flight for treats.
Dinner offerings included, cheese ravioli with leek and mushroom cream sauce; and chicken with red rice and roasted Mediterranean vegetables.
The meals were designed to maintain hydration, aid sleep and reduce jet lag, according to the airline.
But to the dismay of many, free Wifi was not available on the flight so passengers were not able detail every moment of their trip.
Another frequent complaint was the lack of legroom.
Inside the cabin (pictured) not everything was smooth sailing as the flight experienced some turbulence from Cyclone Marcus and leg room was cramped
Passenger Rachel Heath said the plane had the ‘smoothest of landings’ once arriving in London on Sunday morning
‘Free WiFi wasn’t good enough,’ wrote one disatisfied passenger during a complimenary tea break
According to business class passenger Robert Williamson, a mining executive from Perth, the flight was ‘was surprisingly good — above my expectation’, he told the Independent.
But economy passenger Peter Robinson, a builder from Liverpool, begged to differ.
He said the specially crafted food items were bland and ‘ordinary’, but admitted the flight was ‘good, quicker than I thought.’
Although passengers onboard the long haul flight gave it fairly positive reviews, others were sceptical it was as smooth sailing as described.
Qantas staff wave Australian and British flags at Heathrow airport on Sunday morning after 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft made a 17-hour flight from Perth
Most were concerned they wouldn’t be able to walk or feel their behinds after spending more than half a day glued to their seats.
Others drew on their experiences of flying for 12 hours as cause to never subject themselves to 17 hours on a plane.
While some were upset that the non-stop flight meant no cigarettes.
To prepare for the massive flight, more than 21,000 individual items were piled onto the aircraft, including 330 peppermint tea bags and hundreds of chocolate biscuits.
But after being parked at Heathrow for eight hours, the plane was scheduled to turn right back around to Perth for another non-stop 17 hour flight for a second run.