American Airlines customers can begin booking travel this Sunday for the airline's new flight between Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Sydney Airport (SYD).
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The new, nonstop route, which launches December 17 and was announced in June as part of the proposed enhanced joint business relationship with Qantas, expands American's global network by adding a fifth continent and reinforces the strength of its world-class LAX hub.
"Expanding our global footprint to another continent is an important step for American as we continue to invest in our network to provide the best possible travel experience for our customers," said Andrew Nocella, American's chief marketing officer.
"We are eager to begin service to Australia with our flagship aircraft, the Boeing 777-300ER, which offers amenities and service that international travelers recognize as one of the best travel experiences in the industry."
Subject to regulatory approval, the new flight will operate on the following daily schedule (all times local):
LAX-SYD
AA 73
Departs LAX at 9:50 p.m.
Arrives SYD at 7:55 a.m. two days later
SYD-LAX
AA 72
Departs SYD at noon
Arrives at LAX at 6:50 a.m. the same day
American's new service between Los Angeles and Sydney will be operated with the state-of-the-art, three-class Boeing 777-300ER.
Through the enhanced alliance, Qantas will launch service between Sydney and San Francisco International Airport (SFO). Services will initially operate on peak days and ramp up to six per week in 2016 using its newer Boeing 747-400 aircraft with similar interiors found on the airline's Airbus A380s.
American's customers will soon be able to book travel on this route through the codeshare American and Qantas have in place. ■
An Atmospheric River event will bring very heavy rain, mountain snow, and gusty winds to portions of southern Oregon and northern/central California Friday into Saturday.