The Kangaroo Route

On 25 March 2018 Qantas launched its first non-stop flight between mainland Australia and the UK.  Flight QF9 departed from Perth shortly after 6pm. It flew more than 14,000km in little under 17 hours before landing at Heathrow early the following morning. This remarkable feat was made possible thanks to the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

The route between London and Australia, affectionately known as the Kangaroo Route, once took an exhausting 12.5 days including a train journey between Paris and Brindisi, Italy. Qantas eventually reduced the travel time to less than three days using a Lockheed Constellation.  This flight flew from Sydney to London with stops in Darwin, Singapore, Calcutta, Karachi, Cairo, and Tripoli (passengers stayed overnight in Singapore and Cairo).

Garry reluctantly agreed to give the Dreamliner flight a go as part of our annual business trip to Europe. Regular readers will recall that we meet once a year with key suppliers at major industry trade shows in late-January and early-February. This year we attended the London Toy Fair before heading across to Germany for the Nuremberg Toy Fair.  Our return journey saw us fly from Sydney to Perth, then on to London before flying to Nuremberg via a weekend stopover in Poland.

I flew my first Dreamliner in 2017 during a long weekend in New Zealand. At the time I was impressed by its larger than normal windows and the more refreshing cabin environment. The Dreamliner makes extensive use of carbon fibre in its construction. This material is lighter than aluminium, less prone to stress fractures and unaffected by moisture. 

Thanks to these innovations, the same volume of fuel can carry the aircraft further.  It also allows cabin pressure to operate at 6,000 feet (1,800 m) altitude instead of the traditional 8,000 feet (2,400 m). The higher pressure results in increased oxygen and humidity levels for passengers which go some way to reducing the effects of jet lag and dehydration on long haul flights. 

All in all the new route is proving a huge hit for Qantas. It says the flights are averaging a load factor of 94 per cent, a result well above the industry average. Currently, the average time of the Perth to London service is 17 hours and one minute, but one flight broke the speed record when it clocked in at 16 hours and 19 minutes. The average flight time of the return service is 16 hours and five minutes. However, a Dreamliner has managed to make it in 15 hours and 15 minutes.

Garry and I were incredibly impressed by the flight.  The new Qantas business class seat proved comfortable.  The service was impeccable.  The flight itself honestly didn't feel any longer than a regular long haul flight. Garry even went as far as to say he'd fly this route again.  This was high praise indeed as he'd originally declared to all and sundry that he'd only fly it once purely for the novelty factor.  I loved the experience.  Even the new International Transit Lounge in Perth was impressive.  Plenty of fresh air, healthy snacks and uber fast wifi that let us download lots of Netflix episodes before boarding our flight.

The arrival time of 5am is also ideal for getting in Europe.  It lets you transfer onto an early morning flight from Heathrow to any European destination and arrive there well before noon. Normally you'd end up losing the bulk of a second day to travel.  On this occasion, we stopped in London for 7 days. We also took advantage of the American Airlines Arrivals Lounge at Heathrow.  Our serviced apartment in Soho wasn't going to be available until after 11am so a stop at the lounge allowed to grab a refreshing shower, enjoyed a full cooked breakfast and spend a couple of hours relaxing before heading into town.

If you're curious, we flew back from Europe via the traditional Kangaroo route with Qantas via Heathrow and Singapore.  Garry was determined to try for another First Class upgrade on the Airbus A380. As luck would have it, our upgrades came through and we flew home in decadent luxury.

Farewell Michele

I met Michele Olsen on 3 February 1990. We both arrived at the Youth With A Mission (YWAM) outreach centre in Goulburn on a Saturday afternoon. We joined 22 others embarking on three months of study, followed by three months of putting everything we learned into practice. This was the start of my first, and most enduring, friendship in Australia.

Over the years our lives have evolved. Through it all Michele's presence has endured. She’s been an anchor linking so many different chapters in my life, including travelling through Eastern Europe after the Berlin Wall came down, me permanently relocating to Australia, my coming out and my subsequent relationship with Garry. Over the years Michele relocated to Hong Kong, Amsterdam, Egypt and the USA, while Garry and I moved to Europe. We all eventually returned to Sydney to live.

The genesis of everything I've achieved in Australia can be traced to a morning in late-November 1990. I'd been backpacking in Europe where I'd bid Michele and other YWAM students a fond farewell four months earlier. Michele greeted me at Sydney Airport as I disembarked an overnight flight from Singapore on 20 November. She'd heard I was returning to Australia and decided to meet me upon arrival. 

At the time, I'd decided to spend the Summer in Sydney clearing a credit card debt I’d clocked up in Europe. My card was denominated in New Zealand dollars. Therefore, I'd clear it sooner by earning Australian dollars, worth at least 20 per cent more. I still recall sitting on the plane thinking, “before today is done I have to find a place to stay, feed myself and find work.” To my surprise, Michele had already arranged temporary accommodation in Penshurst, scheduled a haircut and organised an evening meal with friends. 

Michele's generous welcome gave me a life-changing head-start. She also introduced me to a circle of North Shore friends including a woman who offered me my first full-time Australian job - a contract role with IBM. Sadly IBM made me redundant in August 1991. However, my brief stint there secured my next career move as a junior IT industry analyst. This industry experience then carried me into the technology public relations sector, where I rose through the ranks of two companies ultimately becoming the Chief Operating Officer of a global enterprise. 

However, despite the passage of time Michele and I shared many milestone moments, including the purchase of Michelle’s first home and the birth of her son, Zeke. I still recall visiting Hong Kong and seeing the joy in her eyes as she shared news that she’d met the man of her dreams, David Wlodarski. She was keen for me to meet him as well.

As I recall, it was St Patrick's Day. David, was out with other expats, enjoying a raucous afternoon at a popular bar - not quite the first impression Michele had anticipated for poor David. However, a few years later I attended their wedding in the foothills of the Blue Mountains. Since then we've all hung out in Hong Kong, New Orleans and Sydney.

Sadly, Michele passed away at the Mount Druitt Palliative Care Unit on 17 February. She’s been battling ovarian cancer on and off for many years. I was privileged to be at her bedside, holding her hand as she took her last breath. I never imagined our friendship would end, or that I'd be by her side in those final moments. 

Michele's funeral was held on Tuesday. We've been exhibiting at the Sydney Gift Fair at Homebush all this week, so Garry took my place in the booth so that I could attend the service. It was a moving farewell to a wonderful woman.

It has been, and always will be, an absolute pleasure and privilege knowing and loving you, Michele. Your warmth, generosity, and unflappable goodwill were legendary, often without equal. You've been an awe-inspiring role model for me and many others. I am forever grateful to have met you. May God bless you, David and Zeke, now and forever more.