It’s Saturday. Time for a little truth. Flight connections are the worst. Getting on a plane twice — or even three times — in a day just to get someplace (no matter how cool that place is) can get exhausting. The ups and downs, the boarding and disembarking, dragging carry on luggage between gates, airport food, and waiting at gates all adds up to a big pile of suck. That’s the beauty of a non-stop, especially on a long-haul flight: It’s on and off. Done. You can find your seat, drink a little vino, watch that film you’ve been meaning to watch for the last six months, and catch a legit night’s worth of shut-eye. Before you know it, you’re there.
Airlines like Qantas get how great this feels and they’re doing their best to accommodate us, the wandering masses. Starting today, the airline will open a new non-stop route between San Francisco and Melbourne. Flights will depart Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Sure, it’s a 15-hour flight, but consider this: The equipment is a brand new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and that’s some plush digs — even in economy.
The cherry on top of this Aussie sundae are the prices for roundtrips. In September they’re running less than $1,000.
A direct flight from San Francisco to Melbourne connects two very food and drink-centric cities. The seafood and wine of the Bay Area vibe really well with the food-focused, seafood-heavy scene in Melbourne. Where the two cities really lock-in is with their on-point coffee offerings.
Think of it, you can grab a cuppa at Andytown Coffee Roasters on Lawton Street to give you that caffeine boost to actually get to the airport. Then, when you arrive in Melbourne, you can head straight to ST ALi on Yarra Place for that crucial post-long-haul-flight pick me up (they also have a killer food menu).
Without needing any extra rest (you got 8 hours on the plane), you’ll be ready to hit one of the world’s best food and bar scenes. Travelers, Melbourne is waiting. Time to chase summer to the other side of the world.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BKr2bMCj4vv/
