Qantas launch of direct flights from Sydney to Dallas

Qantas’ launch of direct flights from Sydney to Dallas today is being heralded as a big step forward for Australian tourism.QF7 departed Sydney Airport at 1325 local time today, marking the first direct connection between Australia and Texas as Qantas moves to expand its North American network.

Tourism Australia managing director, Andrew McEvoy has welcomed the services.The US is a key market for Australian tourism, delivering close to half a million visitors each year and around $2.1 billion in expenditure, he said.The new service will also help Tourism Australia increase its US expenditure to $5.5 billion by 2020 double the current levels, McEvoy said.The service will operate four times per week, with plans to increase in the future.Qantas also plans to offer services to 54 destinations in the US, Canada and Mexico as its expands its codeshare partnership with American Airlines.