When Billy Joel sang about a “New York State of Mind” he was talking about going home to the Big Apple.
25.07.2023 - 10:11 / afar.com / Alan Joyce
Disrupted sleep, irritability, brain fog: Anyone who’s traveled abroad has undoubtedly experienced a few of jet lag’s symptoms, which only worsen with every time zone crossed.
So as international travel rebounds in 2023, and 15-hour-plus “ultra long haul” flights reappear on airline schedules, it’s fitting that one of the longest-haul carriers is revisiting ways to combat this perennial problem.
But is there a magic formula for alleviating, if not eliminating, the effects of jet lag? Qantas, which currently operates three of the world’s five longest flights (Perth–London, Melbourne–Dallas, and Auckland–New York), may have the answer. The airline just released its findings from a study of traveler well-being on long-distance flights and shared details about the aircraft it’s designing in response: an advanced jumbo jet, outfitted with a “Wellbeing Zone” for in-flight workouts, plus specially designed seats, meals, and lighting. It will have its world premiere on the Aussie flag carrier’s Sydney–New York nonstop service at the end of 2025.
The plane, an Airbus A350-1000 that has yet to be built, will effectively be a flying laboratory for how an airline can influence and improve its customers’ well-being. At a recent media briefing in New York, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce described the race to construct a plane capable of carrying a full payload for nearly 10,000 miles without stopping—1,000 miles longer than any commercial flight in service—as the equivalent of “the moon shot.” The jet will also operate on Qantas’s planned nonstop between London and Sydney, launching sometime after the New York debut; at 10,573 miles and up to 22 hours, it is set to be the longest flight in the world. The two marathon runs are being marketed as “Project Sunrise.”
With the pair of new flights, passengers face the prospect of spending nearly an entire day in the air, Joyce noted. “We have a long history of using imagination and innovation to overcome the tyranny of distance between Australia and the rest of the world,” he said. “Now that we have the aircraft technology to do these flights, we want to make sure the customer experience evolves as well, and that’s why we’re doing this research and designing our cabins and service differently.”
Test flights conducted by Qantas in 2019, with the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre, a health research institute, drew on the experiences of 23 volunteers who, outfitted with wearable technology and accompanied by a team of scientists, flew on three flights of more than 20 hours each. During each trip, the airline tried out varying approaches to onboard services, such as meal timing, turning down the lights, and the ability to move about the plane.
On the research flights,
When Billy Joel sang about a “New York State of Mind” he was talking about going home to the Big Apple.
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You finally made it to Paris, but instead of running up the Eiffel Tower, you’re passing out in your soufflé. Blame jet lag, when your body’s circadian rhythm — its expected sleep and wake times — is out of sync with your new location, leaving you with brain fog at midday or insomnia in the wee hours. Not everyone has the same body clock, of course, and no two trips are exactly the same, but there are some tricks that could help you get your zip back quicker.
Get thee to New York's museums and get thee to them now. There's an end in sight to summer's dog days, and with the promise of cooler early-autumn days comes a fresh turnover in the exhibitions on offer throughout the city. Some of the big summer tentpoles—Africa Fashion at the Brooklyn Museum, installations at both MoMA and MoMA PS1—will run all the way into October, so if you haven't made your way to them yet, there's still time. Joining these holdovers are a myriad of newer options, the variety of which ensures that there's something for everyone. Find our guide below.
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