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Great news for Dreamliner fans: As of this June, you’ll be able to fly the legendary Boeing 787-8 from Newark all the way to Brisbane via Vancouver on Air Canada, making the one-stop route a great new option for anyone interested in heading to this vibrant Australian city.
- Air Canada: 549 Newark (EWR) 7:00pm Departure ⇒ Vancouver (YVR) 10:05pm Arrival
- Air Canada: 548 Vancouver (YVR) 9:00am Departure ⇒ Newark (EWR) 5:20pm Arrival
According to an article by Australian Business Traveller, the new Vancouver-Brisbane route officially starts June 3 with three flights per week until June 19, when it switches to daily service. It’s also worth noting that this route will use a 787-8 Dreamliner during the summer (Australian winter) and switch to a 787-9 Dreamliner starting October 30, just in time for Australia’s summer season (our winter). Check out the schedule, below.
- Air Canada: 35 Vancouver (YVR) 11:45pm Departure ⇒ Brisbane (BNE) 7:15am (+2) Arrival
- Air Canada: 36 Brisbane (BNE) 10:40am Departure ⇒ Vancouver (YVR) 7:15am Arrival
The 787-8 Dreamliner between Newark and Vancouver will replace the carrier’s current Airbus A319 for year-round daily service between the two cities, making the 787-8 a considerable upgrade.
While the Airbus A319 only had 14 recliner business-class seats (38-39 inches of pitch, seats are 21.1 inches wide) and 106 economy seats (31 inches of pitch, seats are 17.8 inches wide), the 787-8 offers 20 flat-bed business-class seats (80 inches of pitch, seats are 21 inches wide), a premium economy section with 21 recliner seats (38 inches of pitch, seats are 19.5 inches wide) and 210 economy seats (31 inches of pitch, seats are 17.3 inches wide). Even better, when the Vancouver to Brisbane route changes to the 787-9 Dreamliner starting October 30, passengers will have access to 30 flat-bed business-class seats, 21 reclining seats in premium economy and 247 economy seats — all seat measurements remain the same.
According to a quick search on Google Flights, prices for a round-trip flight between Newark (EWR) and Vancouver (YVR) start around $400 in economy and around $2,140 for business class — so there’s definitely a 787-premium worked in, especially for flat-bed biz. If you’re planning to cash in an award ticket, redemptions start at 25,000 United MileagePlus miles for a round-trip economy saver award and 50,000 miles for business.
You can also fly a wide-body aircraft between New York and Vancouver (not on the Dreamliner) on two other carriers:
- Cathay Pacific: 889 New York (JFK) 9:55pm Departure ⇒ Vancouver (YVR) 12:50am (+1) Arrival
- Cathay Pacific: 888 Vancouver (YVR) 10:50pm Departure ⇒ New York (JFK) 7:00am (+1) Arrival
- Philippine Airlines: 127 New York (JFK) 12:15am Departure ⇒ Vancouver (YVR) 3:30am Arrival
- Philippine Airlines: 126 Vancouver (YVR) 2:20pm Departure ⇒ New York (JFK) 10:30pm Arrival
Normally, those wishing to visit Brisbane from the New York City area need to connect in either Los Angeles (American Airlines, Virgin Australia and Qantas), Abu Dhabi (Etihad Airways), Honolulu (Hawaiian Airlines), Seoul-Incheon (Korean Air), Singapore (Singapore Airlines) or Hong Kong (Cathay Pacific), resulting in long layovers and flight times. This new route from Newark to Brisbane via Vancouver only takes about 22 hours and 15 minutes to get there and roughly 20 hours and 25 minutes to get back — a refreshing alternative to flights through other cities that often hover around 30-40 hours just going in one direction.
Source: thepointsguy.com