Just when we thought 2020 couldn’t get any stranger, it throws another unexpected turn our way. “Flights to nowhere” are selling out. That’s right, flights are seemingly no longer about getting from one point to another or the fastest way to get you to your destination–now, people are flying for the sake of the journey.
With most flights grounded, ongoing travel restrictions, and border closures, people are more eager than ever to just, well…go, even if there is no destination in mind. A recent sightseeing flight from the commercial airline Qantas sold out in just 10 minutes.
The 134-seat plane sold out in business class, premium economy, and economy with ticket prices ranging from $566 to $2,734.
“Reignite the joy of flying and take off on a ‘Great Southern Land’ scenic flight. Sightsee iconic destinations across Australia from the sky, where there are no border restrictions,” reads the website.
The seven-hour scenic flight includes low level flybys of unique Australian destinations across Queensland, the Northern Territory, and New South Wales including the Great Barrier Reef, Uluru, Kata Tjuta, Byron Bay and iconic Sydney Harbour. It also promised live entertainment and celebrity guest host.
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“It’s probably the fastest selling flight in Qantas history,” the airline’s CEO, Alan Joyce, said in a statement. “People clearly miss travel and the experience of flying. If the demand is there, we’ll definitely look at doing more of these scenic flights while we all wait for borders to open.”
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Qantas is not the first airline to offer “flights to nowhere.” There have been similar offerings across Asia, in Taiwan and Japan with Singapore considering offering the same service in October.