OP INION
Spot the difference
Tink nonstop and direct flights are the same thing? Tink again...
A LEX MCWH I R TER A FORMER BUSINE SS TR AVEL AGENT AND TR AVEL JOURNAL IS T
F 82
or many years the airline industry has defined flights in three ways: nonstop, direct or indirect. Tat’s how we old hands still describe air services, but in recent times
the distinction between nonstop and direct flights has become blurred, causing a lot of confusion. So first of all, let’s understand what the difference is. John Strickland, aviation consultant
and fellow Business Traveller contributor, explains: “As its name suggests, a nonstop flight means just that. Examples: London-Los Angeles with Virgin Atlantic or London- Singapore with Singapore Airlines. Direct is same plane throughout – but with en route stop(s). Example: London-Singapore-Sydney with BA, or Dubai-Milan-New York with Emirates. Indirect is where there’s an en route plane change. Examples: Manchester- Singapore-Jakarta with Singapore Airlines, or London-Dubai-Johannesburg with Emirates.”
WHEN DIRECT MEANS NONSTOP Qantas’ nonstop Perth-London service is surely something to be boasted about. It was billed as both “nonstop” and “direct”, and the description – one correct, one not – appeared to depend on where the press release originated from. Qantas is not alone. In recent months British Airways described
its London-Santiago (Chile) route as “direct” and similarly with London-Durban, but the fact that both were nonstop (indeed Santiago is the farthest destination on the BA network) meant BA was doing itself a disservice. Te BA spokesperson later told me
“customers today think of direct as being nonstop” and “nowadays there are not as many direct flights as there used to be.”
S E P TEMBE R 2 0 18 Te latter statement is key. Decades ago
there were many direct flights as B707s, DC-8s and B747s did not have the long range of modern aircraſt. Almost every flight between Europe and South East Asia would need to make a stop en route in the Gulf. Every flight linking the Gulf or India with North America would stop in Europe.
MULTIPLE PLAYERS “Fiſth-freedom rights” mean passengers can be carried between two destinations by the airline of a third country. Fewer seats are wasted as a result. Singapore Airlines, when it operated directly between London and Singapore (stopping in Dubai), was allowed to sell seats for the London-Dubai and Dubai-Singapore legs. Likewise Kuwait Airways for the Kuwait-London and London-New York sectors. Although there are fewer
Nowadays there are many sixth-freedom carriers who exploit the market to the detriment of others
westbound, but nonstop eastbound. Why? Here I refer to BA’s flights from London City. Westbound they operate directly because BA must stop in Shannon to refuel the A318 (the smallest aircraſt Airbus make), with which it operates the route. Te aircraſt needs to be light to take off from London City’s short runway; it then loads its full complement of fuel at Shannon. Tere’s no such problem going the other way, as it’s landing light. Emirates operates flights
that travel either nonstop or direct between Dubai and New York. Its indirect flights – where a change of aircraſt is required – are routed Dubai-Athens-New York or Dubai-Milan-New York. Of
course, today’s aircraſt could do the trip nonstop, but here it seems Emirates seeks a new
market opportunity. Perhaps there is another reason
why the word “direct” has been
direct flights now, they do exist, and generally because the route cannot support nonstop operation – but this could change if Qantas was to acquire an ultra long-haul plane for Sydney-London nonstop (and Qantas have been speaking to Boeing and Airbus about creating such an aircraſt). So we now see Air New Zealand operating
directly London-Los Angeles-Auckland, or KLM flying Amsterdam-Kuala Lumpur-Jakarta or Qantas flying London-Singapore-Sydney.
OUT NONSTOP, RETURN DIRECT You might think it strange, but in the case of New York, BA operates direct flights
distorted. Nowadays there are many sixth-
freedom carriers – those where passengers are flown indirectly between two destinations by the airline of a third country – who exploit the market to the detriment of others. Tat would explain Qantas’ use of “direct”
for its Perth-London nonstop service; or why BA bills its London-Santiago service as “direct” to distinguish it from its indirect rivals located in mainland Europe. My point is, for the passenger, caveat
emptor. If you are tempted by a “direct” flight, don’t assume this means nonstop; it might mean a stop en route and a chance to stretch your legs, but a longer journey time. BT
bus ine s s tr a v el ler .c om
ILLUSTRATION: BENJAMIN SOUTHAN
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