The summer holidays are just around the corner with Australians planning where to get away from their busy lives for some peace and quiet. There are maybe few better places to get both peace and quiet than the pacific island state of Palau. Well, if that is where you are planning to relax this summer break, you’ve got a new travel option to choose from. Qantas is all set to start serving the destination from Brisbane international airport.
About The New Qantas Brisbane to Palau Service QF165
It seems Qantas is trying to rebuild some public trust and more importantly trying to shift gears since the CEO change earlier in the year. The Australian carrier has been announcing a number of new or returning destinations for its route network in the past 12 months or so.
The latest addition is a very leisure oriented service which will connect the capital city of Queensland Brisbane to the Pacific state of Palau. The Islands are the most stereotypical tropical paradise. Qantas will activate the service just ahead of the Australian summer holidays looking to intercept the uptick in travel demand.
However the number of seats Qantas is offering on the new Brisbane to Palau route is quite limited. QF165 will only operate once per week starting December 7th 2024, with the flight out on Saturday and the return service on Sunday. On top of that the airline will be operating the flight with its Boeing 737-800s which are the smallest medium range capable planes present in Qantas’ fleet.
Going back to the timings they are overall very comfortably scheduled for travelers:
| Flight Number | Departure Airport | Airport Code | Departure Time | Arrival Airport | Airport Code | Arrival Time | Flight Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QF165 | Brisbane | BNE | 12:30 | Palau | ROR | 17:30 | 6h 00m |
| QF166 | Palau | ROR | 09:00 | Brisbane | BNE | 15:45 | 5h 45m |
A 6 Hour Flight on Qantas’ Boeing 737-800
Although the timings of the flight are quite comfortable and convenient for passengers, if you’re not traveling business class this is not going to be the easiest of flights to get over and done with. Qantas will fly QF165 Brisbane to Palau flights, a 6 hour service, on its Boeing 737-800s. This is a forced decision for at least a couple of reasons:
- The facilities at Palau airport aren’t really equipped to handle any plane bigger than a Boeing 737 or an Airbus A321.
- Even if the facilities in Palau would allow, the demand wouldn’t justify a larger aircraft to be used.
Qantas offers a 2 class configuration on its Boeing 737-800s (just to be clear, these are not MAX variants), featuring:
- 12 Recliner Seats in Business Class in a 2-2 layout.
- 162 Seats in Economy Class in a 3-3 layout.
IFE is available so there will be something to help make the time pass a little faster, however not all Boeing 737-800s have seat back screens. Therefore, in some cases you will only be able to access the entertainment by streaming to your device.