Qantas jets back to Rome in 2025
The popular seasonal route returns for next year’s European summer.
By Chris Ashton, August 20 2024
Want to swap the cold weather of next year’s Australian winter for the warm languid European summer? Qantas will once again connect Australia to Italy in 2025 with the return of the popular Sydney-Perth-Rome route.
Saturday 14 June 2025 marks the start of the seasonal service, which as before will run three days a week – Saturday, Tuesday and Thursday – over the high season, with the Boeing 787 beginning its almost 23-hour trek as flight QF5, departing Sydney at 7.05pm.
After a brief stop at Perth, the Dreamliner lifts off around 11.30pm with its sights on a 9.55am touch-down at Rome’s Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport.
These seasonal non-stop flights from Perth to the Eternal City will complement the year-round 787s to London and Paris, with the option for travellers to fly into Rome and make their return Qantas flight out of London or Paris on what’s called a circle fare.
Rome also makes an ideal jumping-off point to popular European destinations such as Athens, Frankfurt, Milan and Nice with Qantas’ partner airlines.
Athens might even be next in line for non-stop flights from Australia, with Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson name-dropping Greece and Germany as possible seasonal destination from Perth “when we have the aircraft.”
“There’s a whole bunch of markets like Greece and Germany that we’ve flown to before on a connecting basis that we’ll look at (for direct flights),” adds Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace, who tells Executive Traveller that Seattle, Chicago and Las Vegas are also on his radar.
“We generally have 10 markets under analysis” at any time, “and five under deep analysis.”
As previously reported, Qantas is also ramping up its Sydney-Auckland-New York flights to six days a week.
American Airlines - AAdvantage
13 Jul 2015
Total posts 276
When do they actually start flying?
07 Feb 2022
Total posts 24
It's flying now. The service restarted on June 18.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
06 Oct 2016
Total posts 177
I haven't been able to find a start date for 2024, which is what I think you are referring to, but if it is early July QF usually release 353 days out, so you would say late June 2024
30 May 2014
Total posts 18
Until more aircraft are potentially ordered, I do not see "Sunrise" flights extending much further than London and New York. Qantas has already confirmed PER-LHR will be upgraded to an A350-1000. With a daily flight from Perth, Melbourne and Sydney to London plus a daily to JFK, 8 aircraft are already committed, realistically leaving only 3 more operational frames on a 12 aircraft order.
It will be interesting to see if Qantas operates to Paris and Frankfurt with A350's or with 787's via Perth.
I wouldn't be surprised to see Chicago thrown into the mix. Qantas has had 2 false starts with Chicago and given AA feed and no direct competitor, it fits the "sunrise" bill. Without AA or United having suitable aircraft to operate it, Qantas' only competition would be from Air NZ via Auckland.
08 Feb 2018
Total posts 166
First flight over 3 hours late ;-/
At least they’re consistent
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
21 Aug 2014
Total posts 2
A shame it’s not all year round, would there be enough demand for it
20 Jun 2023
Total posts 1
Travelled on the first FCO-PER for the season on 18 June. Yes, it was a bit over 3 hours late. It was also less than half full in Y: I'm not complaining, nearly everyone got to lie down. Certainly better than being packed in like the proverbial sardines. I'm sure the numbers will build once QF has delivered enough pax to FCO to start bringing home again!
I can also verify the summary of lounge options in FCO given in an earlier post here: the BA lounge is very good, although the staff are very particular about signing guests in and it can take a while; the lounge also has no toilet or shower facilities. The QF checkin agents channel pax to the adjacent Plaza Premium lounge, which has showers and toilets, but on my visit it was crowded, needed a tidy up, and alcoholic drinks were an extra-cost option.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
20 Mar 2012
Total posts 233
Flew SYD-PER-FCO in Premium Economy.
Business nearly full, premium and economy less than than half full.
FA’s refused to do announcements in Italian (much to the chagrin of two ladies in the row ahead of me), which seemed unusual.
These were packed full last season’s run.. confusing.
25 Feb 2024
Total posts 4
Possibly the price point. When I checked, it was cheaper to travel SQ SYD-SIN-FCO.
QF
03 Jul 2015
Total posts 23
QF5 actually commences from SYD, with a brief stop in Perth, returns to SYD via Perth (another brief stop).
20 Aug 2024
Total posts 1
Looks like the Euro season is over for 2024. Any news on dates and availability for 2025. Can’t see anything yet from Qantas
11 May 2020
Total posts 15
They're already available to book from mid June next year.
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