Qantas is redesigning its app, and according to one report, it’s looking to incorporate jet lag-beating technology to help its customers adjust to crossing multiple time zones.
The airline recently completed its third and final research flight for Project Sunrise, the initiative aimed at launching nonstop service between Sydney and New York or London, and along the way, it’s been monitoring passengers and crew to determine best practices for flights lasting up to 21 hours.
"Only one in 400 people are using an app to try and help you get your circadian rhythms right," Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce told Executive Traveller. "So what we're looking at is whether we can integrate this into the Qantas app."
Using technology similar to that of Timeshifter, an app created with the help of NASA and launched last fall, Qantas’s version would give advice on factors like food and light exposure, recommending a schedule "in the buildup to the flight, on the flight and post-flight," Joyce said.
Company executives have said they’ll make a final decision on whether or not to move forward with the nonstop service in March. Though many travellers believe the convenience of a nonstop flight would far outweigh the downsides, like being crammed into a tiny seat in coach for almost a full day, the logistics are still being sorted.
In an update issued in December, Qantas said that its research flights have “underscored the importance of dedicated space for stretching and movement for Economy passengers in particular,” and placed an emphasis on redesigning the in-flight service to “actively shift people to their destination timezone.”
Its preferred aircraft have been chosen for the ultra-long-haul routes, and fuel concerns have been addressed; regulatory approval for an extension to the current operating limits is next, and negotiations with the Australian and International Pilots Association are ongoing.
“Between the research flights and what we’ve learned from two years of flying Perth to London, we have a lot of confidence in the market for direct services like New York and London to the east coast of Australia,” Joyce said in a statement.
