What's A ‘Flight To Nowhere?’ Qantas’ 7-Hour Flight Sells Out In 10 Minutes

Travelers itching to get their flying fix during the coronavirus pandemic are in luck as more airlines are offering "flights to nowhere" as border restrictions keep many international flights grounded.

Australian airline Qantas became among the latest to offer this type of flight, which departs and ends at the same airport. Tickets for the trip went on sale Thursday and all 134 available seats sold out in less than 10 minutes, a spokeswoman told Reuters.

“It’s probably the fastest selling flight in Qantas history. 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,” she said.

The Qantas flight will depart Oct. 10, promising passengers scenic views of the Great Barrier Reef, Sydney Harbour and the Australian Outback. Tickets for the roundtrip flight ranged from $787 to $3,787 in Australian dollars, the equivalent of $575 to $2,765.

While some may not understand the appeal of paying to not really go anywhere, others have already taken such flights in Taiwan and Japan, with other Asian airlines considering similar offers.

The airline industry has been one of the hardest during the pandemic due to government-ordered border shutdowns and the fear of contracting COVID-19 while traveling, with estimates that overall industry revenue may fall by 50% in 2020, the Washington Post reported.

Some travelers think these flights to nowhere could be a way to help out the airlines while doing something they enjoy.

“The pandemic has a devastating impact on the tourism and airline industry, so I want to help boost the economy, and I miss flying,” a future passenger on the Qantas flight told Reuters.

However, airline industry experts say these flights may yield little to no benefit in regaining airline profits lost during the pandemic.

“It certainly doesn’t hurt to do these flights, but I wouldn’t expect a big impact in terms of revenue or reduced losses during these challenging times,” said Brendan Sobie, an aviation analyst with Sobie Aviation.