No word yet on whether the fares are mileage earning

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Adventurers can be the first in the world to welcome 2010 on a unique sightseeing flight to Antarctica onboard a Qantas A380-operated flight.

The history making flight, organized by Melbourne-based Antarctica Sightseeing Flights, will originate in Sydney and fly via Melbourne to reach Antarctica.

Passengers will be over the “ice” for the countdown to midnight and by the first in the world to see the light of the New Year.

The private chartered A380 flight will fly figure-eight patterns above the breathtaking polar terrain for up to four hours before heading back to Melbourne and Sydney.

The New Years Eve flight will be the first commercial A380 flight over the South Polar Region and the only aircraft permitted to do so on New Year’s Eve.

Two other Antarctic flights are also planned for the southern summer – a second A380 service direct from Sydney on 24 January and a Boeing 747-400 from Melbourne on Valentine’s Day, 14 February.

The New Year’s Eve flight to Antarctica will be under the command of Senior Captain John Dennis, who has flown more than 40 of the 85 previous Boeing 747 flights to the ice.

“Antarctica is the world’s coldest, driest and windiest continent, and the fastest, most comfortable way to view it is from the air, which maximizes viewing but leaves not a single footprint,” said Antarctica flights founder Phil Asker, whose company has operated 85 Antarctic flights from Australia since 1994, all with Boeing 747 aircraft chartered from Qantas.

“Not only will we offer the unique opportunity for New Year’s Eve travellers to farewell 2009 and welcome 2010 flying low and slow over the breathtaking Antarctic landscape – we will offer the bonus opportunity to make aviation history aboard the first commercial flight by the A380 to the south polar region,” he said.

Antarctica sightseeing flights do not land in Antarctica. On a typical day, the first icebergs are seen approximately three hours after passing Hobart.

The most frequently-used route then takes the aircraft over the polar icecap, the South Magnetic Pole, the French scientific base at Dumont d’Urville, rugged coastal cliffs, massive glaciers and finally the spectacular Trans-Antarctic Range before returning to Australia.

Experts onboard deliver commentary and stories of their own Antarctic experiences, and they stroll through the cabin throughout the flight to speak to passengers.

Videos are screened throughout the flight about Antarctic life and history and a camera on the flight deck gives passengers a pilot’s eye view, via the cabin entertainment screens.

There will also be a lively jazz band moving through the cabin entertaining guests during the New Year’s Eve flight.

The Qantas Airbus A380 fleet is configured to seat up to 450 passengers with eight different seating options available for Antarctic flights.

Pricing from Sydney and Melbourne for the New Year’s Eve 11 ½ flight ranges from A$999 for an Economy Class Centre seat to $6,299 for First Class.

Passengers from other Australian destinations or from overseas can also buy competitive airfares to Melbourne or Sydney to join the New Year’s Eve flight or one of the Antarctic sightseeing trips.

Approval has been secured for 19 Antarctica flight routes, with final selection based upon weather details obtained immediately before departure from Australia. All flights include two full international meals plus snacks and drinks.

For more information on pricing, travel dates or other details, or to book an Antarctica sightseeing flight, visit travel agents in Australia, call 1800 633 449 or visit www.antarcticaflights.com.au
Although the Antarctic sightseeing flights are operated by Qantas, the flights are private charters and able to be purchased through Qantas reservations.