Qantas Flight QF9 (Melbourne – Perth – London)

Qantas’ QF9 route is a direct flight from Melbourne to London’s Heathrow Airport via Perth. In this instance, ‘direct’ refers to the flight carrying the same flight number all the way through to London from Melbourne. Given the short stop in Perth, it’s not a ‘non-stop’ flight from Melbourne, though it is from Perth. Clocking in at just under 23 hours, QF9 is one of the fastest – and easiest – ways to fly from Melbourne to London.

The individual legs can be booked separately – Melbourne to Perth carries the QF9 number (while also departing from Melbourne’s international terminal), as does Perth to London. If you’re using the Melbourne to Perth leg to reposition yourself, we’ve rounded up some of the best uses for Qantas Points from Perth.

Planning on flying from Melbourne to London? Here’s everything you need to know about Qantas flight QF9.

Check-in for QF9 at Melbourne Airport

Despite the first leg of QF9 being domestic, you’ll still be required to check in at Melbourne’s International Terminal (T2). And yes, this applies even if your final destination is Perth on QF9.

The check-in procedure is a little different compared to standard domestic flights (you’re travelling on an international service, after all!) You’ll be able to check in online when solely flying from Melbourne to Perth.

For passengers finishing their travel in Perth, you’ll require a printed boarding pass with a bright orange sticker attached to show you’re travelling domestically on an international flight. You’ll need to present a photo ID (a driver’s licence will suffice if you’re ending your journey in Perth) and pass through customs in Melbourne.

For passengers flying all the way to London, you’ll just receive standard boarding passes as both flights are considered international and your final destination is out of Australia.

QF9 flight time

QF9 departs from Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport at 3:05 pm. The first leg of the journey takes approximately 4 hours, with a 5:15 pm arrival at Terminal 3 in Perth.

After a quick 90-minute turnaround, the same aircraft departs Perth at 6:45 pm and continues to London’s Heathrow Airport. The 17.5-hour flight isn’t quite the longest in the world, but it comes close (it’s actually the third-longest at the time of writing). Including transit time, the entire journey takes around 23 hours, with a 5:05 am arrival into London the following morning.

These timings are based on the northern hemisphere summer and will differ slightly during the northern hemisphere winter period.

QF9 aircraft type and seating

QF9 is serviced by the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, with three cabin classes available.

Business Class on QF9

The Business Class cabin onboard QF9 is laid out in a 1-2-1 configuration with 42 seats. All seats convert into 80-inch (203 cm) flatbeds. And when you’re not snoozing, you’ll enjoy a generous seat width of 23-24 inches (up to 61 cm), with a 46-inch pitch.

Here’s what you can look forward to in Business Class onboard Qantas’ Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Premium Economy on QF9

QF9’s Premium Economy cabin is fitted with 28 recliner seats in a 2-3-2 layout. While it’s no flatbed, you’ll still enjoy extra space with a 20.5-inch (52 cm) width and 38-inch seat (96.5 cm) pitch. And if you really want to stretch out, select a seat in row 20 for extra legroom.

Economy Class on QF9

QF9’s Economy Class features 166 seats in a 3-3-3 configuration. The standard seats are 17.2 inches (43 cm) wide and have a 32-inch (81 cm) pitch. For extra legroom, choose a seat in rows 40 or 46.

Also read: Qantas Boeing 787 International Economy (Sydney – Perth)

Lounge access when flying QF9

Melbourne

With QF9 departing from Melbourne’s International Terminal (T2), eligible passengers can access the Qantas International Business Lounge. This applies whether you’re flying domestically (and ending your journey in Perth) or completing the full stretch all the way to London. Business Class passengers, Qantas Gold frequent flyers and oneworld Sapphire members all make the cut. And if you’ve got a Qantas Club membership or linked a complimentary digital lounge pass to your flight beforehand, you can also unwind here.

The luxurious Qantas First Lounge in Melbourne is reserved for Qantas Platinum and Platinum One frequent flyers and oneworld Emerald members. And if you’ve got a complimentary First Class lounge invitation courtesy of your Qantas Premier Titanium credit card, you can use it to access this lounge.

Perth

If you’re continuing onwards to London, a short 90-minute transit in Perth allows for a quick visit to the Qantas International Transit Lounge in Terminal 3. This lounge caters to Qantas passengers heading to London on QF9, Rome on QF5 or Singapore on QF71. This means that if your journey begins in Perth, without the inbound domestic leg, you’ll also be able to access this lounge.

In addition to being a passenger on one of the above flights, you’ll need to meet the entry criteria. Business Class passengers, Qantas Gold, Platinum, Platinum One and Chairman’s Lounge members can relax here before their flight. Access extends to oneworld Sapphire and Emerald members, as well as Emirates Skywards Gold and Platinum members. Qantas Club members can also enjoy a quick refresh. Unfortunately, complimentary lounge passes can’t be used here.

Booking QF9 using points

QF9 can be booked using Qantas Points. With reward seats, here’s how many points you’ll need to fly from Melbourne to London or to book each leg individually.

Remember, if you’re seeing a very high number of points (in the hundreds of thousands or even millions), it means there are no reward seats available. Instead, you’re seeing a Points + Pay seat, a cash fare converted into points.

Rewards seats on QF9 (and the reverse QF10) are quite hard to come by. Qantas tends to release some seats in all classes periodically in batches. Sign-up for our seat alerts newsletter to be notified when more seats are dropped.

Qantas Platinum and Platinum One frequent flyers can also call Qantas to request reward seats to be released.

Also read: How to use your Qantas Points to get to Europe

Alternative flights

Here are some other Qantas-operated routes to consider when flying to the UK or Europe:

• Qantas flight QF1 – Sydney to London
• Qantas flight QF5 – Perth to Rome

Looking for more ways to fly to London? Here’s what to expect when flying to London with various airlines.

Featured image: Hugo Sousa, Unsplash

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