Skyscanner uncovers the direct flight routes we wish existed

The eagerly awaited Supersonic Jet can't come quick enough for the thousands of travellers who are currently seeking direct flight routes to far away destination such as Bali, Bangkok and Australia.

Research by global travel search engine Skyscanner analysed travellers' most searched for airline routes that currently don't exist and revealed that Brits are most keen for direct flights to Australia, with four of the 10 most popular routes searched being destined for the land down under. 

And these non-stop flights to Oz may soon become a reality for many as Qantas plans to launch a 16 hour flight direct from London to Perth next year, while 2018 is the proposed date for supersonic flights, which would see travellers getting from the UK to Sydney in less time than it currently takes to fly from London to Barcelona (2 hours 15 minutes).

Other most-wanted flights include London to Bali, which took the top spot and is currently only reached via connecting flights and a journey time of around 17 hours, while direct flights to Bangkok from regional UK airports took three of the top 10 spots.

Cat McGloin, Skyscanner's Travel Editor. "Thousands of Brits fly to Australia each year so it is possibly not surprising that this would be on the wish list for so many but it is also interesting to see the demand from regional airport travellers to further flung destinations.  With airports such as Manchester and Glasgow already offering long haul flights to Canada and Dubai, it is likely that we could see airlines capitalise on this demand by adding to their offering with further options to popular destinations such as Thailand."

The study also highlighted the world's most in-demand unserved routes within each global region as well as inter-regionally. The London to Denpasar is most searched for route between EMEA and Asia which currently lacks a direct service from a carrier. New York to Bangkok remains the most popular but unserved search between the Americas and Asia, while the Budapest to New York connection is the most searched route between EMEA and the Americas.  

London to Harare is the most requested route within EMEA, Orlando to Rio de Janeiro is the top searched but unserved route within the Americas, while Delhi to Auckland is for the taking within Asia-Pacific with the most searches.

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For more information, please contact Emma Wiseman on 07747 343233 or emma.wiseman@skyscanner.net

  * The data is comprised of all searches on Skyscanner during the first half of 2016, is thanks to Skyscanner's for Business's cutting-edge analytics platform Travel Insight, which unearths a wealth of market-demand opportunity based on the metasearch site's 50 million visitors, as well as a vast array of key routes data.

**(NASA) approved a $20 million (£14.3 million) contract in March 2016 for test aircraft that can fly at supersonic speeds, without the booming sounds currently associated with such travel.  And release issued by the Australian Government Department of Defence.

About Skyscanner:

• Skyscanner is a leading global travel search company providing free search of flights, hotels and car hire around the world.
• Founded in 2003 Skyscanner helps over 50 million people each month to find their travel options.
• Skyscanner is available in 30 languages.
• Skyscanner's highly-rated free mobile apps have been downloaded over 40 million times.
• The privately-owned company employs over 700 staff and has ten global offices in London, Edinburgh, Singapore, Beijing, Shenzhen, Miami, Barcelona, Glasgow, Sofia and Budapest.

For more information, please visit www.skyscanner.net