About Patrick Smith Expertise I can answer queries on most any issue pertaining to commercial air travel -- from airline service and safety to technical questions about aircraft and flying. I am particularly knowledgable about the routes, service cultures, and safety records of the world's airlines.
Experience Patrick Smith is an airline pilot and the author of Salon.com's popular "Ask the Pilot" series. His book, "Ask the Pilot -- Everything You Need to Know About Air Travel," was published by Riverhead/Penguin in 2004 and was Amazon's pick for the best travel book of that year.
Publications Salon.com, various newspapers and magazines.
Question When were the earliest commercial flights from Europe to Australia and how long did they take?
Answer
I'm not sure Mike. You might try with Google or Wikipedia. I
Qantas is one of the oldest airlines on earth, so they might have been the first. Or possibly BOAC -- a predecessor of British Airways. Obviously the earliest services were multi-stop affairs that probably took a couple of days.
