Qantas partnership: health and wellness in the air
Our partnership with Qantas will develop an integrated, holistic and evidence-based approach to airline travel and health.
Our researchers are working with Qantas to provide integrated health and wellbeing advice, education and research in a range of areas that have the potential to dramatically improve the experience of long-haul flying, including:
- jetlag mitigation, circadian entrainment, sleep and light exposure
- food and beverage services
- physical activity
- transit lounge design
- evaluation and experimental design
- education and professional training.
Project Sunrise
Qantas operated three Project Sunrise research flights from New York and London to Sydney in 2019 in partnership with the Charles Perkins Centre researchers to collect real-world passenger data. The preliminary findings show it is possible to reduce the impact of jetlag by reshaping the inflight travel experience.
As Qantas prepares to launch its transformative Project Sunrise, it’s working with the University’s multidisciplinary Charles Perkins Centre on a unique evidence-based approach to improve customers' experience of long-haul flights.
Already, the University's partnership with Qantas has led to the development of a 4D planning system designed by our academics that reduces CO2 emissions and fuel costs with flight path optimisation.
This collaborative partnership between Qantas and our researchers is investigating ways to optimise environmental and bahavioural factors, with the aim of improving the customer experience before, during and after long-haul travel.
- Professor Margaret Allman-Farinelli
- Professor Emeritus Adrian Bauman
- Professor William Bellew
- Dr Yu Sun Bin
- Professor Corinne Caillaud
- Professor Philip de Chazal
- Professor Peter Cistulli
- Professor Stephen Colagiuri
- Dr Svetlana Postnova
- Professor Stephen Simpson
- Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis
Charles Perkins Centre
- Professor Stephen Simpson, Co-chair
- Professor Peter Cistulli
- Professor Margaret Allman-Farinelli
- Susan McColl
Qantas
- Philip Capps, Co-chair
- Karen Gardiner
- Dylan Calder
- Narelle Kellahan
- Mitchell Smith
- Jack Bale
InSync study
Associate Professor Svetlana Postnova leads the InSync study, in collaboration with Qantas Airways, to develop and test strategies to mitigate jetlag using biophysical modelling of circadian rhythms. The research aims to quantify the speed of adaptation after transmeridian travel and to optimise the timing of light exposure, food and exercise to minimise jetlag. Building on earlier work undertaken in 2019 with the Project Sunrise research flights, the outcomes of this research will inform Qantas's operations for ultra-long-haul flights and improve travellers’ alertness, sleep and safety.
The research is funded by the Australian Research Council with co-contributions from Qantas and the University of Sydney.
Qantas's Flight research: Improving your wellbeing on ultra long-haul flights outlines the study and details how to participate.
Please contact the InSync team with any questions about the study.