New direct flight services from Brisbane to San Francisco and Chicago will be announced today by Qantas and flights to begin early next year.
It is the first direct flight to Chicago from any Australian city and will be serviced by Qantas Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners which is the same aircraft used for non-stop flights from Perth to London.
Qantas is still waiting for approval from the US Department of Transportation and is expected to be finalised within weeks and Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says the direct flights will pump more than $150 million into the Queensland economy over the next three years.