Package bound for Brisbane finally arrives after 47,000km detour across the world

This delivery went the long way, the really long way.
This delivery went the long way, the really long way. Photo credit: Newshub/Getty

It’s something many of us have experienced since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, delays in the arrival of mail and parcels.

A mixture of increased online shopping, border restrictions and limited freight capacity has resulted in some of the biggest postage backlogs in history.

One particular package however, caught the eye of its recipient due to its rather lengthy and indirect route from sender to destination.

The person is a member of the Australian Frequent Flyers Forum, and shared his story with others on its website, to their disbelief.

The parcel didn’t have too far to go in the grand scheme of things - just a couple of flights, one from Los Angeles to Sydney, and then on to Brisbane.

Simple.

Well, apparently not.

The package left LA on schedule, but upon landing in Sydney, due to border restrictions between New South Wales and Queensland, rather than holding on to the parcel, it was then sent to Chicago, yes back in the United States.

For two weeks the parcel made its way around various cities and towns across the USA, before finally making back onto an international flight….to Japan

Thankfully for its recipient, the package's joyride was coming to an end. It was finally sent from Japan to Brisbane and arrived safely, just a few weeks late.

The package’s entire itinerary takes up a whopping three pages, but here are some of the destination highlights.

Air Main Special:

  • November 28 : Torrance, USA
  • November 30: Los Angeles, USA
  • December 18: Sydney, Australia
  • January 7: Chicago, USA
  • January 18: Fort Worth, USA
  • January 20: Tokyo, Japan
  • January 24: Sydney, Australia
  • January 28: Brisbane, Australia

In total, the jetsetting package travelled 47,000km.