The Details

• Flight: QF147
• Aircraft: B737-800
• Class: Business
• Seat: 2D and 2F
• Route: Sydney Kingsford Smith International (SYD)-Auckland (AKL)
• Distance: 1,375 miles
• Duration: 2hrs 55min
• Departure: 4:19PM
• Arrival: 9:00PM

The Preflight

After spending the morning exploring downtown Sydney, my SO and I made our way to Sydney Kingsford Smith International airport at 1:00PM. Our flight was scheduled to board at 3:15PM which gave us about two hours at SYD.

First, we went to check out the Qantas Club in Terminal 3 but it was terribly crowded. After spending 45 minutes in the lounge, we decided to walk around the terminal for a bit. There were some great views from the large windows.

I managed to spot two enormous A380s.

Boarding was scheduled to begin at 3:15PM and we arrived at the gate just as it was starting to begin. Our B737-800, registration VH-XZI, was delivered brand new to Qantas in March 2013.

The Flight

Qantas features 12 recliner business class seats aboard their B737s in three rows of four seats in a 2-2 configuration. Each seat had 37″ of pitch and 22″ of width. There was a pillow, blanket, and menu awaiting at the seat. The seats appeared new and were quite comfortable.

The seatback entertainment screens were adjustable, great for when the person in front of me reclined. The resolution was OK.

The remote was stored in the armrest. This one was fairly used and the buttons had to be pressed with force.

Under the center armrest was manual seat controls. One button controlled the leg rest. It is nice the Qantas decided to include a foot rest for their narrowbody business class seats

Between the seats were two USB ports and two 110V outlets.

In the seat back pocket was a set of headphones. These were uncomfortable and one side was not working. I stuck with my own pair of Bose headphones.

The blanket was thick.

The pillow was comfortable and firm.

Menus were awaiting passengers at each seat. I have to say the options were much better than on our previous Qantas flight.

Flight attendants came by during boarding and asked what we would like for a pre-departure beverage. I had an excellent glass of Australian chardonnay.

We had a smooth take off and within minutes were above the clouds.

15 minutes after takeoff flight attendants came by with snacks and a drink service. I had another glass of the chardonnay.

For the appetizer I had the crab with mayonnaise, kipfler potatoes, pickled fennel, smoked paprika, and sherry vinaigrette. It was amazing. There was a bread basket and a side garden salad.

My SO had the Laksa broth with coriander. It was extremely flavorful.

For my main, I opted for the Butter Roasted Pork scotch fillet with smoked paprika mayonnaise, grilled zucchini and red onions. The mayonnaise sauce was delicious and the pork tender. Another excellent dish.

My SO ordered the slow braised beef, green peppercorn and brandy pie with potato puree and roasted tomatoes. The pie, despite the probably 1,000 calories, was also excellent. The crust was flaky and the beef aromatic.

The meal was finished with a generous cheese course.

Throughout the flight, flight attendants passed through the cabin offering drink refills and water. My SO loves chocolate and was delighted that Qantas offers hot chocolate.

With about 30 minutes to go, the flight attendants passed out chocolate and prepared the cabin for landing. By the time we landed it was pitch black outside.

This was a truly exceptional short-haul, narrow-body flight in business class with Qantas. The seat, with footrest, is much better than what carriers in the United States offer. The food was delicious and alcohol free-flowing. I would gladly fly with Qantas aboard their B737-800 again!