Category: Qantas

The Details

• Flight: QF140
• Aircraft: A330-300
• Class: Economy
• Seat: 33A and 33B
• Route: Auckland (AKL)-Sydney Kingsford Smith International (SYD)
• Distance: 1,343 miles
• Duration: 3hrs 38min
• Departure: 6:35AM
• Arrival: 7:46AM

The Preflight

After a wonderful few days exploring the North Island of New Zealand, it was time for my SO and I to head home to the USA. We left our hotel in downtown Auckland at 3AM and had a quick bus ride to Auckland International Airport.

After checking-in we made our was past security to the Strata Lounge, which we had access to thanks to my Priority Pass card. It was excellent with a variety of hot foods and nice restrooms. With 10 minutes to boarding, we made our way to the gate area. Boarding began promptly at 5:35AM and we boarded with other Oneworld elites thanks to my AAdvantage status.

Our A330-300, registration VH-QPJ, was delivered to Qantas in 2005. She had been recently retrofitted with Qantas’ newest business and economy seats.

The Flight

Qantas offers 28 business and 369 economy class seats onboard their retrofitted A330-300s. Economy class seats have 31″ of pitch and 17″ of width. They are arranged in a 2-4-2 configuration. My SO and I were seated in 33A and 33B, the paired seats on the left side of the aircraft; right in the middle of the wing.

The new Qantas economy class seats also feature a crisp and large seatback IFE screen. Each seat also had individual power outlets.

There was a very light load on todays flight with the entire center four seats open. We pushed back at 6:30AM, 10 minutes after the scheduled departure time and had a quick taxi to the runway. Along the way we passed by some Air New Zealand B777s.

We had a very quick take-off given the light load and very soon we passed over the Tasman Sea as the sun was rising.

A breakfast was offered on this flight. The food offerings included scrambled eggs with sausage and potatoes. There was a side of fresh fruit and yoghurt as well. I had a cup of black coffee to go with breakfast.

The rest of the flight was entirely uneventful. As we approached Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport we had some cloudy views of downtown Sydney and the Opera House.

We landed at 7:46 local time at SYD and passed by two massive A380s.

We ended up parking right next to the Qantas “Yam Dreaming” livery B787-9 that showcases Indigenous culture.

Our next flight aboard American Airlines’ B787-9 to Los Angeles boarded at 9:10AM which gave us about two hours and 30 minutes at SYD. We had to clear security again and then passed into the international terminal at SYD. Along the way we had some beautiful views of a Qantas B747.

This was a perfectly fine three hour and forty minute flight from New Zealand to Sydney. I appreciated that we got to experience Qantas’ newest economy class offering and I thoroughly enjoyed the seat. I would gladly book with Qantas again aboard their A330.

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!

The Details

• Flight: QF26
• Aircraft: B747-400ER
• Class: Business
• Seat: 3A and 3B
• Route: Tokyo Haneda (HND)-Sydney Kingsford Smith International (SYD)
• Distance: 4,887 miles
• Duration: 8hrs 52min
• Departure: 10:21PM
• Arrival: 8:04AM

The Preflight

After a lovely time in Tokyo with my SO, we left the Conrad Hilton hotel via the airport express bus. We arrived at 6PM, about four hours before our scheduled departure time so that I could do some plane spotting at the famous Haneda Terminal 1 Observation Deck.

After I was done plane spotting, my SO and I made our way to the check-in counter. Once pass security, we headed to the JAL Sakura Lounge. There was a good amount of seating with sofas and dining tables. A buffet in the center of the lounge offered a wide variety of local Japanese food options. I had a bowl of the famous JAL curry, fish soup, and some pickled sides.

Boarding began promptly at 9:20PM local time. Our beautiful B747-400ER, registration VH-OEF, was delivered brand new to Qantas on Halloween Day in 2002. Her name was fittingly “Sydney” and she was flying the Oneworld livery. Boarding began promptly at 9:20PM local time via Door 1L.

The Flight

The Qantas B747-400ER features a total of 58 business class seats in both the upper deck and the main deck. Unfortunately, Qantas had blocked the entire upper deck business class seats for their elites and no seats were released. The main deck features 14 business class seats in the nose in a 2-2 configuration with row 3 being 2-2-2, and a larger main business class cabin with 32 seats in a 2-3-2 configuration (with row 5 being 1-3-1). Rows 1-2 were also blocked for elites but row three was available for selection.

We choose seats 3A and 3B in the nose. Our seats were already pre-fitted with a mattress pad. Waiting for us at the seat was a dense pillow, quilted blanket, amenity kit, and menu.

I appreciated how Qantas had the mattress pad pre-fitted so passengers could go to sleep immediately on this red-eye flight. Each seat was 21.5″ wide and very comfortable.

There was an enormous amount of legroom at the seat with a pitch of 60″. Below was a small cubby for shoes.

There was a literature pocket in the seatback and a hand rail for getting up out of the seat. Next to the hand rail was a coat hook.

The seat controls were in the left armrest. There were options for lumbar support and a massage function.

In the center console was a literature pocket. Both the IFE screen and tray table were stored here as well.

The IFE remote was stored below the right armrest.

Between the seats was a privacy divider. There was also a reading light and headphone jack.

The IFE screen was stowed in the center armrest between our seats. It definitely felt dated and the resolution was rather poor.

The IFE remote was also dated and buttons required a bit of extra push for a response.

The cabin was definitely showing its age with panels held together with integrity seal.

And despite leaving from Japan with their excellent service culture, the seat was dirty with crumbs and large food leftovers in the arm rests.

The safety manual was so dated Qantas had to laminate it. Despite all of these small blemishes, I still loved the fact that I was aboard the Queen of the Skies.

The amenity kit featured a dental kit, ear plugs, eye mask, lip balm, hand cream, and moisturizer. While I wasn’t the biggest fan on the kit design, my SO loved the style.

We were each given a set of super comfortable pajamas with the big blue Roo.

The blanket was very comfortable and heavy.

There was also a pair of low-quality branded headphones.

There was a total of three lavatories on the main deck for business class. However, one was marked out of order in flight and thus there was always a line for the remaining two lavatories. Lavatories were stocked with Aspar branded hand wash and hand cream.

Upon taking our seats, my SO and I were offered either champagne or water. I opted for a glass of Duval Leroy brut.

The menus is as follows.

15 minutes after take-off flight attendants came through for the main meal service. I started with a bowl of excellent sweetcorn and basil soup. The sourdough croutons were particularly crunchy. The side was a basic green salad.

To accompany my soup, I had a glass of Australian chardonnay.

For my main I opted for the fried chicken brioche with chipotle aioli. With a single romaine lettuce leaf and greasy brioche bun, it was disappointing. This sandwich felt on par with what I’d expect from a buy-on-board menu flying domestic economy in the USA.

Finally, a cart was rolled through the cabin with dessert and cheese. The Japanese cheesecake was absolutely divine and had just the right amount of jiggle you’d expect. The lemon cream paired perfectly with the fluffy cheesecake.

Just prior to the lights being turned off, flight attendants came through with bottled water.

Once the cabin lights were turned off the crew switched to a blue mood light. I quickly fell asleep before taking a picture of my bed… The seat was extremely comfortable, especially since there was no confined foot cubby.

I woke up to a gorgeous sunrise as were were cruising over Northern Australia.

With 90 minutes to landing, flight attendants began the breakfast service. I had all three beverage choices: orange juice, banana smoothie, and a nice cup of black coffee. I enjoyed the flavor of the coffee served aboard Qantas.

Flight attendants came through with warm towels to begin the breakfast service.

There were three breakfast choices to choose from from a cart wheeled through the cabin. I decided to sample all three. The egg frittata was tasty, the cereal was as expected, and the chocolate croissant was a bit dry. I had another cup of coffee.

We were also given Express Path passes and immigration forms.

With about 45 minutes left in flight I managed to snap a beautiful view of the CF6 engines.

We were treated a gloomy views of downtown Sydney on our approach.

We landed earlier than scheduled at 8:04AM had a very quick taxi to the gate. As we were deplaning, I turned around to take one last picture of the nose cabin.

Thanks for the ride!

I’ve always loved the B747 and as these birds are slowly retired, I am trying to fly on them as much as possible. This was the first time ever that I had the opportunity to sit in the nose of a B747 and I relished every moment of it. While the cabin was dated and the food average, I still had a lovely time aboard. I would fly this aircraft again in a heart beat.