For the past few years I have spent most of my flying time on Star Alliance airlines, but in 2010 I decided I would move some of my travel to Oneworld alliance, including my national carrier Qantas. As a recent convert to Qantas this is my first opportunity to review a Qantas international flight and what better flight number to start with than QF1, the daily service from Sydney to London via Bangkok operated by the Boeing 747-400. I only flew as far as Bangkok so this post only covers that first sector, featuring the beautiful First Class lounge facilities in Sydney that Qantas have become quite famous for.
I arrived in Sydney from Melbourne on a Qantas Boeing 767 (scored an operational upgrade to Business on that sector). For those continuing on to international flights Qantas provide a cross-tarmac terminal transfer bus service. I enjoy the bus ride as you get to drive past lots of aircraft and see them up close. I took a few shot's on the way over:
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| Qantas Domestic Terminal Sydney is a Boeing Zone |
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| Qantas 747-400 in Maintenance |
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| B767-300F at the Cargo Terminal |
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| Approaching International - the QF First Class lounge is the curved windowed structure perched on top |
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| Passing another Qantas 747-400 |
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| Qantas A380 to Los Angeles |
Qantas in Melbourne had already given me my boarding pass for QF1 and my bags were checked through so all I had to do was head through passport control and security, then on to the lounge. I had arrived nice and early with the intention to take advantage of the Payot spa before my flight.
I made my way through the terminal stopping at an ATM to pick up some currency on the way.
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| Sydney International Terminal |
The Qantas lounges are located upstairs and there is both a business class lounge and a first class lounge. The business lounge is open to Qantas Club members, Qantas Gold frequent flyers, business class passengers and oneworld sapphire card holders. First class is open to Platinum frequent flyers, first class passengers and oneworld emerald card holders. The first class lounge has become quite well known as one of the finest on the planet! I was looking forward to my visit.
As you approach you are greeted by the live plant wall before going upstairs...
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| Coming up the escalator into the lounge - classic style departure board |
As you enter the lounge you are greeted with amazing views of the Sydney city skyline with plenty of Qantas tails poking up in between. The lounge has an absolutely fantastic position, and plane spotters will love the views towards runway 16R!
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| Great views towards Sydney |
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| View towards the main runway and domestic terminal |
One of the most exciting features about this lounge is the Payot Spa which is found inside. The entrance is through a sliding door at the far end of the lounge. Appointments are available in advance for those passengers actually flying First Class... for those of us who are not, you may go in and see if an appointment is available. I tried this out and was told I could have a hot towel facial and head neck and shoulder massage right away. After filling out a customer card I was introduced to my massage therapist and taken into a beautiful treatment room featuring another live plant wall. With soothing tunes in the background and beautiful surroundings like this you soon forget you are in the middle of an airport terminal!
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| Payot Spa treament room |
After about 45 minutes in the spa my treatment was over and I was feeling totally relaxed and prepared for the flight ahead. My next stop was a shower in one of the beautiful marble lined individual shower suites. They give a really luxurious feel and have first class amenities for use in the shower and a drawer full of toiletry items should you need them.
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| Shower Amenities |
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| Shower Suite |
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| Toiletry items in the shower suite |
After a long hot shower it was time to relax in the lounge and have a few drinks. You will NOT be disappointed by what is available, for example there are several different french champagnes including Taittinger, Bollinger and Moet. There are several very good red and white wines as well as a large amount of spirits and beers.
Along the walls you can find self serve snacks along with beer and soft drink fridges, with the other drinks being available at the bar... or by waiter service from the comfort of your seat.
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| Self Serve Area |
I settled down with a glass of Taittinger in one of the fabulous leather armchairs looking over the airport and towards the Sydney CBD. The view was amazing.
In front of me was VH-OJG, the Boeing 747-400 which was operating my flight to Bangkok tonight. As I sat there having a few glasses of champagne and enjoying the view, the lounge slowly filled up. There was a few long haul flights preparing to leave, and the restaurant area was completely full.
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| VH-OJG Boeing 747-400 'City of Hobart' preparing for QF1 to London via Bangkok |
After a few drinks it was time to consider an early dinner before the flight, and the Qantas first lounge does not disappoint when it comes to food! Take a look at the menu below (click on them to view them in a larger size):
I decided to go with a steak and chips with a side of wild rocket and parmesan salad followed by the pavlova special. With the restaurant tables completely full I decided to sit in one of the lounge chairs and have my meal there. There are waiters throughout the lounge available to place your order with. It only took about 15 to 20 minutes to receive my meal.
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| Dinner in the First Class lounge |
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| Pavlova and a Sauvignon Blanc |
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| Delicious! |
The meal was fabulous, although the steak was quite small it was really tasty and by the time I had completed the fabulous pavlova dessert I was quite full. The lounge by this stage was starting to empty out with several Qantas departures already in the air. Soon after I had finished eating boarding for QF1 to London was announced. Time to head to the gate and leave the luxurious surrounds of the Qantas International First Class Lounge behind. My stay had been most enjoyable and I was already looking forward to my next visit!!
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THE FLIGHT
AIRLINE: Qantas Airways
FLIGHT: QF1
AIRCRAFT: Boeing 747-400 (VH-OJG)
SCHEDULED TO DEPART: 18.05
ACTUAL DEPARTURE: 18.10 (5 minutes delay)
SCHEDULED TO ARRIVE: 23.10
ACTUAL ARRIVAL: 23.10 (on time)
LOAD FACTOR: Economy - 65%, Premium Economy - 90%, Business - 90%, First - 100%
Boarding was already well under way as I approached the gate area. The flight today was being operated with the usual Boeing 747-400 equipment, just as it has been for a couple of decades now I believe. The aircraft for today was VH-OJG named City of Hobart. This aircraft was delivered new to Qantas way back in 1990, making it 20 years old. That's the same year I had my first ever flight in an aircraft, so OJG and I have both been flying for a similar length of time, although I suspect the Boeing has accumulated quite a few more flying hours than I have!
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| VH-OJG as seen from the jetway |
I had a seat allocation of 40G. I chose this seat when I booked the flight, it's a unique row to be in as it has a bulkhead in front of it, and a toilet wall behind it, meaning it is quite a private area to sit in. As far as I know this row is only selectable in advance by those with some sort of elite status in a oneworld frequent flyer program... not a problem for me with my Qantas platinum number attached to the booking.
What makes this row really great apart from the privacy, is the increased legroom! The bulkhead wall has a cutout where your feet go, meaning you can stretch right out. The disadvantage is the fixed arm rests which also hold the PTV screen, meaning the seats are a tiny bit narrower, and you can not raise the arm rests to stretch out should you have vacant seats beside you.
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| Row 40 |
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| Row 40 - looking across at the right hand side crew rest seats |
Across the aisle from me were row 40 seats H/J/K which are designated crew rest seats and would only be used when the flight load is 100%, there is a curtain around these seats that can give the crew privacy whilst resting.
The passenger load in economy was only about 65% full today, so many passengers had a middle seat free, but very few had an entire row of 3 or 4 to themselves. Boarding was soon completed and doors were closed. At 6.10 pm we pushed back, 5 minutes behind schedule. Just a quick taxi to runway 16R and we were soon powering down the runway, lifting off over Botany Bay and making a right hand turn tracking north west towards Richmond.
After climbing through quite a bit of heavy cloud and its associated turbulence we were in the clear blue late afternoon sky and I was getting comfortable. Amenity kits were non-existant in economy class, but at least they still had a menu which was passed out to the passengers. I soon discovered that by placing my wheel aboard Samsonite bag in the cutout bulkhead i could get quite comfortable with my legs stretched fully out and my seat reclined, it was just about as good as a premium economy seat. I was most happy with this setup and very comfortable! I actually dozed off for a while until I was given a gentle tap on the shoulder and offered dinner.
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| Getting comfy in 40G - can't complain about the legroom! |
I pulled out my personal screen from under the seat and decided to watch a few episodes of Australian comedy show 'The Librarians' over dinner. There was a pretty decent selection of new release movies and quite a few TV shows including quite a few Australian selections as I would expect for our national carrier!
I was still pretty full from the lounge but accepted dinner out of curiosity as to how it would taste. I had the beef pie with mashed potato. The main course itself was pretty good, but the boring salad was very ordinary and cheap looking when compared to a Singapore Airlines salad/appetiser which might include prawns or tuna or ham or something a bit more signicant than carrot and lettuce. There was also crackers and cheese on the board, and a Weis mango ice cream was offered to passengers after the dinner service was complete. A bar service was available with the meal, I just had a coke as I didn't feel like any more alcohol at this point.
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| Qantas Economy Dinner |
After dinner, a quick visit to the loo was in order. It's not far to walk as the nearest one is directly behind row 40. I thought I might be disturbed by noise from the flushing, but it wasn't a problem. The loo was a very standard affair, with no amenities other than hand soap. No moisturisers or colognes like Singapore Airlines unfortunately.
I was pretty tired by this point so spent the next 6 hours napping and watching the odd TV show before the next meal service commenced.
Qantas serves two meals on QF1, Sydney to Bangkok. The first was dinner, the next is a light snack and todya it was a vegetarian hot sandwich with a small bowl of fruit. Compared to Thai Airways the second meal is a disappointment. Thai offer a much more significant meal service on these flights with two full meals, but I guess for those passengers continuing on to London it is perfectly acceptable as a full supper service will happen after departure from Bangkok on the next leg. The sandwich itself was pretty ordinary and I didn't finish it.
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| QF1 Second Meal Service |
Soon after the second meal the cabin was prepared for landing and we made a routine arrival into Suvarnabhumi Airport, touching down right on 11pm. By 11.10pm we were parked at the gate, right next to the British Airways 747 which had just flown the same sector one hour earlier. Those continuing on to London were told to be back in about 30 minutes for the next flight... for me it was off to passport control for yet another visit to the Kingdom of Thailand.
Qantas International Economy was a good experience and I was really happy with my seat, but in my opinion the Thai Airways flights on this route are superior in service as well as hard product. On the return route I flew British Airways so expect a review of that very soon!
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After climbing through quite a bit of heavy cloud and its associated turbulence we were in the clear blue late afternoon sky and I was getting comfortable. Amenity kits were non-existant in economy class, but at least they still had a menu which was passed out to the passengers. I soon discovered that by placing my wheel aboard Samsonite bag in the cutout bulkhead i could get quite comfortable with my legs stretched fully out and my seat reclined, it was just about as good as a premium economy seat. I was most happy with this setup and very comfortable! I actually dozed off for a while until I was given a gentle tap on the shoulder and offered dinner.
