- Joined
- Aug 26, 2010
- Posts
- 5,645
The Whole Lot in One Post :shock:
“..but, but....I have just, quite literally just, bought a pair of rather fetching safety shoes, they were $155.” I said to the chap scheduled to take me on a visit to an aluminium refinery south of Perth.
“Sorry but no good, they have to be boots....above the ankle” came the response back.
“Oh dear, does fortune play the hussy with me?” I would like to think I said, but I fear it came out as something slightly different, and laden with expletives.
I just bet you didn’t expect me to be back here, writing yet another trip report, so soon after my return to Brazil? I didn’t plan to be here, circumstances conspired against me. When I say I didn’t plan to be here, I mean I didn’t plan to write a trip report. The trip to Perth had been planned for some time and was a scheduled run of the mill jaunt.
I’d originally booked a super saver, but then changed it to a newfangled flexi saver for the extra SC earn.
There was no opportunity for me to even try to go for J, I would never be able to justify it.
This year points are important to me, actually every year they are, but this year in particular they are essential to my “no Y or Y+ long haul” strategy. So it was after several close calls I finally clicked the “confirm” button for the 10,000 point upgrade from Y to J on my flight to PER. The warning signs were there for me to see, Expertflyer showed a domestic A330 seat configuration, albeit with 2-2-2 in J. It was the 2-2-2 that threw me, I thought I knew what I was doing and assumed that the dreadful 2-3-2 configuration had been replaced. More on that later!
My flight was at 08:35. I just hate flights out of MEL at that time. It’s neither one thing nor the other. Too late for me to justify a night at the Holiday Inn, and about the worst time for rush hour traffic. In effect I have to leave home as if I was on a 07:30 flight, and that means at about 05:30. I’m not at my best in the early morning, although to be fair there are only gradual improvements as the day progresses usually ending in stupor by late evening. (Me at my best!....hic)
The drive to the airport was uneventful, I passed the bright lights of Melbourne, the various stadia, and of course the Melbourne “Eye”. (I’m not sure it is called the “Eye” but it is a big ferris wheel being constructed for the second time....one can only hope it won’t crack and break if it gets a little warm in January....like last time.)
My walk from long term, the gods finally smiled on me and afforded a parking space at the front of section A, was amusing for other pax, but quite uncomfortable for me. Did I say I was flying with carry on? That means my newly borrowed safety boots, one size too large, had to be worn on the journey. I felt like Ronald McDonald on my hike to the QF domestic terminal.
Priority security screening was a complete shambles, unmanned, and filled with non J and non status pax. At 6:00 AM on a weekday morning, with queues 10 deep, wouldn’t you think QF would enforce priority security? (OK I know you are all saying “no, why would they, it would involve delivering a published benefit!” - oh don’t be so cynical.....leave that to me!)
The usual flash of the WP card took me into the QP and then the J lounge. My card was inspected upon entry to the QP for the first time since the long lamented removal of anytime access. A “dishwater” cappuccino later, there was a barista service but I’m a masochis_, I was logging onto the wireless network, it worked again, and preparing my electrical devices for the flight. No breakfast for me in the lounge. Whilst not empty the J lounge was not well populated and neither was the QP. I guess during midweek that is not unusual, but it did surprise me a little.
Of course I did not expect priority boarding, I was flying from MEL not SYD, but that didn’t stop me from heading to the gate 15 mins before schedule boarding to see how the scrum would form and just how QF would action the process. There now seems to be so many variances I do wonder if QF is actually several airlines try to behave like a single entity....and failing.
I was surprised, unsurprised, surprised and then unsurprised. Surprised when boarding actually commenced without any sort of announcement, unsurprised when the call I was familiar with reverberated around the gate “Flight 485 for Perth is now ready for boarding at gate 21”, surprised when a few seconds later a further call was made asking that J and status pax, including SG, use the line on the left and Y pax the line on the right, and finally unsurprised when all of the Y pax, who had already joined the left hand line, stayed there.
So you won’t be under any illusion that priority boarding did not happen,and why should you think that it might? QF has already announced it won’t happen until trials are completed in Sydney. Why then have I raised it, yet again, in this trip report. Simple I’m a middle aged grumpy bloke who like to moan about something and I love QF because it is a company that continues to fuel my moaning.
“I don’t bloody believe it! Premium Economy, for flips sake, I’m in premium economy again.” I found myself close to uttering as I boarded the aircraft. I was having a Victor Meldrew moment - as I get older these “moments” become more frequent. The J cabin was in a 2-3-2 configuration, with the middle seat blocked out by an unattractive hardened piece of plastic.
The seats are hard and uncomfortable, and narrow, the tray table is small and leans to one side, and the legroom is pathetic. QF this is not business class this is economy plus. “You didn’t pay for it though, how can you complain?” I hear you say, well I paid with 10,000 hard earned points, so there! Sorry another Victor Meldrew moment.
The breakfast was OK, but the tray table is too small. I was fortunate to have a platinum shadow, thanks QF this is a good thing please don’t enhance it, so I could at least spread out onto the tray table of the seat next to me.
I didn’t use the IFE, I would probably have done so if someone was sitting next to me. (There would have been nowhere to place my iPad whilst having breakfast, and I am incapable of doing only one thing at a time! Actually that makes me sound multi skilled, maybe it is more accurate to say I need some sort of media streamed to my brain at all times.)
I could not get comfortable in the seat, I needed to lean forward to type this report, so placed the pillow behind me but that didn’t work, removing the pillow helped a little if I pulled the tray table as far towards me as possible. The foot rest is about as useful as a chocolate teapot. I chose not to recline because it would not be fair on the person behind me. (Hang on a minute I have a conscience? When did that happen?)
Why would anyone at QF, even for a millisecond, believe that this seating is remotely similar to business class seating. What were they thinking? I have experienced it twice in three weeks now and I do wonder, again, if I could pursue a case of misrepresentation against QF. (Like most Victor Meldrew moments my “can’t be a**ed” approach to life put that idea to rest.) I don’t mind premium economy.....if it is marketed and sold as premium economy, and if I’m truthful someone other than me is flying it....but this is marketed and sold as business. :?:
There was no visit from the CSM, and the crew members were pleasant enough without appearing to especially enjoy their jobs. Water was served a couple of times during the flight. Morning tea was served about an hour out of Perth and was two cookies and a coffee/or tea.
The good news was an arrival 20 mins early and first at the Avis desk.
I was out of the airport and away within 15 mins of landing.
Now I need to do some work!!!
“..but, but....I have just, quite literally just, bought a pair of rather fetching safety shoes, they were $155.” I said to the chap scheduled to take me on a visit to an aluminium refinery south of Perth.
“Sorry but no good, they have to be boots....above the ankle” came the response back.
“Oh dear, does fortune play the hussy with me?” I would like to think I said, but I fear it came out as something slightly different, and laden with expletives.
I just bet you didn’t expect me to be back here, writing yet another trip report, so soon after my return to Brazil? I didn’t plan to be here, circumstances conspired against me. When I say I didn’t plan to be here, I mean I didn’t plan to write a trip report. The trip to Perth had been planned for some time and was a scheduled run of the mill jaunt.
I’d originally booked a super saver, but then changed it to a newfangled flexi saver for the extra SC earn.
There was no opportunity for me to even try to go for J, I would never be able to justify it. This year points are important to me, actually every year they are, but this year in particular they are essential to my “no Y or Y+ long haul” strategy. So it was after several close calls I finally clicked the “confirm” button for the 10,000 point upgrade from Y to J on my flight to PER. The warning signs were there for me to see, Expertflyer showed a domestic A330 seat configuration, albeit with 2-2-2 in J. It was the 2-2-2 that threw me, I thought I knew what I was doing and assumed that the dreadful 2-3-2 configuration had been replaced. More on that later!
My flight was at 08:35. I just hate flights out of MEL at that time. It’s neither one thing nor the other. Too late for me to justify a night at the Holiday Inn, and about the worst time for rush hour traffic. In effect I have to leave home as if I was on a 07:30 flight, and that means at about 05:30. I’m not at my best in the early morning, although to be fair there are only gradual improvements as the day progresses usually ending in stupor by late evening. (Me at my best!....hic)
The drive to the airport was uneventful, I passed the bright lights of Melbourne, the various stadia, and of course the Melbourne “Eye”. (I’m not sure it is called the “Eye” but it is a big ferris wheel being constructed for the second time....one can only hope it won’t crack and break if it gets a little warm in January....like last time.)
My walk from long term, the gods finally smiled on me and afforded a parking space at the front of section A, was amusing for other pax, but quite uncomfortable for me. Did I say I was flying with carry on? That means my newly borrowed safety boots, one size too large, had to be worn on the journey. I felt like Ronald McDonald on my hike to the QF domestic terminal.
Priority security screening was a complete shambles, unmanned, and filled with non J and non status pax. At 6:00 AM on a weekday morning, with queues 10 deep, wouldn’t you think QF would enforce priority security? (OK I know you are all saying “no, why would they, it would involve delivering a published benefit!” - oh don’t be so cynical.....leave that to me!)
The usual flash of the WP card took me into the QP and then the J lounge. My card was inspected upon entry to the QP for the first time since the long lamented removal of anytime access. A “dishwater” cappuccino later, there was a barista service but I’m a masochis_, I was logging onto the wireless network, it worked again, and preparing my electrical devices for the flight. No breakfast for me in the lounge. Whilst not empty the J lounge was not well populated and neither was the QP. I guess during midweek that is not unusual, but it did surprise me a little.
Of course I did not expect priority boarding, I was flying from MEL not SYD, but that didn’t stop me from heading to the gate 15 mins before schedule boarding to see how the scrum would form and just how QF would action the process. There now seems to be so many variances I do wonder if QF is actually several airlines try to behave like a single entity....and failing.
I was surprised, unsurprised, surprised and then unsurprised. Surprised when boarding actually commenced without any sort of announcement, unsurprised when the call I was familiar with reverberated around the gate “Flight 485 for Perth is now ready for boarding at gate 21”, surprised when a few seconds later a further call was made asking that J and status pax, including SG, use the line on the left and Y pax the line on the right, and finally unsurprised when all of the Y pax, who had already joined the left hand line, stayed there.
So you won’t be under any illusion that priority boarding did not happen,and why should you think that it might? QF has already announced it won’t happen until trials are completed in Sydney. Why then have I raised it, yet again, in this trip report. Simple I’m a middle aged grumpy bloke who like to moan about something and I love QF because it is a company that continues to fuel my moaning.
“I don’t bloody believe it! Premium Economy, for flips sake, I’m in premium economy again.” I found myself close to uttering as I boarded the aircraft. I was having a Victor Meldrew moment - as I get older these “moments” become more frequent. The J cabin was in a 2-3-2 configuration, with the middle seat blocked out by an unattractive hardened piece of plastic.
The seats are hard and uncomfortable, and narrow, the tray table is small and leans to one side, and the legroom is pathetic. QF this is not business class this is economy plus. “You didn’t pay for it though, how can you complain?” I hear you say, well I paid with 10,000 hard earned points, so there! Sorry another Victor Meldrew moment.
The breakfast was OK, but the tray table is too small. I was fortunate to have a platinum shadow, thanks QF this is a good thing please don’t enhance it
, so I could at least spread out onto the tray table of the seat next to me.I didn’t use the IFE, I would probably have done so if someone was sitting next to me. (There would have been nowhere to place my iPad whilst having breakfast, and I am incapable of doing only one thing at a time! Actually that makes me sound multi skilled, maybe it is more accurate to say I need some sort of media streamed to my brain at all times.)
I could not get comfortable in the seat, I needed to lean forward to type this report, so placed the pillow behind me but that didn’t work, removing the pillow helped a little if I pulled the tray table as far towards me as possible. The foot rest is about as useful as a chocolate teapot. I chose not to recline because it would not be fair on the person behind me. (Hang on a minute I have a conscience? When did that happen?)
Why would anyone at QF, even for a millisecond, believe that this seating is remotely similar to business class seating. What were they thinking? I have experienced it twice in three weeks now and I do wonder, again, if I could pursue a case of misrepresentation against QF. (Like most Victor Meldrew moments my “can’t be a**ed” approach to life put that idea to rest.) I don’t mind premium economy.....if it is marketed and sold as premium economy, and if I’m truthful someone other than me is flying it....but this is marketed and sold as business. :?:
There was no visit from the CSM, and the crew members were pleasant enough without appearing to especially enjoy their jobs. Water was served a couple of times during the flight. Morning tea was served about an hour out of Perth and was two cookies and a coffee/or tea.
The good news was an arrival 20 mins early and first at the Avis desk.
I was out of the airport and away within 15 mins of landing.
Now I need to do some work!!!
