MatF
Active Member
- Joined
- Feb 20, 2010
- Posts
- 763
Hello all,
I was fortunate enough to fly on QF's first NextGen Q400 (rego VH-LQB) tonight, on the Sydney to Wagga run.
This aircraft has been in service for 6 days, and is the first of 7 to be delivered for QantasLink.
My impressions
I didn't realise it was a NextGen until I boarded, and saw the overhead bins. They are significantly larger than the previous versions, and my first thought was that they made the aisle feel narrower, though I think this was largely an optical illusion. They're still not particularly high, but are higher than the old ones, and much deeper, extending further out towards the aisle. They will apparently hold a standard carry-on roller, but I didn't have one to test. I did see some other passengers putting some sizeable bags in there with no issues.
Apart from the overhead bins, the interior doesn't look all that much different. The interior trim seems to be a bit more rounded and "smoother". There is apparently some kind of "mood lighting", but I didn't experience it
. The lights on the ceiling are certainly different, and trim around the windows, etc. It was all nice and new and clean of course 
The seats were the same as the older Q400's as far as I could tell, but I think that Michael, the CSM, did mention that the cloth seats were going to be changed to leather - I didn't quite catch what he said. He said that other changes were incremental - some differences on the flight deck, in the galley and in the baggage hold. Some areas where people might bump their heads have been "softened".
The main thing I noticed though, was the noise - or lack of. This aircraft was noticeably quiter than the older generation Q400's. Whatever they've done to upgrade the noise and vibration control definitely works - and I thought the Q400 was already very good in this regard, especially compared to the 200 and 300 series birds! I was impressed, and other passengers noticed it was quieter as well.
I didn't notice any external changes.
It will be interesting to compare the NextGen Q400's and Virgin's new ATR72's.
Some obligatory photos. Please excuse the poor quality - I only had my old Canon IXUS 55 in my bag, and the light was failing. Many thanks to Michael, the CSM, for allowing me to stay back and take some photos.
Spot the bashful FA!
.
Cheers,
Mat.
I was fortunate enough to fly on QF's first NextGen Q400 (rego VH-LQB) tonight, on the Sydney to Wagga run.
This aircraft has been in service for 6 days, and is the first of 7 to be delivered for QantasLink.
My impressions
I didn't realise it was a NextGen until I boarded, and saw the overhead bins. They are significantly larger than the previous versions, and my first thought was that they made the aisle feel narrower, though I think this was largely an optical illusion. They're still not particularly high, but are higher than the old ones, and much deeper, extending further out towards the aisle. They will apparently hold a standard carry-on roller, but I didn't have one to test. I did see some other passengers putting some sizeable bags in there with no issues.
Apart from the overhead bins, the interior doesn't look all that much different. The interior trim seems to be a bit more rounded and "smoother". There is apparently some kind of "mood lighting", but I didn't experience it
. The lights on the ceiling are certainly different, and trim around the windows, etc. It was all nice and new and clean of course The seats were the same as the older Q400's as far as I could tell, but I think that Michael, the CSM, did mention that the cloth seats were going to be changed to leather - I didn't quite catch what he said. He said that other changes were incremental - some differences on the flight deck, in the galley and in the baggage hold. Some areas where people might bump their heads have been "softened".
The main thing I noticed though, was the noise - or lack of. This aircraft was noticeably quiter than the older generation Q400's. Whatever they've done to upgrade the noise and vibration control definitely works - and I thought the Q400 was already very good in this regard, especially compared to the 200 and 300 series birds! I was impressed, and other passengers noticed it was quieter as well.
I didn't notice any external changes.
It will be interesting to compare the NextGen Q400's and Virgin's new ATR72's.
Some obligatory photos. Please excuse the poor quality - I only had my old Canon IXUS 55 in my bag, and the light was failing. Many thanks to Michael, the CSM, for allowing me to stay back and take some photos.
Spot the bashful FA!
.
Cheers,
Mat.
Last edited:
