turtlemichael
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Great report QF009. Looking forward to the next instalment 
Impressions of QF/BA/CX/AK - a mix of Y, Y+, J and LCC respectively!
- Thread starter Keith009
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littl_flier
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Come on QF009, its only 3rd week at uni, you should have all the time in the world on your hands!
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I apologise for the significantly diminished quality of the pictures for this part of the report, reason for which will be apparent in a bit. So here goes…
I was once again greeted by name at the entrance to the aircraft. When boarding BA in Y, W or J in the past, I’d only be given directions to my seat without being addressed by name. On this trip I’ve been addressed by name when flying both W and J and been given a ‘welcome back’, which somewhat restored my faith in intra-alliance shiny card recognition on BA.
Eagerly anticipating my first NGCW experience, I chuckled remembering that just a few days before I was looking very enviously at trip reports about this new cabin and wondering glumly about when it’d be my turn to check it out. This was it I thought… finally being able to try a new product that’s been much hyped about.
Also, this would be the flight which I finished reading my Harry Potter novel, 35 hours after its release or 30 hours after purchasing the book. Hey cut me some slack – there’ve been numerous distractions along the way.
We had to delay take off in order to avoid breaking curfew at SYD.
Seat/Cabin
My immediate observation upon settling into the seat was the extra cushioning. This made the seat most comfy for both lounging and sleeping. However the floppiness of the seat was a let down. It was readily felt in flat bed mode, particularly when we flew through turbulent weather.
The new blanket was thick and snuggly, however I did not use it for most of the flight as the cabin temperature was a bit on the high side.
Contrary to most trip reporters, I did not find the tray table flimsy. Then again the only activities I undertook on the table were eating, drinking, and the completion of the landing card.
The privacy screen worked a treat, despite being a little noisy. My neighbour in 20A looked like he was in his own little suite when the screen was up as his seat had its own aisle access. 20A looks like a seat I’d go for if I have to select a seat on the main deck; the privacy and direct aisle access negates the fact that it’s a window seat.
Service
Now I am not sure how to approach concerns about service when I’m an op up, which partially explains the delay in this part of my TR as I struggle in my attempt to present it in the most appropriate manner and avoid looking like an ungrateful prick. I was extremely grateful to BA for the upgrade, however I was not sure if I’ve to expect to be treated like a second class citizen. I am writing specifically about the purser of the main deck Club cabin. Again I do wish to stress that I am very grateful to BA for the upgrade, and that my concerns are directed solely at said purser as the rest of the team were immaculate.
First I was asked by the aforementioned crew member to cease taking pictures of the cabin. I readily agreed that I ought to wait till people have disembarked, as I’ve experienced the same thing with several other airlines which seem to have the same privacy policy thingy. I was also granted permission to take pictures that do not involve other pax such as my meals.
Then shortly before take off, the same individual came around to my seat and practically announced to the cabin that I was an op up, and promptly banned me from taking any pictures period. Her tone was extremely aggressive and threatening. I do not know what brought on the complete change in attitude as I cannot recall trying to argue with her. I also spent the rest of the flight enduring her glares whenever I tried to help myself to Club Kitchen. It was as if I’ve self-opped up or something.
My consolation was that apart from all that, I had no further interaction with her the entire flight as a different crew member was servicing my aisle. Her colleagues were significantly nicer people fortunately.
I am wondering if there is some code of conduct for opped up pax on BA, similar to folks on industry discount tickets, that I’d unknowingly breached by taking pictures of the cabin. Even if that’s indeed the case, I do still feel that the purser could’ve been nicer about it. I fully expected some things to be different as an op up, like having rev pax prioritised in meal service, but I did not appreciate being treated in that fashion.
Nonetheless I tried not to let her unpleasantness dampen the experience and to BA’s credit – the rest of the main deck Club crew rendered exemplary service. I had generous top ups of drinks at my seat even though I could’ve DIYed at Club Kitchen.
And to salvage some pics for this report, I had to go into stealth mode (with flash off) for the rest of the flight, only whipping out my camera when the purser wasn’t around. The rest of the crew didn’t seem to care that I was taking pictures.
I was once again greeted by name at the entrance to the aircraft. When boarding BA in Y, W or J in the past, I’d only be given directions to my seat without being addressed by name. On this trip I’ve been addressed by name when flying both W and J and been given a ‘welcome back’, which somewhat restored my faith in intra-alliance shiny card recognition on BA.
Eagerly anticipating my first NGCW experience, I chuckled remembering that just a few days before I was looking very enviously at trip reports about this new cabin and wondering glumly about when it’d be my turn to check it out. This was it I thought… finally being able to try a new product that’s been much hyped about.
Also, this would be the flight which I finished reading my Harry Potter novel, 35 hours after its release or 30 hours after purchasing the book. Hey cut me some slack – there’ve been numerous distractions along the way.
We had to delay take off in order to avoid breaking curfew at SYD.
Seat/Cabin
My immediate observation upon settling into the seat was the extra cushioning. This made the seat most comfy for both lounging and sleeping. However the floppiness of the seat was a let down. It was readily felt in flat bed mode, particularly when we flew through turbulent weather.
The new blanket was thick and snuggly, however I did not use it for most of the flight as the cabin temperature was a bit on the high side.
Contrary to most trip reporters, I did not find the tray table flimsy. Then again the only activities I undertook on the table were eating, drinking, and the completion of the landing card.
The privacy screen worked a treat, despite being a little noisy. My neighbour in 20A looked like he was in his own little suite when the screen was up as his seat had its own aisle access. 20A looks like a seat I’d go for if I have to select a seat on the main deck; the privacy and direct aisle access negates the fact that it’s a window seat.
Service
Now I am not sure how to approach concerns about service when I’m an op up, which partially explains the delay in this part of my TR as I struggle in my attempt to present it in the most appropriate manner and avoid looking like an ungrateful prick. I was extremely grateful to BA for the upgrade, however I was not sure if I’ve to expect to be treated like a second class citizen. I am writing specifically about the purser of the main deck Club cabin. Again I do wish to stress that I am very grateful to BA for the upgrade, and that my concerns are directed solely at said purser as the rest of the team were immaculate.
First I was asked by the aforementioned crew member to cease taking pictures of the cabin. I readily agreed that I ought to wait till people have disembarked, as I’ve experienced the same thing with several other airlines which seem to have the same privacy policy thingy. I was also granted permission to take pictures that do not involve other pax such as my meals.
Then shortly before take off, the same individual came around to my seat and practically announced to the cabin that I was an op up, and promptly banned me from taking any pictures period. Her tone was extremely aggressive and threatening. I do not know what brought on the complete change in attitude as I cannot recall trying to argue with her. I also spent the rest of the flight enduring her glares whenever I tried to help myself to Club Kitchen. It was as if I’ve self-opped up or something.
My consolation was that apart from all that, I had no further interaction with her the entire flight as a different crew member was servicing my aisle. Her colleagues were significantly nicer people fortunately.
I am wondering if there is some code of conduct for opped up pax on BA, similar to folks on industry discount tickets, that I’d unknowingly breached by taking pictures of the cabin. Even if that’s indeed the case, I do still feel that the purser could’ve been nicer about it. I fully expected some things to be different as an op up, like having rev pax prioritised in meal service, but I did not appreciate being treated in that fashion.
Nonetheless I tried not to let her unpleasantness dampen the experience and to BA’s credit – the rest of the main deck Club crew rendered exemplary service. I had generous top ups of drinks at my seat even though I could’ve DIYed at Club Kitchen.
And to salvage some pics for this report, I had to go into stealth mode (with flash off) for the rest of the flight, only whipping out my camera when the purser wasn’t around. The rest of the crew didn’t seem to care that I was taking pictures.
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Catering
Menu:
The two red wines were perfect accompaniments to the meal. Despite what’s been said on FT, I’ve always thought that the Monopole was quite nice. It may be low-end as far as champers goes, but it does the trick for me.
Club Kitchen was good for mid-flight munchies. The offerings were a lot more substantial than ‘Raid the Larder’ but I did not want to push my luck with the purser shooting dagger stares my way (‘if looks could kill…’) and only took away a few chocolate bars.
Amenity kit
I was mildly disappointed with the new kit. The kit itself did not look as aesthetically pleasing as the older style kits. And thanks to the Age of Liquid and Gels Paranoia (and probably pressure from the bean counters), BA thought it best to trim down the size of its bottles of Molton Brown goodies to tiny tubes. The kit consisted of a lip balm, some moisturizers, a face wipe, an eyeshade, ear plugs, as well as the obligatory toothbrush and toothpaste. Still reasonably comprehensive nonetheless.
IFE
The AVOD-enabled IFE did not work for most of the flight. I was aware that it worked for a bit at the initial stages of the flight but collapsed totally after some resetting was done to it. A pity as the screen looked pretty cool.
Apart from the nasty purser, I did enjoy my first NGCW flight. Despite some flaws, the new seat is a great improvement over the old one in the comfort stakes. Club Kitchen looks very good and I hope to check it out properly on my next NGCW experience, which will likely be on my DONE4.
Menu:
Drinks list:
The meals looked average at first glance but turned out to be quite tasty. The pork schnitzel was mouth-meltingly delicious.
The two red wines were perfect accompaniments to the meal. Despite what’s been said on FT, I’ve always thought that the Monopole was quite nice. It may be low-end as far as champers goes, but it does the trick for me.
Club Kitchen was good for mid-flight munchies. The offerings were a lot more substantial than ‘Raid the Larder’ but I did not want to push my luck with the purser shooting dagger stares my way (‘if looks could kill…’) and only took away a few chocolate bars.
Amenity kit
I was mildly disappointed with the new kit. The kit itself did not look as aesthetically pleasing as the older style kits. And thanks to the Age of Liquid and Gels Paranoia (and probably pressure from the bean counters), BA thought it best to trim down the size of its bottles of Molton Brown goodies to tiny tubes. The kit consisted of a lip balm, some moisturizers, a face wipe, an eyeshade, ear plugs, as well as the obligatory toothbrush and toothpaste. Still reasonably comprehensive nonetheless.
IFE
The AVOD-enabled IFE did not work for most of the flight. I was aware that it worked for a bit at the initial stages of the flight but collapsed totally after some resetting was done to it. A pity as the screen looked pretty cool.
Apart from the nasty purser, I did enjoy my first NGCW flight. Despite some flaws, the new seat is a great improvement over the old one in the comfort stakes. Club Kitchen looks very good and I hope to check it out properly on my next NGCW experience, which will likely be on my DONE4.
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QF415 SYD-MEL, Economy
Scheduled dep – 0800
Actual dep – 0817
Aircraft – B737-800
Seat – 13A
CIQ wasn’t too bad that morning and I even had time for the domestic QP before getting on to the flight home. I had some juice, surfed the net, and could not help but giggle at the completely erroneous speculation over the ending of the new Harry Potter novel on the tele by some primary school kids who were still plodding their way through the book.
I was happy to have been given an emergency exit row seat at BKK even without having to ask. The flight was completely full which meant I could not move to an aisle seat. It was nice having the extra space anyway. It was also suits galore, which left me feeling distinctly underdressed.
I slept for much of the flight, waking only to munch on my breakfast. I like the bacon and egg muffin that now feature on Cityflyer brekkie flights.
Soon I was back in Marvelous Melbourne. Although nothing beats the feeling of being home, I still groaned inwardly at the thought of another bout of work, and another semester of essays and exams. On the way back to my flat, I couldn’t help but cast my eyes to my Next Long Vacation…
I hope you’ve all enjoyed the TR as much as I’ve enjoyed preparing it. I appreciate all your nice words thus far as these things do take time to write and present.
Scheduled dep – 0800
Actual dep – 0817
Aircraft – B737-800
Seat – 13A
CIQ wasn’t too bad that morning and I even had time for the domestic QP before getting on to the flight home. I had some juice, surfed the net, and could not help but giggle at the completely erroneous speculation over the ending of the new Harry Potter novel on the tele by some primary school kids who were still plodding their way through the book.
I was happy to have been given an emergency exit row seat at BKK even without having to ask. The flight was completely full which meant I could not move to an aisle seat. It was nice having the extra space anyway. It was also suits galore, which left me feeling distinctly underdressed.
I slept for much of the flight, waking only to munch on my breakfast. I like the bacon and egg muffin that now feature on Cityflyer brekkie flights.
Soon I was back in Marvelous Melbourne. Although nothing beats the feeling of being home, I still groaned inwardly at the thought of another bout of work, and another semester of essays and exams. On the way back to my flat, I couldn’t help but cast my eyes to my Next Long Vacation…
THE END
I hope you’ve all enjoyed the TR as much as I’ve enjoyed preparing it. I appreciate all your nice words thus far as these things do take time to write and present.
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turtlemichael
Established Member
- Joined
- May 24, 2006
- Posts
- 1,912
QF009 said:
Great report QF009. But didn't you know about that rule on BA?
op-up = no pics
miles upgrade = pics but no flash after disembarkation
D= pics anytime
Full J= Captain and purser pose naked
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LOL @ turtlemichael and simongr. (too lazy to multiquote )
I also got a few PMs inquiring about deplaning of mid J Club pax at SYD. You do tend to forget these things when you're an op up and all is merry.Unfortunately only 1 door is used at SYD and hence main deck J pax deplane after F, upper deck J AND W pax. It took a fair while to get off the aircraft, almost as long as the first few rows of Y. I won't rehash all the arguments against the mid J config in that regard, except that I'd have been pretty annoyed had I actually paid for a Club ticket.
(too lazy to multiquote )I also got a few PMs inquiring about deplaning of mid J Club pax at SYD. You do tend to forget these things when you're an op up and all is merry.
Unfortunately only 1 door is used at SYD and hence main deck J pax deplane after F, upper deck J AND W pax. It took a fair while to get off the aircraft, almost as long as the first few rows of Y. I won't rehash all the arguments against the mid J config in that regard, except that I'd have been pretty annoyed had I actually paid for a Club ticket.- Status
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