SnowYeti
Member
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2007
- Posts
- 334
Being someone who loves travelling, an offer from Qantas to upgrade to business class using points on a discount economy ticket is far more enticing than eating iced vovo biscuits. I have never had a free upgrade and only expect to get the class I pay for, so anything above is nice!
I'm sitting in an RV in the middle of Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada, when I get an email about my upcoming travel New York - Sydney, being eligible for a points upgrade on a discount economy ticket. This meant I could put in a request to upgrade for 96,000 points instead not being eligible for an upgrade on this type of ticket. Otherwise, it would have been the usual 128,000 points plus taxes to fly one way in business as an award flight. I jumped at it knowing I had a week to cancel if I changed my mind.
I logged onto AFF and asked the question, was it worth it? And the majority of forum members said yes. The flight sector was New York - Los Angeles (Approx 5 hours), and then Los Angeles to Sydney (Approx 14 hours). I was hopeful for the upgrade, never having flown in international J class before.
The day before departure the Qantas site showed 3 sections. Flight 1 (Out) and Flight 2 (Economy Confirmed) an Flight 3 (Business Declined). I was suddenly confused that I was declined automatically, but sooned learned that the status only showed 5 hours before. It was 12 hours before and the points had been deducted, and my booking now showed confirmed in business class. Woah!
I flew from Toronto to New York on LAN 533, the flight was only an hour, but was pleasant. There was congestion in New York so we did circle for quite some time. I arrived at terminal 7 and took the air train to terminal 4. I went to business check in, and it was manned by BA staff. They weren't as friendly as our normal Aussie QF staff. I got my ticket, had 15 minutes in the Terrace Lounge to freshen up, and boarded the plane.
There were only 4 people in the bottom business section! It was an empty flight, but apparentally upstairs was full. The flight started nicely with a glass of bubbly, and the attendant taking my coat. I was the kid in the candy store having a blast! Playing with all the buttons on my seat, looking around, and taking photos (Trying not to look like such a newbie in J class!! but I am asian so I can get away with taking photos). Within the next 30 minutes, I was offering some red shiraz, 2004 (I forgot the name). All I know is that it was very smooth and you could tell it was a finer wine. It was served with roasted almonds and cashews.
Within the next hour dinner was served. First up was an entree, "Salad of Beef with rocket, radicchio and kipfler potatoes". I asked for "lamb" and I was told "sorry Mr Chung, we are serving entrees right now, did you want that or did you want to go straight to the main?" ... haha lol woops. I'm used to economy where you get the whole lot in one go. It tasted like thai beef salad, but western style (ie no spices). It was so delicious, I was going to ask for more !!! Next came the main. I had the "Italian Lamb Ragout with peppers, Polenta and Green Beans". Oh that was so tasty too. Maybe because I didn't eat breakfast or lunch today. It was served with yet another salad, a sourdough bread roll (I could choose between multi grain or sourdough). I was pretty full. I had a glass of wonderful chardonnay. It was delicious. Actually everything is? Is this an illusion of being in business class, or is it truely amazing food? I think the latter. Desert time came. I could choose between season cheese, hazelnut and coffee syrup cake with marscapone and sliced fresh fruit. I had the cake and fruit. Oh it was so fine. I finished it off with Baileys of Glenrowan Founder Liquier Muscat. They had to open it especially for me. Actually all the wines they opened in front of me and for me. That was nice. I'm now really full sipping my sparkling mineral water. Lights are off, shades are shut and people are sleeping. The ambient light in the cabin was violet, and now it's blue. Not sure why, maybe it's like an artificial sunset? lol. I've had about 4 or 5 drinks now, I'm feeling a tad tipsy, just laughing at myself that I'm in J class and loving every moment of it !!! Savour the moment right? I enjoyed the rest of the flight by having a short nap laying in the wonderful skybed that I've never tried before.
So as I sit here with the massaging function going, I've never had such a peaceful flight. I am 2 cabins away from economy and cannot hear any screaming babies or kids running up and down. I think this is so bliss, if only it could last this long. I'm looking outside and watching this electrical lightning storm go by. The whole sky is being lit up. It's pretty cool to be on top of it. It's probably pissing down below!!!
OK so something or someone woke me up, then the lights came on. Was given a hot towel to refresh myself, that was amazing. We landed, it was smooth. Had to wait on the plane for about 10 minutes before getting a gate assigned. Got off, got told to sit in the waiting area. I'm like uhh? He's like business? I'm like yep. So off I went to the business lounge. I freshened up with a shower and had a pop to rehydrate. Boarding commenced shortly after.
The best service on a plane is when the cabin is empty and there are nearly more crew than customers. We landed fine and safely in LAX. I went straight to the business lounge where there was more people there than in the actual gate lounge. Jared went off to a shower, and I went to try and use the sluggish internet. There was alot of food there, but after having business class food I don't think I would eat anything from the lounge again! I was well hydrated, with, well, let's say alcohol. Jared tried to get an upgrade but was rejected LOL as you need to do it 48 hours prior to boarding to put a request in.
We boarded on time, I love business how you board first, then get given more bubbly to start off with. The business cabin was full. I sat next to someone, then another person and then another. There seemed to be alot of shuffling around so people could sit together as families. Within minutes after the seatbelt sign went off, we were given our MORRISEY Pyjamas. We all looked like we were from prison break. Everyone was wearing gray !!! My jacket was taken off and hung up.
It was followed by yet another delicious dinner. So it's about 2am New York time where we started, but around 6pm I think in Sydney. So I thought heck let's eat dinner again and try to get the body used to the new timezone changes. I had dinner yet again.
I just relaxed in my seat after adjusting it. It was cosy, so was the massage function. Our video system kept going on and off. Economy hardly had any, and business mostly worked, but wasn't interactive. The CSM (George Anthony) was very apologetic, and spoke to most people in business cabin trying to watch, showing us how to manually select the videos playing (non interactive). He was probably the most professional CSM I have come across in all my flying time.
I slept maybe 8 hours of the flight, waking up prior to breakfast which we pre-ordered. By that time, I think I had about 5 glasses of whatever they kept serving me. The wine was still so fine!
Breakfast came, that was really nice and tasted fresh since they cook it onboard.
The flight attendant I had, his name was John. He truely stood out of the crowd. I don't think it was just because we were in business, i'm sure he's like that when he's in other cabins. His attitude, professionalism and fantastic sense of humour were to be admired ... he made the flight for me very enjoyable. Just like when I ordered chicken for dinner, he asked the other attendant "Mr Chung would like KFC !!" ... he knew his boundaries, and seemed pretty competent at his job. I will be letting Qantas know about this and hope they recognise staff that perform and go over and above.
I landed safely in Sydney about 30 minutes late. We did fill in health declaration cards for H1N1. As we walked in there were teams setup for thermal imaging. I don't understand what that's gonna do since it won't detect anything. There was hardly anyone at immigration. Bags took 30 minutes to come out!! Crazy!!! There was hardly anyone at customs too. I went straight through after declaring some snacks.
I'm home now, it's so nice to be home sweet home. The weather in Sydney is nice, cloudy, but nice and cool. I think it's 16 celcius.
Business class was truely more than what I expected. The service I received on both sectors in business restored alot of my faith in Qantas, there are actually flight attendants that do more than just their job, other than a previous flight I took last month on jetstar where the attendants were arguing over which shoes they should wear when they land.
The majority of my travel in the last 24 months has been in economy, some business domestic and 1 PE international. Qantas Business gets the thumbs up from me. Although there are some inconsistencies (ie BA staff), overall I was impressed. It is an outstanding product.
Good on you Qantas!
I'm sitting in an RV in the middle of Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada, when I get an email about my upcoming travel New York - Sydney, being eligible for a points upgrade on a discount economy ticket. This meant I could put in a request to upgrade for 96,000 points instead not being eligible for an upgrade on this type of ticket. Otherwise, it would have been the usual 128,000 points plus taxes to fly one way in business as an award flight. I jumped at it knowing I had a week to cancel if I changed my mind.
I logged onto AFF and asked the question, was it worth it? And the majority of forum members said yes. The flight sector was New York - Los Angeles (Approx 5 hours), and then Los Angeles to Sydney (Approx 14 hours). I was hopeful for the upgrade, never having flown in international J class before.
The day before departure the Qantas site showed 3 sections. Flight 1 (Out) and Flight 2 (Economy Confirmed) an Flight 3 (Business Declined). I was suddenly confused that I was declined automatically, but sooned learned that the status only showed 5 hours before. It was 12 hours before and the points had been deducted, and my booking now showed confirmed in business class. Woah!
I flew from Toronto to New York on LAN 533, the flight was only an hour, but was pleasant. There was congestion in New York so we did circle for quite some time. I arrived at terminal 7 and took the air train to terminal 4. I went to business check in, and it was manned by BA staff. They weren't as friendly as our normal Aussie QF staff. I got my ticket, had 15 minutes in the Terrace Lounge to freshen up, and boarded the plane.
There were only 4 people in the bottom business section! It was an empty flight, but apparentally upstairs was full. The flight started nicely with a glass of bubbly, and the attendant taking my coat. I was the kid in the candy store having a blast! Playing with all the buttons on my seat, looking around, and taking photos (Trying not to look like such a newbie in J class!! but I am asian so I can get away with taking photos). Within the next 30 minutes, I was offering some red shiraz, 2004 (I forgot the name). All I know is that it was very smooth and you could tell it was a finer wine. It was served with roasted almonds and cashews.
Within the next hour dinner was served. First up was an entree, "Salad of Beef with rocket, radicchio and kipfler potatoes". I asked for "lamb" and I was told "sorry Mr Chung, we are serving entrees right now, did you want that or did you want to go straight to the main?" ... haha lol woops. I'm used to economy where you get the whole lot in one go. It tasted like thai beef salad, but western style (ie no spices). It was so delicious, I was going to ask for more !!! Next came the main. I had the "Italian Lamb Ragout with peppers, Polenta and Green Beans". Oh that was so tasty too. Maybe because I didn't eat breakfast or lunch today. It was served with yet another salad, a sourdough bread roll (I could choose between multi grain or sourdough). I was pretty full. I had a glass of wonderful chardonnay. It was delicious. Actually everything is? Is this an illusion of being in business class, or is it truely amazing food? I think the latter. Desert time came. I could choose between season cheese, hazelnut and coffee syrup cake with marscapone and sliced fresh fruit. I had the cake and fruit. Oh it was so fine. I finished it off with Baileys of Glenrowan Founder Liquier Muscat. They had to open it especially for me. Actually all the wines they opened in front of me and for me. That was nice. I'm now really full sipping my sparkling mineral water. Lights are off, shades are shut and people are sleeping. The ambient light in the cabin was violet, and now it's blue. Not sure why, maybe it's like an artificial sunset? lol. I've had about 4 or 5 drinks now, I'm feeling a tad tipsy, just laughing at myself that I'm in J class and loving every moment of it !!! Savour the moment right? I enjoyed the rest of the flight by having a short nap laying in the wonderful skybed that I've never tried before.
So as I sit here with the massaging function going, I've never had such a peaceful flight. I am 2 cabins away from economy and cannot hear any screaming babies or kids running up and down. I think this is so bliss, if only it could last this long. I'm looking outside and watching this electrical lightning storm go by. The whole sky is being lit up. It's pretty cool to be on top of it. It's probably pissing down below!!!
OK so something or someone woke me up, then the lights came on. Was given a hot towel to refresh myself, that was amazing. We landed, it was smooth. Had to wait on the plane for about 10 minutes before getting a gate assigned. Got off, got told to sit in the waiting area. I'm like uhh? He's like business? I'm like yep. So off I went to the business lounge. I freshened up with a shower and had a pop to rehydrate. Boarding commenced shortly after.
The best service on a plane is when the cabin is empty and there are nearly more crew than customers. We landed fine and safely in LAX. I went straight to the business lounge where there was more people there than in the actual gate lounge. Jared went off to a shower, and I went to try and use the sluggish internet. There was alot of food there, but after having business class food I don't think I would eat anything from the lounge again! I was well hydrated, with, well, let's say alcohol. Jared tried to get an upgrade but was rejected LOL as you need to do it 48 hours prior to boarding to put a request in.
We boarded on time, I love business how you board first, then get given more bubbly to start off with. The business cabin was full. I sat next to someone, then another person and then another. There seemed to be alot of shuffling around so people could sit together as families. Within minutes after the seatbelt sign went off, we were given our MORRISEY Pyjamas. We all looked like we were from prison break. Everyone was wearing gray !!! My jacket was taken off and hung up.
It was followed by yet another delicious dinner. So it's about 2am New York time where we started, but around 6pm I think in Sydney. So I thought heck let's eat dinner again and try to get the body used to the new timezone changes. I had dinner yet again.
I just relaxed in my seat after adjusting it. It was cosy, so was the massage function. Our video system kept going on and off. Economy hardly had any, and business mostly worked, but wasn't interactive. The CSM (George Anthony) was very apologetic, and spoke to most people in business cabin trying to watch, showing us how to manually select the videos playing (non interactive). He was probably the most professional CSM I have come across in all my flying time.
I slept maybe 8 hours of the flight, waking up prior to breakfast which we pre-ordered. By that time, I think I had about 5 glasses of whatever they kept serving me. The wine was still so fine!
Breakfast came, that was really nice and tasted fresh since they cook it onboard.
The flight attendant I had, his name was John. He truely stood out of the crowd. I don't think it was just because we were in business, i'm sure he's like that when he's in other cabins. His attitude, professionalism and fantastic sense of humour were to be admired ... he made the flight for me very enjoyable. Just like when I ordered chicken for dinner, he asked the other attendant "Mr Chung would like KFC !!" ... he knew his boundaries, and seemed pretty competent at his job. I will be letting Qantas know about this and hope they recognise staff that perform and go over and above.
I landed safely in Sydney about 30 minutes late. We did fill in health declaration cards for H1N1. As we walked in there were teams setup for thermal imaging. I don't understand what that's gonna do since it won't detect anything. There was hardly anyone at immigration. Bags took 30 minutes to come out!! Crazy!!! There was hardly anyone at customs too. I went straight through after declaring some snacks.
I'm home now, it's so nice to be home sweet home. The weather in Sydney is nice, cloudy, but nice and cool. I think it's 16 celcius.
Business class was truely more than what I expected. The service I received on both sectors in business restored alot of my faith in Qantas, there are actually flight attendants that do more than just their job, other than a previous flight I took last month on jetstar where the attendants were arguing over which shoes they should wear when they land.
The majority of my travel in the last 24 months has been in economy, some business domestic and 1 PE international. Qantas Business gets the thumbs up from me. Although there are some inconsistencies (ie BA staff), overall I was impressed. It is an outstanding product.
Good on you Qantas!
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