...and I've got around to writing up a little blerb. (Sorry I've been eating and drinking since I hit the ground in Heathrow.
A childhood dream was flying QF F and a week ago I was able to do so. Whilst the ideal would have been a 747, for obvious reasons, it was an A380 on QF1 from Sydney to London. From May next year they’ll be flying via Singapore, but up until then, it’s via Dubai. I’m not qualified to say if that’s a good thing or not, but I reckon the lounge in Singapore will end up being uncomfortable packed. Thankfully the layover is only ~1:45.
The journey beings with a phone call the day prior. You’ll be asked if you need assistance at the curb, which I took up just for the experience, and to book the massage.
QF offer a complimentary chauffer drive and I got a Lexus ES300. Not an S Class, but it wasn’t a Commodore either. J
Check-in was smooth with no waiting and I was through to the lounge for breaky, a massage, lunch and then a champagne-fueled ‘plane perve’. The QF Flounge really does have an amazing view.
I had breaky followed by a 20 minute back massage which was great. I skipped lunch as to leave room for the flight, and because I was too nervous/excited to eat anything. I had one of those signature pavlovas and a few glasses of champagne.
On board I was met by Emmy, which looked after me wonderfully during the flight. Alison (I think) was on the other side as well as some rather unfriendly fellow. John, the CSM, came around to introduce himself and I saw him throughout the flight.
The seat:
…is huge! The only other F products I’ve flown as BA 777 and EK A380 and while they’re both nice places to be, the QF seats are incredibly wide. There’s such a massive sense of space. I usually try and film the takeoff and landing by filming the wing/engine (which is a great angle IMO) but I honestly couldn’t reach the window so I had to stick with the tail camera. The quality of everything was fine although there was a significant amount of wear and tear. The massage function is pretty good although not as good as what I consider to be the best in the air – the Qantas skybed mk2 (which is otherwise a ancient uncompetitive product). After 24hrs of massaging I felt pretty good. J
You had overhead bins although the storage was only average. I had to store my bag under the foot rest and the amenity kit struggled to fit into the two drawers next to you. J upstairs has rather large storage bins if you’ve got a window seat.
The seat turns into a really comfy seat although unfortunately my sleep was poor due to the amount of alcohol consumed and the fact that I was far too excited to sleep!
The food/drink:
I’m not a foodie or drinkie so I’m probably not going to provide a great critique. It seemed fine to me although I don’t see t he attraction of caviar, which I’d never had prior to this flight.
The drinks were promptly filled and ‘encouraged’. J
The service:
Was really good. Emmy was my primary FA on the first flight although one of the FA’s on the ‘other side’ also said hello (Alison). The CSM (John) was also around to say hello and to ensure things were going well. There was one other guy who seemed miserable although thankfully he was on the other side of the cabin. It would have been a disaster if he was my primary FA.
Hayden was my primary FA on the second flight and he was also really good.
I’ve heard mixed reports about the service on QF F so I was almost relieved to have got a good crew (minus one of the guys).
The IFE:
Unlike the F product in the BA 777 , the fold-out screen can remain out during takeoff and landing, and the amount of content was fine. Having said that, the quality and size is adequate although probably falling behind that of most competition. I believe that the size will be increased with the mid-life facelift in coming years.
In summary:
It was the crew that made the flight and it met my rather high expectations. QF F is not a new product at all so I’m not going to go into many more details other than saying that it was a childhood ream and I feel incredibly excited and fortunate to have had the experience (at the age of 30) (I used QF points).
Tips:
- book the massage the day prior as it fills up quickly with other F pax and OWEs. If you don’t get a call by late afternoon the day before your flight, call Qantas.
- sit on the left (A) side. 4A has the most windows (3) but 5A is the most private.
- do the tasting menu
- enjoy flying one of the best airlines in the sky
