Oh Lord, Not Another QF10 Trip Report (Yes)

[coriander]

This week we returned from Europe and had the opportunity to try out Qantas’s new Boeing 787-9 in business class.

When we booked our trip to Europe last September our travel agent booked us on QF1 on the forward journey. However QF2 was already booked out on our return date and five days either side of our return date. On the other hand, J in QF 10 was wide open for any date we wanted to return.

It was thus with some trepidation that we accepted the booking on QF 10 after all the negative things I’d heard about this new aircraft.

After flying in from Lisbon earlier that day on British Airways, we checked out the zoo that was the QF lounge and then ensconced ourselves in the all but empty Cathay Pacific first class lounge in terminal three. Whilst they don’t call flights, there is a departure board at the lounges reception.



When we arrived at the gate , I could see tailplane of our 787, VH-ZNB “Waltzing Matilda” through the window.


There was a “large contingent” of people waiting to board the aircraft.



There are 42 business class seats arranged in a 1-2–1 pattern, eight rows then galley then another three rows. Row 1 has only two (window) seats. The window seats alternate with odd rows having the seat against the window and even rows the seat against the aisle. The centre pair of seats have a push-down pull-up divider between them. I selected 3K as I am left-handed, and Mrs C being right-handed sat in 3A (thus our dominant hands were towards the shelf).





A quick peek into the coughpit whilst ground crew were still on board.



The business class seat is a semi-enclosed space with amenity similar to the domestic A330. Odd-numbered rows have the seat against the window, away from the aisle, even-numbered seats are adjacent to the aisle.



The video screen is controlled by touch or by a wired remote control.



Beside the screen is a magazine/ipad storage bin and a thoughtfully placed handle (very useful for helping oneself up out of the seat when it is partially or completely reclined). As you can see from the photo above, it appears someone has used the flap to pull themselves up and torn it away from its mounting – which should look like this



Legroom is excellent; I’m reasonably tall and sitting up at full stretch my feet would barely reach the small shelf at the front of the foot well. In addition, there was adequate vertical room for my feet once the seat was fully flat.

 

[coriander]

To the left of the seat is a shelf with a small door concealing the wired remote. A pressure sensitive pad controlled the seat, reading light and subtle “mood” lighting which emanated from underneath the thin bin used to store your tablet, book or magazine. A water bottle holder was located in the corner and the back panel contained 240v multi-socket power, two USB ports and socket for the noise-cancelling headphones.



A thoughtful touch was the provision of a mirror under the flap concealing the wired remote.



Being an afternoon flight, the sunshine was very bright but the touchscreen controls dimming the window worked well, filtering the incoming light. This worked well on my side with the sun behind the aircraft at an angle, but Mrs C (in 3A) found that it was impossible to dim the window enough the following morning when the sun was shining into the plane at a right angle and the bright blue cast made watching the IFE almost impossible.







Our route took us over Europe via Budapest and Bucharest before crossing Turkey and Iran (over Shiraz) over Abu Dhabi and out over the Indian Ocean to Perth.



While the voice from the coughpit sounded Australian, all the cabin were British employed by Qantas UK. The service was basic, staff were efficient but reserved – it seemed I was on a BA Euro flight in economy.

Cabin staff started interacting with the passengers about 45 minutes into the flight, taking lunch orders and special requests.



It took another hour before the table was set and bread and salad provided



Here’s the food and wine menu for the LHR-PER section.





Fifteen minutes later, I had a white wine with the entrée of “crab cakes with corn salsa”: These were appalling, oily, soft and mushy, lacking in flavour

 

[coriander]

Somewhere over Budapest, the next course was the Pappardelle, which looked somewhat unfortunate but in fact was delicious and very tasty. By about this time the champagne had already run out (I only got two glasses). I’ve forgotten which white wine was served as they brought me wine by the glass rather than serve it from the bottle at your seat.



There was a large selection of movies on the IFE. I selected and watched “The Post.” Staff had by this time cleared away the dinner and vanished (one assumes to the galley). I unrolled the seat cover / mattress (on previous QF flights, cabin crew have always done that), moved the seat into lie-flat and fell asleep. My impression of the seat was that it wasn’t really comfortable as a seat, but excellent as a quite firm fully flat bed. I could lie on my back and there was room in the footwell for my feet. Somewhere over Bucharest fell asleep and slept soundly for 8 hours (which was a record for me).

On awaking a light meal was served.



We landed into Perth in the face of a rain squall which made for a bumpy arrival.



After landing at Perth, we were directed downstairs into the QF lounge.




View from the entrance to the lounge:





The display board didn’t mention QF10 boarding in a couple of hours, on QF9 some hours later.

 

[coriander]

There was an garden area which would have been quite pleasant in the afternoon sunshine but the roof shutters were closed.




Great coffee, bruschetta, soup, pasta all with great service from the lounge staff. There are showers available, but I didn’t have one. I did ask for a razor and was able to have a light wash and shave which made me feel quite refreshed.







On reboarding the aircraft at Perth, we discovered we had an Australian crew. The difference in demeanour, attitude and service was “chalk and cheese”. Friendly, outgoing, chatty yet still efficient and attentive service was such a contrast to the previous sector.

A light lunch of salmon over chick pea and greens was served – again tasty and delicious.



We landed in Melbourne on time and customs and immigration was fast and efficient, arriving at the baggage carousels in little more than the time it took to walk from the aircraft. There the efficiency ended as we waited for over 45 minutes till the carousels started moving. As our bags had been tagged “Oneworld Priority” at Lisbon by BA, we were not surprised when we were the amongst the last people left standing at the carousel as the final batch of cases arrived – all with priority labels. The QF chauffeur managed to go walkabout because of the baggage delay and it took talking to QF on the phone to get him to come back to the terminal for us.

A sour ending to what had been an otherwise comfortable flight.

I’m left thinking that the 787 is not as bad as people make out: the lie-flat bed is superior to the A380’s lie-drooped Skybeds, the plane is quiet, but I thought not as quiet as the Cathay and Finnair A350s we flew in last year. Whilst I love the A380’s spaciousness, I’ll not now go out of my way to avoid the 787 if in J. We’re soon flying on QF’s MEL-SFO service on the 787 and the JFK-LAX sector early next year so will have ridden the 787s from end to end (LHR-JFK).

We actually undertook this flight in late May. I only found my notes and photos as I prepared for our QF49 to SFO today.

 

[blackcat20]

Looks like a decent flight. Havent slept on the QF J seat but as a seat/lounge I don't find it particularly comfortable.

 

[VPS]

Interesting and thanks for the photos

 

[serfty]

I've slept on both Skybed Mk II and the J Suite several times over the last years and with current under/over lays sleep better on the Skybed as it allows me more movement.

Storage is better on on A388/B747 if you have a side/personal locker, worse otherwise.

 

[coriander]

I've slept on both Skybed Mk II and the J Suite several times over the last years and with current under/over lays sleep better on the Skybed as it allows me more movement.

I usually sleep on my back or left side: the droop in the skybeds from people stepping on them over the years makes it uncomfortable as my back is bent backwards or curved left. Yes I agree, storage space is better on the A380, the skybed is more comfortable to sit in and is more spacious. The J suite is good in that you don't need to clamber over or be clambered over during ingress and egress (medical power is only on the window seats in row 11 A,B,J,K on the A380 for my CPAP device).

 

[RooFlyer]

Great pics and explanations, thanks.

Is there much space to stand around, just to hang out, if you want to spend some time out of the seat?

 

[coriander]

there much space to stand around, just to hang out, if you want to spend some time out of the seat?

Only in the forward galley area - deserted once crew retreat to 2nd galley at back of J .I'll photograph that area tonight

 

[coriander]

My TA tells me 9 empty seats in J tonight on QF49 - shouldn't run out of champers then.

 

[Denali]

I really appreciate the seat pics, thanks and safe happy travels

 

[OZDUCK]

Thanks for the write-up and pictures.

 

[LadyC]

Thanks for posting. It is interesting reading about these new routes.

 

[craven morehead]

I specifically went out of my way to fly the 789 in J back in March MEL-LAX and had good impressions of the plane/seats etc but had very similar experience with the crew (Aussie) and food. Service and attitude was poor, engagement very lacking. The return flight home LAX-BNE on the old 744 J upper deck was so markedly different. The crew and service were spot on. CSM mentioned to me that some of the new crews on the 789 were used to flying on the A380 with more staff and were having trouble basically adjusting to doing more work on the new plane. Thanks for the TR always good to see/read other people's experiences.

 

[Straubs]

Thanks for the TR. I would have been pretty horrified about the champagne situation

 

[ellen10]

Thanks for the report ....... its disappointing when the crew are clinical.

 

[JohnM]

I found the crew in J on the 10 last week fairly outgoing. The English FA that was doing the cabin greet on arrival was quite chirpy and the CSM came around with iPad and did the WP meet & greet in an outgoing way. I was on the 19-hour delayed 10, and I have recounted the strange meal order service plan (breakfast after leaving, dinner not long before landing) on the LHR-PER direct thread but my request to have dinner on-demand was well-accepted.

I think a couple of the crew may have been Australian but I wasn't listening really hard.

My brother flew the 9 and 10 in whY and he commented that the Brit-dominant crew was much more reserved.

I didn't have the same experience with the wine service of them just bringing a filled glass to the seat. First came an empty glass, then the bottle. I thought the food was good without being exceptional.

I missed visiting the PER transit lounge as they terminated the 10 at PER and put pax on DOM flights to get the B787 back on track for the 9. It's been a bit of a messy week for the direct service, with the long 10 delay and recently the disruptive pax on the 9.

The seats are firm, which is improved by the overlay but it is a puzzle to me why the seats are quite so hard. I think there must be a reason for it.

All up, I had a good experience and while I'm not bothered by stopovers, it was a good feeling to get on at LHR and off at PER. .

 

[AnnieK9]

Hello. I concur with all Corianders comments and observations. I flew J in 10E returning from London mid August.

The seats were better laying down as a flat bed than upright.

It was an OK flight, maybe 7.5/10. Drink service was grudging about an hour into flight and we were offered 1 drink, no replenishments. The food was the precise menu Coriander shared, but it was not pleasant.

In terms of food, my dinner entree order never eventuated, my pappardelle main course was ho hum, cheese board dessert was very modest in that it was meager, even for a woman, and coffee and liquor had to be requested.

I was so hungry I asked for some bread and butter into the flight to reduce hunger/jetlag nausea (never experienced before).

Breakfast was not pleasant with over garlicky beans in a greasy rubbery concoction. Not the Perry standard the hype led me to look forward to.

Food aside, I made up my own bed up and generally was left with a sense that passengers were a necessary pest. Rarely saw cabin staff throughout the flight and water was not replenished.

The service is not the standard qantas aspire too, the crew aside from chief steward were all British and while efficient, lacked the grooming, service level or indeed friendliness, expected.

On the positive side we arrived safely and on time, though turbulent over the Indian Ocean. Would I fly the Dreamliner J again - probably not as I had to fly to Perth from Adelaide so no time savings. I peeped into PE and was very surprised at the lack of space when reclinded, passengers needing to exit from the window seat would need to get very personal with their neighbor as the space was so squishy.

Perth lounge was nice but only open a set time and I had to kill time in normal QC until lounge opened. Duty free at Perth non existent.

Only other comment I would make is that it was annoying that with limited toilets in J, the PE passengers continually used them and frequently disturbed J passengers with knocking and chatting, as well as trying up loos.

On the whole it may have been just my flight, but I was not impressed when compared to the cost. Qantas loyalty is wearing thin when other products offer greater value and passenger experience.

 

[Daver6]

Only other comment I would make is that it was annoying that with limited toilets in J, the PE passengers continually used them and frequently disturbed J passengers with knocking and chatting, as well as trying up loos.

I believe the rear J toilets are the designated PE toilets.