Onboard the last Qantas flight from San Francisco

[Keith009]

Australian Business Traveller contacted me via Twitter asking me to contribute a story on my experience onboard the last ever QF74 SFO-SYD, and I have obliged:

Report: On board the last Qantas flight from San Francisco - Flights | hotels | frequent flyer | business class - Australian Business Traveller

Hope you don't mind the plug.

 

[Bundy Bear]

Australian Business Traveller contacted me via Twitter asking me to contribute a story on my experience onboard the last ever QF74 SFO-SYD, and I have obliged:

Report: On board the last Qantas flight from San Francisco - Flights | hotels | frequent flyer | business class - Australian Business Traveller

Hope you don't mind the plug.

About QF009, loves anything to do with travel, fashion and social media. When not hunting for the latest season's trends he can be found people-watching at W Hotels while sipping a soy latte.

yes I agree with this.

 

[Keith009]

Ha! Except I don't sip on soy lattes whilst at Ws! More like mojitos.

They asked me to send them something for the bio box and the original version (too long to fit I think) was:

Keith Tan loves anything to do with travel, fashion and social media. When not traveling the world over hunting for the latest season's trends, people watching at W Hotels or taking pictures of his food, he can usually be found streaming his consciousness through various social networks in between sips of soy latte.

 

[awilcockson]

Ha! Except I don't sip on soy lattes whilst at Ws! More like mojitos.

They've updated your bio

 

[Nigelinoz]

You know their are so many excellent trip reports here on AFF that I reckon we should try to convince a company like Lonely Planet to publish them in book form,for instance what could be better when planning a trip flying on the QF A380 than to read real life experiences from people like Keith ?
I think it would sell millions,and we could offer them at discount to AFF and FT members!
Cheers
N'oz

 

[Travel Guru]

Great job Keith, well done!

TG

 

[Danger]

Nice of SFO to make a bit of a deal of the last flight, with the departure board note and water canon.

 

[UP4014]

Nice touch to circle around over the Golden Gate and over the Bay before heading to the west.

 

[Keith009]

Admittedly I was hoping for special commiserations' champers onboard or something...

 

[LiamR]

Nawww, kind of sad, I always liked seeing the Red Roo whenever I was at SFO. I'm sure it will be back in the not to distant future...

When I think about it, the only people that are inconvenienced are SYD pax... BNE & MEL still fly direct to lax and transfer there. Or fly to SYD and fly direct to SFO. Both have one stopover.

So the bigger picture, its not the end of the world. I'd still rather fly SYD-LAX-SFO and get on a A380, than stuck on a 744...

 

[Keith009]

I didn't mention this explicitly in the article, but the SFO plane was a 4 class aircraft operating a 3 class service. You get a Skybed if booking PE. A380 or not, QF73/74 was my preferred choice to SFO for this precise reason. And who would want to transit at TBIT if not stopping in LA anyway? Now, there's a level playing field between QF and VA as far as I'm concerned. QF has a better schedule, daily services to LAX over VA's 3xweekly MEL-LAX but I'm fairly flexible with schedules.

 

[`X']

what software is that in the article you have used for the flight track? ive never seen it before

great article

 

[Timba-Jet]

Nice article Keith.

I like the comments re cabin crew not being as excited about a night in Dallas compared to the great SFO.

 

[Skyring]

Oh, Keith! I am devastated. I missed you by a day - I flew SFO - SYD on Friday 6th May.

I am very sorry to see this service go. I love San Francisco with a passion, and it was always a thrill to wake from that long Pacific flight to see the familiar landmarks poking up out of the morning mist.

I love Fort Worth too, but not nearly so much.

 

[UP4014]

Oh, Keith! I am devastated. I missed you by a day - I flew SFO - SYD on Friday 6th May.

I am very sorry to see this service go. I love San Francisco with a passion, and it was always a thrill to wake from that long Pacific flight to see the familiar landmarks poking up out of the morning mist.

I love Fort Worth too, but not nearly so much.

Have to agree, Texas cities are fine, but San Francisco is great.

 

[Keith009]

Oh, Keith! I am devastated. I missed you by a day - I flew SFO - SYD on Friday 6th May.

I am very sorry to see this service go. I love San Francisco with a passion, and it was always a thrill to wake from that long Pacific flight to see the familiar landmarks poking up out of the morning mist.

I love Fort Worth too, but not nearly so much.

Damn! I was actually trying to fly back on Friday but they had no T class availability.

Not as big a fan of SF as you are. The only part of SF I find really nice would be the Marina (where the streets don't smell like pee and people don't wear North Face or hoodies!) and some of the trendier parts of SOMA, and the farm-to-table NoCal style cuisine is fantastic. Otherwise more an LA and Orange County person myself. But I can see why people love it - and it's defo got a lot more appeal than Dallas!!

PS: http://thebolditalic.com/BrokeAssStuart/stories/950-living-in-sf-means

 

[Skyring]

Not as big a fan of SF as you are. The only part of SF I find really nice would be the Marina (where the streets don't smell like pee and people don't wear North Face or hoodies!) and some of the trendier parts of SOMA, and the farm-to-table NoCal style cuisine is fantastic.

One of my friends had his SFO-SYD flight cancelled when they moved the ending forward. Qantas wasn't as forthcoming with advice on replacement flights as they might have been.

The Marina and Fort Mason for me. I could happily move into the Back Bay bookshop, which has doubled in size again and incorporated a cafe.

With a bit of LA experience that doesn't include the horrid terminals of LAX now under my belt, I can see that it isn't completely hopeless. Loved the Paradise Cove Beach Cafe in Malibu, and the Santa Monica Pier was hokey good fun. The freeways were kind of awesome.

But still, tuck my heart in beside Tony Bennett's. As my jet rumbles off into the sky from SFO there's an aching and emptiness I don't get when departing LAX.

 

[Katie]

But still, tuck my heart in beside Tony Bennett's. As my jet rumbles off into the sky from SFO there's an aching and emptiness I don't get when departing LAX.

I know this, even though I've only ever flown UA directly to SFO from Aus (QF always to LAX and transited), since my first trip to the US in 1996.
I was in Sacramento for a conference a week ago, and had to travel to Foster City to sort something out. I was driving alone, and chose to go over the 92/San Mateo bridge as I didn't want to deal with Bay Bridge traffic. But, oh, how my heart sang at the first glimpse of the Golden Gate. *sigh*