Here is a trip report from my first OzJet flights today...
I did the web-check thing the night before and was able to arrive at SYD T2 20 mins before departure. We departed on time at 8:00am on flight O7 9 from Gate 39, with approx 22 pax and 3 cabin crew on board. A nice touch was the free papers, a good selection including the Fin Review.
The aircraft cabin was great - very clean and bright. You could tell it was an older aircraft from the design of the overhead lockers, the call buttons, and the fittings in the wash rooms. I also noticed that the window blinds had an old-fashioned "737" logo on them. Apart from those telltale signs the cabin looked in great shape.
The seats are fantastic - roomy, very comfortable, with recline, lumbar, bottom cushion extension, footrest and headrest adjustable options. The best thing is the pitch - it is really good, perhaps better than QF's 737's. A crew member took my jacket and hung it at the front.
The food service started not long after we levelled off. We were served a mushroom omelette with potato on the side, a fresh bread roll and a danish pastry. There was a choice of water or orange juice, and following the food, tea and coffee. They also announced that you could order a drink from the bar! All food was served on fine china with silverware, aside from the obligatory plastic knife. The coffee was typical airline coffee.
The crew were cheery and very attentive. Nothing was a problem for them. One of them looked so familiar that I asked her if she had worked for AN. "Yes" she smiled.
We arrived at MEL on time and disembarked from Gate 12, in the pier Rex operates out of. This is a nice quiet part of the airport.
I arrived back at MEL airport at approx 4:25pm and checked in. No queues of course. The DJ queues were massive - they are really carrying a lot of people these days.
Just before the security point I took the elevator down to ground level to try out the OzLounge. This is free for O7 pax, and is presently only in MEL. I must say that it was a little disappointing. It is just a single smallish room with some lounges and coffee tables, a coffee machine, a fridge full of soft drink/water/juice, papers and magazines and a plasma screen tuned into the news. It just felt a little cheap. There was one staff member at the desk (looking bored) and one other pax. I really wanted to download email to read on the plane but there was no connection available. The person at the desk said "we are working on this". The good thing for MEL people is that you can park within metres of the door of the this lounge. Better than hiking it from the main carpark.
Within 5 mins they asked me to go to the gate. At the gate they have a hot drink vending machine that is free and some comfortable lounges.
The flight home was equally as good. This time only 16 pax on board + 3 cabin crew. The cabin crew were again delightful and very attentive. I had skipped lunch as I had appts all day, so really enjoyed dinner which was a mild chicken curry on a bed of rice, bread roll (soft and fresh, with butter in a small china dish) and a fruit salad. Wines offered were Waterwheel (Margaret River) Sauv Blanc and Cab Sauv and a sparkling (didn't see what that was). The Sauv Blanc was delicious.
Due to traffic at SYD we were put into a holding pattern south-west of the city and landed approx 15 mins late.
OzJet offer a fantastic service. It was a delight to have that much legroom and such great service on a SYD-MEL flight (given that I usually go on DJ). It was sensational value at $199.00 each way.
Anyway, I'm sold. I'll be flying O7 whenever possible this year. And when I book my next trip to PER I will have no qualms about flying via MEL to go with O7 rather than direct from SYD.