Qantas/BA: These Are My Favourite Things (QF A380 J, BA 777 J, QF 744 F)

[Keith009]

"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens;
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens;
Brown paper packages tied up with strings;
These are a few of my favorite things.

...

When the dog bites,
When the bee stings,
When I'm feeling sad,
I simply remember my favorite things,
And then I don't feel so bad."

-- My Favourite Things, Oscar Hammerstein II and Richard Rodgers

Later this week, I will be continuing my DONE4 which now takes me to NZ, the Middle East and Europe. All part of what-was-then a superb value oneworld 4 continents RTW ticket I'd commenced out of MNL in July, with the exception of the QF F flight which is an AAdvantage redemption to position me back to MEL at the end of the trip to "suspend" the DONE in Europe.

However, due to forseeable time constraints, this TR will unfortunately have to be scaled down and I will not have the time to write up long, rambling prose like the few I did last year. Instead, I'd be selective, and hope to present to you, dear reader, my eagerly anticipated experiences on 2 of my all time favourite carriers: Qantas and British Airways.

Flights:

SYD-(SIN)-LHR, Qantas, Business
LHR-(AUH)-MCT, BA, Club World
MCT-(AUH)-LHR, BA, Club World
LHR-(HKG)-MEL, Qantas, First

The QF A380 experience most unexpected, as I didn't think QF would open up the A380 for RTW ticketing (which isn't the most lucrative source of revenue). I'm holding out for New Generation Club World for the BA 777 flights between London and Muscat, but even then, its predecessor, New New Club World is still an experience to savour. And the QF F experience, a treat to be had after giving up my precious AAdvantage miles, a reward to be cherished after hours of scouring Sabre, qantas.com and ba.com for Award availability in First on QF - F availability was easy, but F availability on QF the whole way through without having to combine with the other oneworld carriers was tough and involved some tweaks to my itinerary.

As always I also hope to provide some insights into some of the accommodation I'd experience along the way.

Hotels:

Starwood:
Westin Auckland
W Istanbul
Sheraton Belgravia, London
Westin Grand Berlin
Le Meridien Munich
Westin Palace Madrid
Sheraton Diana Majestic, Milan
Le Meridien Budapest

Others:
Shangri La Muscat
Hotel Josef, Prague

Look out for these reviews in the appropriate hotel sub-forums.

Next: QF31 SYD-(SIN)-LHR J

 

[simongr]

And the QF F experience, a treat to be had after giving up my precious AAdvantage miles, a reward to be cherished after hours of scouring Sabre, qantas.com and ba.com for Award availability in First on QF - F availability was easy, but F availability on QF the whole way through without having to combine with the other oneworld carriers was tough and involved some tweaks to my itinerary.

How have you managed to get a oneway award on QF using AAdvantage?

 

[Keith009]

How have you managed to get a oneway award on QF using AAdvantage?

One ways are possible on a oneworld award rather than All Partners so long as there are 2 OW carriers other than AA in the aaward (i also have BA PRG-LHR). This was ticketed as a OW100F under pre-Sept 08 rules.

 

[Keith009]

Just got in from AKL. I'm sitting in the SYD Flounge now.

I can also see the plane I'm meant to board from the Flounge - VH-OQC, "Paul McGinness" if any of our resident aviation enthusiasts are interested.

 

[Evan]

The brand new one enjoy !

 

[NM]

I can also see the plane I'm meant to board from the Flounge - VH-OQC, "Paul McGinness" if any of our resident aviation enthusiasts are interested.

Should still be nice and shiny with that "new plane" smell!

 

[Bundy Bear]

However, due to forseeable time constraints, this TR will unfortunately have to be scaled down and I will not have the time to write up long, rambling prose like the few I did last year. Instead, I'd be selective, and hope to present to you, dear reader, my eagerly anticipated experiences on 2 of my all time favourite carriers: Qantas and British Airways.

Next: QF31 SYD-(SIN)-LHR J

Ah I think your scaled down report will be better than my non existent trip report from my RTW from the end of last year.

On the AAwards I think business travel has dropped so the awards for everyone has opened up.

 

[Keith009]

Inaugural Qantas A380 Service to Singapore and London Heathrow​

Sector - SYD-SIN-LHR
Flight number - QF31
Class - Business
Equipment - A380 ("VH-OQC/Paul McGinness")
Seat - 25B

To be back on the airline which offers an experience that's second to none? Ace.
To sample a brand new product on the same airline? Double Ace.
To be on an inaugural service for the first time in my life? W00t!

[flashback]
So it was back in October that I noticed the 16 January launch date of the Qantas A380 service on the LHR route, and this coincided with my trip. I had to decide between losing a day in Istanbul and giving up the rare opportunity to sample the Skybed mk 2. I concluded that whilst Istanbul will always be there (bar Armagedon *knocks on wood*), D or award availability on the Qantas A380 isn’t as much of a certainty. The flight was showing only a single seat available in D as it was. So carpe diem as they say – a quick call to the AA Around The World desk to change my itinerary and I was all booked on the Big Fella.
[/flashback]

The first hint of something special was when the cheerful ladies at the SYD Flounge congratulated me and everyone else on the same flight for joining the inaugural. We were also told that we had a vantage point from the Flounge if we wanted to take pictures of the plane, as our departure gate was simply below us and our birdy was already parked there. Sure enough, the Flounge was indeed spotters galore and even a member of the media filmed the plane from the Flounge restaurant.

I’d arranged to meet up with adrian of AFF, so it was nice to have someone to share the Flounge experience with. A visit to the Flounge is not complete without pigging out at the restaurant, though I was going to take it easy after having had a full meal on the trans tasman (I’d originated the journey in AKL), and I wanted to save some room for the onboard meal. So a fruit platter for me it was.

my attempt at being a quasi health nut

OTOH poor adrian was flying onwards to HNL with the Big Orange Star and was determined to fill himself up prior to departure – it was only fitting that his onestar experience be preceded by a five star experience a fellow oneworld emerald is accustomed to.

 

[Keith009]

I decided to leave for the gate a little earlier in case there was something special going on there, but alas the only form of celebration was a private function in the QP. Took a few pics of the rather well-organised boarding area.

Not much movement at the gate and boarding doesn’t seem to be anytime soon, so I headed back to the Flounge for more champers. After downing a few glasses of the rather yummy Devaux Blanc de Noir, the boarding call for QF31 finally came and the lovely SYD First Host encouraged us all to “keep the cameras rolling.”

A handful of actual FCL pax were whisked off to the boarding gate by one of the First Hosts, whilst us second class Floungers tried our best to keep up. It seems like half the plane enjoys priority boarding these days, since whY+ pax also get that privilege. The First Host escorted the FCL pax past the queue and got them boarded ahead of everyone else, whilst the rest of us were left to fend for ourselves; this is a great perk for actual FCL pax I reckon, after all the rest of us who got into the Flounge via status are only entitled to the oneworld/QFF priority lanes.

whY+ pax boarded with J pax, as these cabins are located on the upper deck. Despite the very full aircraft, boarding was v orderly and efficient. There were also a fair few peeps stopping to take pics with/of the aircraft on the aerobridge; it was evident that a significant number of pax had no idea that they’d be riding the Qantas A380 (let alone its inaugural service on the Kangaroo route) - judging by the surprised reactions both at the Flounge and at the gate. The ushers on the jetway were only too happy to assist with photo requests.

 

[Keith009]

To be continued...

 

[Danger]

There were also a fair few peeps stopping to take pics with/of the aircraft on the aerobridge; it was evident that a significant number of pax had no idea that they’d be riding the Qantas A380 (let alone its inaugural service on the Kangaroo route) - judging by the surprised reactions both at the Flounge and at the gate.

I agree, QF009. The gentleman sitting next to me was reading the in-flight magazine as we came in to land at Changi. He turned to me and said "Do you realise this is the first Qantas A380 flight to London?" Who would have thought!

(On the upside, he was asleep before takeoff, allowing me to take advantage of the lonely amenity kit the FA left on the centre console!)

 

[irwin8417]

When I taking first flight from SIN to SYD.
The cabin manager keep saying this is first QF A380 from SIN-SYD route.

Does the flight delay on the way to London?
My flight delay almost one hour.

 

[Evan]

<..>
Does the flight delay on the way to London?
My flight delay almost one hour.

Hahaha, poor old OJH delayed me 6.5 hours last night
1 hour is a little annoying but should not miss any connections.

Any my favorite part of that was a great dinner in the MEL Flounge, so even thgouh i could hate Qantas for making me late, i wont becuase they look after me the rest of the time.

E

 

[Keith009]

Inaugural Qantas A380 Service to Singapore and London Heathrow; Part II: The Onboard Experience, Sydney to Singapore​

I was greeted at the entrance to the aircraft by a rather flamboyant FA who made a fuss of making sure that every entry to the aircraft was a grand entrance. Upon entering the aircraft, I instinctively looked for stairs without realising that I was already standing on the upper deck – so used I was to boarding a 747. According to another FA, I was apparently not the only one with that ‘doh!’ moment.

I walked through the bright red JCL cabin until I reached my seat which was in the last row. JCL was split into 3 cabins; rows 11-13 were in the front mini cabin, rows 24 and 25 were in their own little cabin at the back, whilst rows 14-23 were situated in the main cabin which reminds me a bit like the youth hostel configuration on a BA 777 in Club World, though this dormitory feel is somewhat negated on Qantas by the large shell enclosure around each Skybed which almost obliterates your view of the front of the cabin.

[aside]
In my attempt to nab a better seat a few days prior to departure, the reservations agent had inadvertently “lost” my prior seat assignment in the 2nd row of Business (foremost mini cabin) before realising that the computer would not accept specific seat requests within 80 hours of departure. At AKL check in I was assigned row 17, in the middle of the dormitory. One of the SYD First Hosts had managed to place me in row 25, which was in the backmost cabin and a better choice than the main cabin. Or so I thought at that time...
[/aside]

rows 24 and 25

seat 25B

The seat pitch on the A380’s JCL cabin was simply massive – this was rather obvious when I settled down into the seat and found that my legs couldn’t even stretch out halfway to the seat in front. Privacy in the new JCL cabin, for those who want it, is enhanced by a large divider between the seats which could be adjusted at the touch of a button. The Skybed mk2 had noticeably more buttons to play with than its predecessor – you could now adjust the intensity or focus of your massage, as well as “save” when you’ve found that comfortable seating angle to “recall” it later. The massive PTV screens are no longer mounted on the seat in front, but pop out from your seat upon pushing a button. Love the v space age-cool IFE controller. And finally, the seat belt resembles car seat belts, presumably for the benefit of the infrequent pax.

 

[Keith009]

privacy divider

My seat mate was already at her seat when I arrived. She didn’t seem to mind my constant picture taking, and was in fact slightly bemused. Upon introducing ourselves, I realised that she was the editor of the Qantas inflight magazine. A very pleasant lady, unfortunately we didn’t get to chat much the entire flight as she seemed busy with her work. Also at our seats was a Marc Newson coffee table book on design, compliments of Qantas as a “precious momento of this flight” as the CSM later announced.

 

[Keith009]

An FA by the name of Ritchi, who personally introduced himself to each pax, soon appeared with the pre take off drinks service. The champagne was of a darker colour than usual and looked suspiciously like a rose, and after a sip I realised that this was a rather nice drop; Ritchi confirmed that Dom Perignon Rose was being served to celebrate the inaugural. Unfortunately it was only meant for pre take off, but he promised to come back with more post take off if they had any left.

Dom Perignon Rose

Departure was delayed by some late connecting pax from the domestic terminal. But without too much of a delay, we were finally taking off down the runway – a take off I hardly felt! I’d thought when I was on the lower deck of the A380 last year, that it’s the quietest take off I’ve ever experienced. On the upper deck OTOH, I felt nothing more than a gentle murmur. The whole thing felt more like a cruise liner than a jet.

Bar service quickly came around after take off, and I got another glass of Dom Perignon Rose as promised. And a third. And +1. And alas we had to go back to the standard Charles Heidsieck MEC thereafter, for the JCL cabin was then devoid of all of the special bubbles.

Dinner was soon served. Seated in the last row, it took a long time to be fed. An FA explained that although the airline had worked out the crew : pax ratio in terms of mandated safety standards, they’d failed to take into account that there was a workload imbalance in having all 75 JCL pax in what’s effectively one cabin served by the same set of crew. Not to mention the fact that LHR flights are always chockablock. JCL requires a greater level of service than whY+ or whY, and has a higher concentration of pax than FCL. Profuse apologies were offered for the slow service, though it was rather remarkable (and a relief!) that they had time to top up empty glasses whilst the service cart slowly trundled its way down the cabin.

Menu for this flight here.
This was a full dinner rather than a ‘supper’ service so we got a proper entree to begin with. Then came the main – I picked the most delicious and fresh beef fillet. Switched to the Cabernet Merlot for my main; v generous flavours. I felt pretty full and had decided to skip dessert, but got talked into having something anyway – picked the fruit platter as it seems the lightest option. Along with some Bailey’s .

Mmm... lots of fruits in this report

Decided to check out the IFE whilst waiting for food. There was an expansive selection of programs in the new entertainment system; I was spoilt for choice and probably spent lots of time trying to decide what to watch. Watched The Duchess on this leg, as I’m rather fascinated by the life of Georgiana Cavendish (nee Spencer), Duchess of Devonshire and had read the biography this film was based on; Keira Knightley’s portrayal of Georgiana was hauntingly impresive, as was Ralph Fiennes’ performance as the passive aggressive Duke of Devonshire and Dominic Cooper in his role as Earl Grey. The chemistry was simply spellbinding.

PTV screen with new and improved flight path

 

[Keith009]

After a few more glasses of Charles Heidsieck, the day started to catch up with me. I decided to have a short nap as well as check out the new and improved Skybed. As promised, the bed reclines to a 180 degree position. As well, it has a lot more padding and feels more solid than many other JCL flat seats. Best of all, it is most ergonomically friendly and contours itself to your body shape. The NZ Business Premier seat still had the edge in sleeping comfort (mainly because NZ lays a mattress pad on the seat when in bed mode), but the Skybed’s one big advantage was the ease of adjusting everything with the seat controls unlike the latter which required an FA’s intervention to switch from seat to bed mode and vice versa. There were also easy-to-reach buttons inside the seat shell to facilitate changing the form of the seat.

I woke up with 2 hours to go before landing in Singapore. Despite the numerous self serve bars, Ritchi and his colleagues still came around with platters of snacks and drinks. I decided to pay the onboard lounge a visit. It was a nice little space away from the rest of the cabin, with a nice selection of magazines and newspapers, and a large TV screen. The lounge was surprisingly busy, though it could hold no more than 6 pax at a time. The FAs kept coming around to check if people needed food or drink, all this despite the self serve bars – it’s great that the FAs don’t see the self serve bars as an excuse to slack off.

self-serve bar (x 3, maybe 4? in JCL)

 

[Keith009]

Shortly after I got into the lounge, possibly the youngest pax on the inaugural decided to pop in – 8 month old Baby Josh. He was full of cheers despite it being way past his bedtime, and charmed everyone he met with his cheeky grins and playful chuckles. His dad consented to my taking a pic of him.

All too soon, it was time for descent. The crew went around the cabin, seeking our individual feedback and apologising once again for the slow meal service. Ritchi gently advised us to “go easy” on the UK crew who’d be taking over for the onward sector, as it’d be their very first time on the A380.

The final approach to Singapore was extremely bumpy, but we made a rather smooth landing at Singapore’s Changi Airport. The CSM advised over the PA that we should sit down and chill out as it’d take at least 10 minutes for the aerobridges to be connected. We were also told that we have to take everything off the plane for the transit at SIN. Finally, off we went – to be welcomed by a banner at SIN commemorating the inaugural Qantas A380 service to Singapore. Changi Airport staff were also handing out baggage tags as souvenirs to all pax of QF31.

To be continued...

 

[sng1971]

I am loving your trip reports. Almost as good as being there - well not really, I'm jealous as hell!

But to include a movie review as well - awesome!

 

[notzac]

Great trip report so far - I look forward to reading the rest!
Absolutely agree with your comments regarding cabin noise - I didn't believe that it would be as quiet as people said, until I experienced it for myself.

My two flights (TR in progress, over on FT ... yes I'm lazy, I've not finished it yet) had me seated in 12F and 12E - definitely superior seating! One of the FAs mentioned to me that service starts from the front J cabin and goes back - so being up in the front you're going to get fed first + have more direct access to the bottle of champagne in the self-serve bar..