QF 107 help

[baggyred]

Hi All,

I'm taking the trip in a few weeks fro Sydney to Los Angeles which leaves at 10am. To make a long flight worse, I am getting the red eye from Perth to connect.

I'm trying to plan the sleeping on the QF 107 leg so that I get to LAX as best prepared as possible.

My question was two fold

Firstly, the timing of meals on the flight?

And secondly, how long until the plane hits the fading sun?

Thanks in advance

 

[serfty]

What booking class?

For a start -get as much sleep as you can on the red eye - skipping meals etc. (ear plugs and eye mask help here) don't open you eyes until at the aero bridge.

On QF107, dinner is served from about an hour after departure, after that the lights are dimmed maybe three hours into the flight.

If in economy, the lights come on ~three hours before scheduled arrival and they serve you breakfast - you often have ime to watch another movie.

I try to have the meal, watch a move or two then endeavor to sleep from no less than 10 hours before the estimated arrival.

 

[docjames]

What class of travel?

My personal plan would be to stay awake for the red eye, then sleep all the way on QF107 (skipping meals) waking up for breakfast an hour out of LAX (given the flight arrives early into LAX). This will be harder in Y as you'll get a "main meal" a couple of hours after takeoff (which will likely disturb you from sleeping) and then a breakfast shortly before arrival into LAX. Expect sunset a few hours into the flight.


An alternative would be try for a few hours on the red eye, and just sleep between meals on QF107. ie. just get what you can. Getting out and about on arrival into LA will also help the jet lag factor, with an early to bed (~1800-1900).

 

[baggyred]

Thanks!

Yes, unfortunately I am flying cattle class. I hadn't thought about QF putting the lights on a few hours out of LAX.

My original plan was to try and stay awake until 5 hours into the flight, but I think I'll change that.

By the sounds of it, the best plan for me is to get some sleep on the red-eye, and then try and sleep as soon as the lights are dimmed out of Sydney.

Appreciate the help - looking forward to the time the front end of the plane isn't that foreign

 

[YQY]

I'm trying to plan the sleeping on the QF 107 leg so that I get to LAX as best prepared as possible.

I would try to get on another flight rather than QF107, for two reasons....

1. QF107 uses a un-refurbished 747*. I was on 107/108 when i went to NYC last month. The IFE broke down a number of times in all cabins and had to be rebooted.
2. QF 107 arrives in LAX at an ungodly 6.35am in the morning. Most hotels don't allow you to check in, until 11am/12pm at the earliest, therefore you will spend at least 3-4 hours without being able to refresh yourself.

I would try to get on QF 11 (A380) if possible, it departs SYD at 1305 and arrives at LAX at 09:45. The A380 is much more comfortable (better pressurization/ humidity etc) in Y and it has power for your e-devices in Y.

QF11 departure time allows you to have a decent lunch/drinks in the J/F lounge prior to departure. I would only travel on 107 if I was flying to JFK.

Edit * there may be refurbished 747 on the route, but i was unlucky to be on an old aircraft on both sectors...

 

[baggyred]

Thanks YQY, unfortunately I don't get a choice on the flight - as I then have to connect up to SFO. I would much prefer the A380 - but unfortunately thems the breaks!

 

[VHOEJ]

Good luck to you, that is indeed a 'punish' of a flight.

I was in Y cabin a few weeks ago on the 107. It was one of the older 747's so unless they do something different for the refurbished aircraft, here is my advice:

- If you are tired and can sleep, take any sleep you can.
- We had a bumpy flight but they didn't serve the meals until about 2 hours out. They then took a while to come back and servce the hot choc/peppermint tea. I estimated they actually turned out the lights for sleep pretty late, about 5pm Sydney time. They turn the lights out earlier on the QF11.
- I would probably stay awake for the red eye, eat what you can. Then you will probably either stay awake for the food or will drop off after. I took the red eye a while ago, stayed awake and really felt the tiredness catch up about lunchtime so I slept in the afternoon. That will give you a solid couple of hours.
- Either way, make sure you have your eye shades, noise cancelling headphones and have a window seat.

Again, depends if you are a good sleeper on a flight or not. I tend to 'doze' rather than actually sleeping.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Hi All,

I'm taking the trip in a few weeks fro Sydney to Los Angeles which leaves at 10am. To make a long flight worse, I am getting the red eye from Perth to connect.

I'm trying to plan the sleeping on the QF 107 leg so that I get to LAX as best prepared as possible.

My question was two fold

Firstly, the timing of meals on the flight?

And secondly, how long until the plane hits the fading sun?

Thanks in advance

Not sure whether your tickets have been issued yet but I would avoid doing a red eye flight immediately before a trans-Pacific fight. Is it possible for you to change your PER/SYD flight to the day before departing around noon which will have you arriving in SYD early evening. You can then get sleep uninterrupted in a proper bed.

Even if you stop overnight at your international gateway city of SYD, as long as you stay less than 24 hours it would still be classified as a transit as it's part of an international ticket.

I find the day of arrival in the US I'm not too tired and can stay awake until the evening but avoid the temptation to stay up until 0400 as that will make it a lot harder to acclimatise to the local time. If you can go to bed in SFO about 2100 ish you shouldn't feel too bad the next morning but I'd avoid planning activities until the next afternoon at the earliest.

If I was going to the US for work I'd find it easier to do a half day in the office in SFO on the day of arrival in lieu of working the next morning then just go into work again the next afternoon.

Having flown to the US in both J and Y I find that jet-lag doesn't discriminate when it comes to your class of travel ie I felt just as tired the day after arrival no matter what class I flew in.

 

[AV8]

I would try to get on another flight rather than QF107, for two reasons....

1. QF107 uses a un-refurbished 747*. I was on 107/108 when i went to NYC last month. The IFE broke down a number of times in all cabins and had to be rebooted.
2. QF 107 arrives in LAX at an ungodly 6.35am in the morning. Most hotels don't allow you to check in, until 11am/12pm at the earliest, therefore you will spend at least 3-4 hours without being able to refresh yourself.

I would try to get on QF 11 (A380) if possible, it departs SYD at 1305 and arrives at LAX at 09:45. The A380 is much more comfortable (better pressurization/ humidity etc) in Y and it has power for your e-devices in Y.

QF11 departure time allows you to have a decent lunch/drinks in the J/F lounge prior to departure. I would only travel on 107 if I was flying to JFK.

Edit * there may be refurbished 747 on the route, but i was unlucky to be on an old aircraft on both sectors...

I'm on QF107 in a couple of weeks and it's a A380 - was switched from a 747 several months ago. The Four Points LAX allows 24hr check-in LAX Hotels - Four Points by Sheraton Los Angeles International Airport.

 

[VHOEJ]

Also remember that the red eye is usually quicker than the reverese direction. SYDPER can take 4-5 hours, the PERSYD can take as little as 3 hours with the winds. So I think staying awake for this flight (watch a movie) and then sleep on the 107 whenever you can is the way to go.

 

[baggyred]

Not sure whether your tickets have been issued yet but I would avoid doing a red eye flight immediately before a trans-Pacific fight. Is it possible for you to change your PER/SYD flight to the day before departing around noon which will have you arriving in SYD early evening. You can then get sleep uninterrupted in a proper bed.

Even if you stop overnight at your international gateway city of SYD, as long as you stay less than 24 hours it would still be classified as a transit as it's part of an international ticket.

I find the day of arrival in the US I'm not too tired and can stay awake until the evening but avoid the temptation to stay up until 0400 as that will make it a lot harder to acclimatise to the local time. If you can go to bed in SFO about 2100 ish you shouldn't feel too bad the next morning but I'd avoid planning activities until the next afternoon at the earliest.

If I was going to the US for work I'd find it easier to do a half day in the office in SFO on the day of arrival in lieu of working the next morning then just go into work again the next afternoon.

Having flown to the US in both J and Y I find that jet-lag doesn't discriminate when it comes to your class of travel ie I felt just as tired the day after arrival no matter what class I flew in.

All very good points, and all largely something I am going to unfortunately do the opposite of.

We are stuck with that connection due to allowed leave for my wife - and we need to get to SFO as we have something to get to on the first night (argh).

Have managed to procure some sleeping tablets, so will hopefully sleep from meal to meal - which luckily is something I am pretty good at on planes (even in cattle class). A big night sleep on the Friday and hopefully a sleep-in on Saturday and I'm hoping we bounce up ready to go (wishful I know). However this being our first time away from our kids in 5 years, 28 hours of transit does seem like a holiday in itself