QF Hong Kong Lounge and QF128 Business review.

[PaulST]

QF Hong Kong Lounge and QF128 Business Class review.

Hi all,
I was fortunate to be upgraded (points) on QF128 HKG-SYD last week and put together a video of the lounge and flights.
Having flown in Emirates and Cathay Pacific J class, this was my first in Qantas (minus a few domestic J flights), and my first night J flight.
Initially it was going to be a refurbished 747 (according to the seat map) but it ended up being a non-refurbished 747 with the old first class. Unfortunately for me, I have minimal status so there was no chance of getting into the old F.
In summary, the lounge is fantastic! Massive, great food and a good atmosphere. The staff were fantastic too. The flight was good although the old bird was showing her age (IFE wasn’t working for either myself or my neighbour) and it’s true that you do slide down those Mk1 Skybeds! The dinner was reasonably sparse I thought but the brecky was good.

Tips:

• Don’t connect to QF’s free wifi, it’s rubbish. The standard free wifi open to everyone at the airport is A LOT faster.
• Have a shower when you’re there too. I’ve just returned from trekking through Japan, South Korea and China and, after a day walking around a humid HK, the shower was amazing!
• Do some exercise earlier that day - so you can justify gorging on the great food in the lounge.

I'm happy to answer questions and enjoy the video.

[video=youtube;3hfzVFGd1-U]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hfzVFGd1-U[/video]

A pre-dinner snack:

Coming in to land at Sydney (Wollongong in the distance) - the view from the upper deck:

 

[Jay Cee]

Re: QF Hong Kong Lounge and QF128 Business Class review.

Thank you, very entertaining. The lounge is huge, best I have seen for a long while. Then again I don't fly Qantas so my opinion in rather here nor there. Pity about the plane, but it did get you home safely, that's the main thing. Thanks again.

regards

 

[PaulST]

Re: QF Hong Kong Lounge and QF128 Business Class review.

Oh of course, I got home safely* and in greater comfort than everyone in Y. I consider myself very fortunate but since I was flying J, I figure I should whinge like a J passenger. :-D

*just finished reading the book "QF32" so I certainly appreciate well built aircraft and good pilots.

 

[rotuma1]

Re: QF Hong Kong Lounge and QF128 Business Class review.

Thank you for your report. Well done

 

[clazman]

Re: QF Hong Kong Lounge and QF128 Business Class review.

Great lounge, better than the basement one from a few years ago.

 

[Platinum A332]

Re: QF Hong Kong Lounge and QF128 Business Class review.

Good to see QF have gotten rid of the Cafe Breakfast on QF128

 

[cmon0005]

Re: QF Hong Kong Lounge and QF128 Business Class review.

Amazing video, well done!

Just out of interest what type of camera and editing software did you use?

 

[PaulST]

Re: QF Hong Kong Lounge and QF128 Business Class review.

Amazing video, well done!

Just out of interest what type of camera and editing software did you use?

Mostly an iPhone 6 but a few photos would have been a Canon 70D. I used iMovie to put everything together.

 

[djfuzz]

Re: QF Hong Kong Lounge and QF128 Business Class review.

Nice review, enjoyed the pics and video.

Have yet to try the new HKG lounge, looks great. I like the new design direction - the old F lounge in that space was nothing special sadly. But how is the space now that this serves all F, J and OW elite pax?

I must say, despite the fact that they're older, have less pitch, and don't go horizontal, there's something I can't help but like about the Skybed Mk I - it may be the fact that the screen is closer to you and they're a little cosier (a bit like the new A330 suites). The Mk II's just feel a little too bare in comparison, though obviously they're better and more comfortable.

 

[casanovawa]

Re: QF Hong Kong Lounge and QF128 Business Class review.

How did you do that little flight graphic at the start of the video??

 

[PaulST]

Re: QF Hong Kong Lounge and QF128 Business Class review.

Djfuzz, it did become crowded as the Syd, Mel and Bne flights leave within a few hrs of each other.

casanova, it's inbuilt into iMovie.

 

[Dalek]

Re: QF Hong Kong Lounge and QF128 Business Class review.

Hi Paul,

As may remember, we were on the same flight as you, also hanging out for upgrades to J. In the end we even got our son (NB) upgraded to J for the flight home.

It seems we were sitting a couple of rows behind you but in the AB seats. I don't recall seeing you filming either in the lounge or on the plane, you must be very discreet.

I was severely disappointed with the flight home, everything seemed very ordinary - the food, the Champagne (Duval-Leroy??) and of the course the sloping Skybed Mk1. Such a contrast to the trip over on the 380 in J but in the F cabin, hard to live up to that.

I enjoyed your video, I was half expecting to see us sitting in the background in the lounge.

Yes, the HKG lounge is very good, we had spent a few hours in The Wing the previous week and the Qantas lounge can certainly hold up its head in that company.

 

[PaulST]

Re: QF Hong Kong Lounge and QF128 Business Class review.

Yes hi Dalek!

I felt a little silly filming so tried to be as subtle as possible. haha

I'd tend to agree and while it was certainly better than the PE seat I'd originally booked, the flight itself was average (which was a pity as it was my first QF international J). The food/wine was no better than QF PE I've flown a few times and certainly not as good as the CX and EK J meals I've eaten (both of whom were shorter flights).

I'm a bit of a QF fan boy, and the lounge was great, but I'd agree that the flight wasn't brilliant. I was grateful for the upgrade but if I'd paid properly, I'd be somewhat disappointed.

I'm looking at flying to the US later in the year (either in PE or J) and usually I'll go out of my way to fly in the 747s but I dare say I'll be looking for an A388 out of fear of getting a non-refurbished 744. Luck usually goes against me as I've never flown a refurbished one yet, always the oldies (OJA 3 times in the last 6 months).