QF63 & 64 JNB return Business seat

[mhubert]

hi

I'm looking at booking on this next year but SeatGuru warns that the Biz seats are old angle seats, not fully lie-flat.

Can anyone advise on this? And also, how was Premium seating?

thanks in anticipation!

 

[mannej]

OEB is the only 747 left with the angled lie flat skybeds, so you may not have this lottery depending on when you are looking to fly this route.

 

[moa999]

OEB is due to go on charter work from March 2018.
In recent weeks it's been flying to HK and Tokyo from Sydney.

All the other 747s have the fully flat SkyBed IIs

 

[mhubert]

OEB is due to go on charter work from March 2018.
In recent weeks it's been flying to HK and Tokyo from Sydney.

All the other 747s have the fully flat SkyBed IIs

thanks

 

[jxv]

I suggest that you try to get a seat on the upper deck of a refurbished aircraft. The smaller cabin with the 2-2 configuration and storage bins under the windows make for a nicer experience. The service is usually more personal too.

If you are (un)lucky enough to travel on OEB you should go for the seats in the old first class cabin (rows 1-4). They are much more comfortable than the angled seats. You can recognize this aircraft from the seat map with the single window seats in the forward cabin.

 

[love_the_life]

I suggest that you try to get a seat on the upper deck of a refurbished aircraft. The smaller cabin with the 2-2 configuration and storage bins under the windows make for a nicer experience. The service is usually more personal too.

If you are (un)lucky enough to travel on OEB you should go for the seats in the old first class cabin (rows 1-4). They are much more comfortable than the angled seats. You can recognize this aircraft from the seat map with the single window seats in the forward cabin.

If it is a refurb they have cut the number of toilets for biz. With people wanting to change out of PJs in the morning it’s a bun fight.

 

[SpudOz]

If you’re a solo, go for 5B or 5J on the refurbed bird

 

[SYD]

If you like iceberg spotting choose a window A seat on SYD-JNB.

 

[bigjobs]

bumping this thread instead of starting a new one to ask about the J beds on QF63/64 ...

are they the fully flat version these days ?? on this return trip in a couple of weeks time.

 

[moa999]

In general yes.
But OEB is still in circulation
Flightradar24.com - Live flight tracker!

 

[mhubert]

W

bumping this thread instead of starting a new one to ask about the J beds on QF63/64 ...

are they the fully flat version these days ?? on this return trip in a couple of weeks time.

We did this 3 weeks ago - on VH-OEB, they were 100% like flat, though I found them a bit narrow. We've been in J on 747s several times this year, I think if using points it's unlikely to get upstairs, we go row 7 2 of 3 times - whic is OK BUT who wants to be in the middle seat in Business? We did get 1J & 1K for SYD - JNB which was very nice. No overhead locked but there's a storage area right in front you can use.

With Antarctica, they won't announce it as they claim that people going to the left side to see it unbalances the plane! Watch the map.

Our flight left 3 hours late - the 747s have chronic lateness due to mechanical issues (most are 20 years old). Service was very good.

 

[mannej]

W


We did this 3 weeks ago - on VH-OEB, they were 100% like flat, though I found them a bit narrow. We've been in J on 747s several times this year, I think if using points it's unlikely to get upstairs, we go row 7 2 of 3 times - whic is OK BUT who wants to be in the middle seat in Business? We did get 1J & 1K for SYD - JNB which was very nice. No overhead locked but there's a storage area right in front you can use.

With Antarctica, they won't announce it as they claim that people going to the left side to see it unbalances the plane! Watch the map.

Our flight left 3 hours late - the 747s have chronic lateness due to mechanical issues (most are 20 years old). Service was very good.

The J seats in -OEB are angled lie flat, however the seats in the old F section are fully lie.

 

[Silvia]

bumping this thread instead of starting a new one to ask about the J beds on QF63/64 ...

are they the fully flat version these days ?? on this return trip in a couple of weeks time.

There is only one with the old version which is OEB
Lately, it's been going on QF63/34 and QF3/4 rotations. Although at times also goes on QF27/28 and SYD/SFO.
If you look on your map seat you will be able to tell if it's the refurbished or the old version. For instance, on the upper deck, you will the exit row as row 14, on the OEB is row 16. Also, as some people have suggested, the pointy section (rows 1-3) on OEB are single seats, as opposed to 2 seats on the refurbished ones.

Good luck, and if you get OEB, choose the first few rows. We had that back from HNL and that made it a better experience.

 

[bigjobs]

thanks folks. some good tips. knowing my luck, it will be OEB or a last minute equipment change for a Dash 8 ...

 

[mannej]

thanks folks. some good tips. knowing my luck, it will be OEB or a last minute equipment change for a Dash 8 ...

You could be like the poor folks on the 12th...

 

[MEL_Traveller]

All the other 747s have the fully flat SkyBed IIs

...at least fully lie-flat when new. Not so much these days, with either droop or arcing a significant problem. There are ways to fix the droop, but this shouldn't be something for passengers to have to content with.

 

[bigjobs]

...at least fully lie-flat when new. Not so much these days, with either droop or arcing a significant problem. There are ways to fix the droop, but this shouldn't be something for passengers to have to content with.

as a passenger who will probably have to fix 'the droop', can you let us know any tips?

I did have a J suite on the A330 back from HKG the other week that didn't recline ... stayed bolt upright in the Dash 8 position. Thankfully the flight attendant had seen it before and knew what to do.