High Horse
Intern
- Joined
- May 17, 2008
- Posts
- 51
As some of you may recall, my husband won a return trip MEL-LAX in business class on the inaugural flight of the QF A380. We have just returned from enjoying this magnificent prize, so as promised will share a trip report with you.
Keeping in mind, my opinions are those of a harried mother of three small children with champagne tastes on an imported beer budget. I am much more easily impressed than a jaded QFPlatinum!
We arrived at Tullarmarine about 9.00 for the 11.15 departure. As usual the Y queues were huge, but the queues for J and Y+ were shorter, with the Y+ moving much more quickly. There were celebratory luggage tags placed on the luggage which made me regret limiting ourselves to the one huge bag, as they would have made nice souvenirs to pass onto aviation buffs. Made small talk with the clerk, were allocated seats 19E and F and headed off to the airside Qantas Club with no further ado.
The Qantas Club was like it always is, dark and quiet. Maybe we were expecting a mini party here but there wasn't. Needless, the waitress was quite happy to oblige us in opening a bottle of sparkling wine. After all, it was midday somewhere in the world.
I went upstairs to browse the offerings at duty free and saw quite a crowd around Gate 9? where the A380 was parked ready for embarkation. There was a band playing, yep, I Still Call Australia Home and some muffled voices I assume were speeches. Staff were handing out commemorative copies of The Age with an A380 cover. Shame they didn't have this in the Qantas Club. Grabbed my copies, and took them downstairs, then it was time to board. Went through some funny gate to Gate 9, so we bypassed the main lounge, so I assume that some other guests would not have received a paper either.
Boarding was fun, as we got to go up an aerobridge then up another aerobridge. We hastened to our seat where there was a gift in a black paper bag. It was a limited edition book by Marc Newson entitled "Design in Style". A lovely keepsake, but I risk putting it in a box and never looking at it again. There was also a QFA380 stickpin.
One FA offered a tray of drinks, from which we selected the sparking wine (surprise!), and another FA bought gift bags containing full sized items of Payot products (they do the amenities bag in First).
J J had a few familiar faces, Peter Morrissey who changed straight ino his PJs (that man is a walking or should I say sleeping advertisement) plus Kerri-Anne Kennerley and Richard Wilkins. I have a sneaking suspicion that there was a LOT of QF corporate types in J.....
The seat itself was very spacious and comfortable, but it was a bit annoying that there was nowhere in close reach that you put your bits and pieces (maybe this is just a female requirement?) The compartment in the seat in front of you is way too far too reach with your seatbelt on. This is solved somewhat in the window seats as there are storage compartments next to the sides. Here is a photo of me with my legs outstretched, to give you an idea I am 5.10.
The section we were in, has been referred to as the dormitory cabin but it doesn’t give this me this impression while there as there is so much space. I would definitely not choose seats in the row or 2 behind the galley. That place is a hive of activity, with the meal preparation area, the self service snacks, and all four of the J class toilets. At night with the curtains drawn, there is always someone passing through letting light out. Would have driven me nuts if I was closer, mask on or not!!
As we taxied to the runway it was very quiet and it was very quiet taking off. With a couple of champagnes under my belt, plus the anticipation of this special trip I felt like clapping when we took off, but there was no ‘vibe’ in the J cabin so would have felt very self conscious!
There were cards to write down our breakfast orders, very similar to those used at hotels. It gave you the option to request a delivery time for the meal, or to not be woken for meal service. We stuck these on the coat hooks on the back of the seat in front.
We pulled out the Entertainment system from the armrest to have a play. The headphones were friggin fantastic, not sure if they were noise reduction types, but at some stage of the flight I preferred to nap with them on. You can navigate through touchscreen or through the handset, but I found the touchscreen more sensitive. I spent most of my time in Entertainment which is divided into Movies, TV Shows, Kids, Music and Books. Movies is then split up into New Releases, Encore, Oscar Classics, Art House, World Movies, Family and an A-Z. The Oscar Classics had all the Best Picture winners from the past 20 or so years, than another 18 randomly selected. I loved being able to see new releases, and to see some World Movies that I had been interested in. It was a bit fannoying that three times (on the two flights) the system just reset itself and I had to go back to where I was by fast forwarding back to where I thought it was. This happened to my husband to in all the four seats we occupied. Teething problems maybe? On the flip side, it was great to pause a movie, stow the screen away and then resume it after a sleep.
Meal service was slow, they didn’t use the PDAs at first. Entrée was served to everyone (as it was the same) and the dinner order taken.
My husband and I selected the Beef Fillet which was sensational. A little thing that was annoying was as we were seated together on the two seats in the middle, we were mostly served from our nearest aisle. This meant that all our meals were served between 5-15 minutes apart. 5 minutes is a long time when you are hungry and watching your husband eating. We both drank some lovely Gramps Shiraz 06, which is always lovely, but tasted heaps heaps better on a free J flight.
Pyjamas were handed out, as was the amenity kit. I was disappointed with the amenity kits. I beg borrow and steal this from people I know who travel international J and F. The female version came in a green zip case, and contained socks, eyemask and earplugs, toothbrush and paste. Then a little box with a Korner spritzer, lip balm, body moisturizer and night cream. I hadn’t packed a facial moisturizer so was disappointed there wasn’t one there.
It was time for bed, so we changed into our Morrisey PJs and turned the seat into full bed mode. This was very simple. The bed was very long, and certainly long enough for me. The blanket has a sheet sewn onto one side, which made it very comfortable. To be honest, I hardly slept the way over because I was just too darned excited. I thought the wine would help, but it didn’t. I am a side sleeper, so the seat beds are still a bit hard to get comfortable. However with all the ways to tweak the seat in between chair and bed it was very easy to get comfortable and not be so crampy. It was very easy to while away the night time with the entertainment system.
After a few hours my husband woke up so we took advantage of the greatest technological leap of the A380 – the sandwich toaster. The FA made us a toasted baguette with poached chicken and other bits and pieces. We had decided to share, which was a big mistake as it was absolutely delicious. So still hungry, I made my way up to the self service bar and took a can of soft drink, a cookie and a block of the delicious Lindt chocolate. What is it about altitude that makes everything more delicious??
Have to say breakfast was a real disappointment. The scrambled eggs were really watery and the sides were tasteless and mushy. In Y+ they were served some sort of tart which they said was delicious.
Once the plane landed, there was a delay connecting the aerobridges, so stood next to Peter Morrisey and complimented him on his very comfy PJs. Once off we walked through the construction site of TBIT and then were quickly and painlessly through immigration. A small wait for a luggage, and I don’t even remember going through customs! There was a small media contingent was waiting and asking us questions about our flight. My husband’s face was all over the news and websites. Thankfully mine wasn’t!!
The trip back was similar, as we had row 21 with the seats in the middle. The main mean was an delicious spiced lamb fillet. After our breakfast on the way over we stuck to continental on the way back which was much tastier.
Big thumbs up to Qantas, and the Customer Service Manager John (he has a desk on board opposite the lounge apparently!!). When he was chatting to my husband, he mentioned it was my birthday (when I overheard I told him to stop because I hate a fuss of me). A few hours later, John came over with a gift for me, First Class PJs and First Class amentities pack. I was absolutely stoked, especially as were were non-paying passengers. The pyjamas are also lovely (but am now loyal to Morrisey) but the amenities kit was literally first class. The beautiful Collette Dinnigan case with the Payout skincare range inside, plus the eyemask that looks like something Rita Hayworth would have worn. I am a very lucky lady!!
Didn't visit the lounge, as it was screened off for most of the flight to LAX as Channel 9 were basing their filming from there. I think because they were both essentially night time flights, that no one would feel up to much socialising. So the front cabin of J looks particularly quiet and appealing.
Friends travelling on Y+ were very, very impressed and said it was flying business class domestically. If they had of been told they were flying business, they would have believed it. They loved the small intimate cabin and the high level of service. They both slept very well on the reclining chairs.
Sorry if this TR lacks detail, as you can tell I was too busy soaking up the big picture (and yes the wine). If you have any questions, hopefully I will be able to answer them!
Keeping in mind, my opinions are those of a harried mother of three small children with champagne tastes on an imported beer budget. I am much more easily impressed than a jaded QFPlatinum!
We arrived at Tullarmarine about 9.00 for the 11.15 departure. As usual the Y queues were huge, but the queues for J and Y+ were shorter, with the Y+ moving much more quickly. There were celebratory luggage tags placed on the luggage which made me regret limiting ourselves to the one huge bag, as they would have made nice souvenirs to pass onto aviation buffs. Made small talk with the clerk, were allocated seats 19E and F and headed off to the airside Qantas Club with no further ado.
The Qantas Club was like it always is, dark and quiet. Maybe we were expecting a mini party here but there wasn't. Needless, the waitress was quite happy to oblige us in opening a bottle of sparkling wine. After all, it was midday somewhere in the world.
I went upstairs to browse the offerings at duty free and saw quite a crowd around Gate 9? where the A380 was parked ready for embarkation. There was a band playing, yep, I Still Call Australia Home and some muffled voices I assume were speeches. Staff were handing out commemorative copies of The Age with an A380 cover. Shame they didn't have this in the Qantas Club. Grabbed my copies, and took them downstairs, then it was time to board. Went through some funny gate to Gate 9, so we bypassed the main lounge, so I assume that some other guests would not have received a paper either.
One FA offered a tray of drinks, from which we selected the sparking wine (surprise!), and another FA bought gift bags containing full sized items of Payot products (they do the amenities bag in First).
The seat itself was very spacious and comfortable, but it was a bit annoying that there was nowhere in close reach that you put your bits and pieces (maybe this is just a female requirement?) The compartment in the seat in front of you is way too far too reach with your seatbelt on. This is solved somewhat in the window seats as there are storage compartments next to the sides. Here is a photo of me with my legs outstretched, to give you an idea I am 5.10.
The section we were in, has been referred to as the dormitory cabin but it doesn’t give this me this impression while there as there is so much space. I would definitely not choose seats in the row or 2 behind the galley. That place is a hive of activity, with the meal preparation area, the self service snacks, and all four of the J class toilets. At night with the curtains drawn, there is always someone passing through letting light out. Would have driven me nuts if I was closer, mask on or not!!
As we taxied to the runway it was very quiet and it was very quiet taking off. With a couple of champagnes under my belt, plus the anticipation of this special trip I felt like clapping when we took off, but there was no ‘vibe’ in the J cabin so would have felt very self conscious!
There were cards to write down our breakfast orders, very similar to those used at hotels. It gave you the option to request a delivery time for the meal, or to not be woken for meal service. We stuck these on the coat hooks on the back of the seat in front.
We pulled out the Entertainment system from the armrest to have a play. The headphones were friggin fantastic, not sure if they were noise reduction types, but at some stage of the flight I preferred to nap with them on. You can navigate through touchscreen or through the handset, but I found the touchscreen more sensitive. I spent most of my time in Entertainment which is divided into Movies, TV Shows, Kids, Music and Books. Movies is then split up into New Releases, Encore, Oscar Classics, Art House, World Movies, Family and an A-Z. The Oscar Classics had all the Best Picture winners from the past 20 or so years, than another 18 randomly selected. I loved being able to see new releases, and to see some World Movies that I had been interested in. It was a bit fannoying that three times (on the two flights) the system just reset itself and I had to go back to where I was by fast forwarding back to where I thought it was. This happened to my husband to in all the four seats we occupied. Teething problems maybe? On the flip side, it was great to pause a movie, stow the screen away and then resume it after a sleep.
Meal service was slow, they didn’t use the PDAs at first. Entrée was served to everyone (as it was the same) and the dinner order taken.
Pyjamas were handed out, as was the amenity kit. I was disappointed with the amenity kits. I beg borrow and steal this from people I know who travel international J and F. The female version came in a green zip case, and contained socks, eyemask and earplugs, toothbrush and paste. Then a little box with a Korner spritzer, lip balm, body moisturizer and night cream. I hadn’t packed a facial moisturizer so was disappointed there wasn’t one there.
It was time for bed, so we changed into our Morrisey PJs and turned the seat into full bed mode. This was very simple. The bed was very long, and certainly long enough for me. The blanket has a sheet sewn onto one side, which made it very comfortable. To be honest, I hardly slept the way over because I was just too darned excited. I thought the wine would help, but it didn’t. I am a side sleeper, so the seat beds are still a bit hard to get comfortable. However with all the ways to tweak the seat in between chair and bed it was very easy to get comfortable and not be so crampy. It was very easy to while away the night time with the entertainment system.
After a few hours my husband woke up so we took advantage of the greatest technological leap of the A380 – the sandwich toaster. The FA made us a toasted baguette with poached chicken and other bits and pieces. We had decided to share, which was a big mistake as it was absolutely delicious. So still hungry, I made my way up to the self service bar and took a can of soft drink, a cookie and a block of the delicious Lindt chocolate. What is it about altitude that makes everything more delicious??
Have to say breakfast was a real disappointment. The scrambled eggs were really watery and the sides were tasteless and mushy. In Y+ they were served some sort of tart which they said was delicious.
Once the plane landed, there was a delay connecting the aerobridges, so stood next to Peter Morrisey and complimented him on his very comfy PJs. Once off we walked through the construction site of TBIT and then were quickly and painlessly through immigration. A small wait for a luggage, and I don’t even remember going through customs! There was a small media contingent was waiting and asking us questions about our flight. My husband’s face was all over the news and websites. Thankfully mine wasn’t!!
The trip back was similar, as we had row 21 with the seats in the middle. The main mean was an delicious spiced lamb fillet. After our breakfast on the way over we stuck to continental on the way back which was much tastier.
Big thumbs up to Qantas, and the Customer Service Manager John (he has a desk on board opposite the lounge apparently!!). When he was chatting to my husband, he mentioned it was my birthday (when I overheard I told him to stop because I hate a fuss of me). A few hours later, John came over with a gift for me, First Class PJs and First Class amentities pack. I was absolutely stoked, especially as were were non-paying passengers. The pyjamas are also lovely (but am now loyal to Morrisey) but the amenities kit was literally first class. The beautiful Collette Dinnigan case with the Payout skincare range inside, plus the eyemask that looks like something Rita Hayworth would have worn. I am a very lucky lady!!
Didn't visit the lounge, as it was screened off for most of the flight to LAX as Channel 9 were basing their filming from there. I think because they were both essentially night time flights, that no one would feel up to much socialising. So the front cabin of J looks particularly quiet and appealing.
Friends travelling on Y+ were very, very impressed and said it was flying business class domestically. If they had of been told they were flying business, they would have believed it. They loved the small intimate cabin and the high level of service. They both slept very well on the reclining chairs.
Sorry if this TR lacks detail, as you can tell I was too busy soaking up the big picture (and yes the wine). If you have any questions, hopefully I will be able to answer them!
