SYD-PER First Time

[Mrmaxwell]

I'm booking my first SYD-PER trip for the end of Jan - any tips on the best flight numbers, difference between QF and DJ? Is J class worth the upgrade? I'll try using FF but I think I 've left it too late. Need to arrive in PER mid-late afternoon and leave late afternoon.

ps. That 12.15am-6.15am QF flight looks nasty

 

[Danger]

Well I've done the midnight departure several times. Last week was my last. Our relationship is over. We just couldn't sleep together anymore!!

The upside to this flight, though, is if you're flying J it's a 743 with decent J seats (except, possibly, on the Sunday night/Monday morning flight).

There are about three flights at day from Sydney to Perth with the decent J seats on 743s so I'd go for one of those but, other than the midday departure, I don't think they'd suit your travel times. It is worth the upgrade points, in my opinion, especially if you're on the overnighter.

 

[moa999]

Also am 2/2 on upgrades on the overnighter whereas about 0/4 on upgrades on the day flight so there may be some benefit there.
YMMV

 

[Batesy]

Just pick any of the QF flights with the 747-300. Older international style jumbo jet with personal TV's and better meal service. Good chance of upgrade to J on points. I lived in Perth for the last two years and frequently upgraded to the upstairs business class section, with dreamtime seats and usually international flight crews.

Avoid DJ its a long trip in a small single aisle plane and food to be paid for.

 

[Mrmaxwell]

So QF577 is the 747 arriving in PER at 14:55 while coming back QF566 is the 747 arriving at 22:15 in SYD.

Seems no need to go the red eye if I want the jumbo...these things depart from T3? I've never noticed a 747 parked for departure

And 72000 points return in J class sound right?

 

[Batesy]

So QF577 is the 747 arriving in PER at 14:55 while coming back QF566 is the 747 arriving at 22:15 in SYD. The Jumbo's trundle back and forth between Sydney/Perth/Melbourne all day.
I think Qantas use three of these aircraft to service these routes.

Seems no need to go the red eye if I want the jumbo...these things depart from T3? I've never noticed a 747 parked for departure
Yes terminal 3. Only a couple of gates can handle the jumbo

And 72000 points return in J class sound right?

yes that is correct.

 

[Yada Yada]

IME it all depends how full the aircraft is.

On my last trip to the west, the SYD-PER flight was on DJ and the PER-SYD return was on QF. On DJ, I purchased a Blue Zone seat and the middle seat was empty, so the comfort/space was fantastic. And the food was great - on longer flights they usually offer a choice of two hot meals and the one I selected was restaurant quality for about $7.

The return flight was a dog. It was one of the ex-MH 2-class 743's which are starting to look a bit shabby IMO. I asked for and was allocated an exit-row window seat at check-in - this turned out to be a bad decision. Leg room was impeded by the emergency slide on the door, there was no window (it was blocked off), and the plane was almost packed to the rafters. My row was full and not very comfortable. The worst thing was the "free" meal - the most disgusting I've ever had on QF and simply inedible. Thankfully the crew member in our section was friendly.

So while I prefer to sit in a wide-body plane to a single aisle plane on longer trips, my last experience was that DJ easily beat QF. At least you can guarantee an exit row on DJ and when you have to pay for food, the quality has to be decent.

QF parks the 743's on the jetbase side of the rotunda section of the terminal at SYD T3.

Edit: Forgot to add than I noticed something new on my DJ flight last Friday...
There is now a separate in-flight service guide in the seat-back pocket that lists not only the food/drink available, but also a more comprehensive Live2Air guide.

In this guide, it shows a new offering (at least new to me). Three channels are now dedicated to showing movies on flights longer than 2.5 hours. There is a selection of movies to choose from and cost is $9.90 per movie. Nice addition.

 

[Petch]

these things depart from T3? I've never noticed a 747 parked for departure

Indeed, I have flown into/out of gate 7 (/7A) i.e. they park on an angle (instead of perpendicular) to the long departure pier, just near the round pier, or the "double boarding gates" built at the end of the round pier.

(I think, these were designed and built for the A330's, but in true Qantas style, soon after they became operational, the A330's were sent to Jetstar. Not quite as bad as starting up an airline, then a few years later deciding to close it down (aka Australian Airlines) but none the less all part of some undefinable, weird Qantas strategy.)

I was on a 743 a few weeks ago out of Perth, it was delayed arriving/departing, the in-flight entertainment didn't work, the main cabin lighting was non-functional... And all that after having to suffer through using the most overcrowded terminal in Australia and non-functioning air-conditioning in the Qantas Club. Yuck! (There are posters everywhere with pics of new terminal extensions, work that should have already been completed, not just images on pylons, IMO)

However, the Dreamtime seat, with no-one in the seat next to me, was absolutely wonderful compared to Economy or Millennium seats. My next flight from Perth, in a few weeks, is a Tiger "Red Eye", I tell you I go from one extreme to another. (Although I have paid for the "Seat Selector Preferred" Add-on.)

 

[Petch]

Avoid DJ its a long trip in a small single aisle plane and food to be paid for.

Here's how I look at it, on Qantas your "food" is included in your extreme ticket price, where as the other airlines give you a choice! So either way, the food on Qantas is paid for.

 

[Petch]

In this guide, it shows a new offering (at least new to me). Three channels are now dedicated to showing movies on flights longer than 2.5 hours. There is a selection of movies to choose from and cost is $9.90 per movie. Nice addition.

Good news, did you notice if you have to pay for Live2Air as well, on top of the $9.90?

 

[Yada Yada]

Good news, did you notice if you have to pay for Live2Air as well, on top of the $9.90?

Now that's a very good question!!! I didn't think to check that out.

My guess is that it would be included - once the movie is finished I'd expect that you could switch to any other channel. However the cost for Live2Air on longer flights is $9.90 anyway, so I'm just not sure.

I've just located some info on the movies here but there is no mention of whether the other channels are available afterwards.

 

[serfty]

... (I think, these were designed and built for the A330's, but in true Qantas style, soon after they became operational, the A330's were sent to Jetstar. Not quite as bad as starting up an airline, then a few years later deciding to close it down (aka Australian Airlines) but none the less all part of some undefinable, weird Qantas strategy.) ...

Actually, the original 332's had an (unforseen?) design problem making them take quite a significant time to refuel. This was no good for the short turnaround times necessary for efficient operation in the Golden Triangle.

The solution Qantas came up with was quite elegant methinks.

 

[Petch]

The solution Qantas came up with was quite elegant methinks.

LOL

I should have been clearer, the "they" becoming operational was the dual lane boarding bridges, rather than the A330s. I have not experienced a 747 domestic using dual boarding lanes, only the A330s ages ago, so I was trying to insinuate that building/paying for "you beaut" new boarding facilities for a particular type of aircraft, then (having to?) dispatching the aircraft elsewhere in the network, was not such a great strategy.

 

[serfty]

Actually, I do occasionally see a 747 out there at those gates (10? 12?), but as posted, gate 7 seems the go. (Making Gate 6 (or 8?) useless for a bit).

Perhaps the Jumbo's take too much space it the very end of the pier for regular use.

FWIW, MEL has a couple of the dual gates, but are rarely used as such.

 

[Petch]

FWIW, MEL has a couple of the dual gates, but these are rarely used.

One of the most hilarious airport announcements, that I have ever heard, was after arriving (late) on a 747 into Tullamarine years ago (must have been soon after Ansett's collapse). A frantic, stressed PA announcement greeted all, as hundreds of us streamed of the aircraft.

After announcing what seemed like an enormous serious of delays, the announcer stumble something like - "Qantas apologises for the various delays, but a very late Jumbo has just arrived from Perth, and we have got connecting passengers everywhere." (I think as the PA turned off I could hear sobbing.)

Certainly interesting watching the Jetstar pier at Melbourne Airport, trying to cope with the arrival of a 747, although the far side of the CityFlyer pier seems the better place for the massive amounts of passenger traffic they create. (As for Perth Qantas terminal, it simply can't cope, I have even deplaned from a 747 via stairs onto the tarmac because an aerobridge wasn't available.)

 

[Evan]

The return flight was a dog. It was one of the ex-MH 2-class 743's which are starting to look a bit shabby IMO.

The QF 747-300's are all 747-338's so all purchased by QF.

The 3 odd 747's ex MH and Asiana are VH-OEC/OED that are 4H6, and VH-OEB that is 48E, all 400 models.

But all that aside they are a little shabby and will be replaced as soon as they reach D checks it seems as long as QF have replacement A/C already available.

E

 

[Yada Yada]

The QF 747-300's are all 747-338's so all purchased by QF.

The 3 odd 747's ex MH and Asiana are VH-OEC/OED that are 4H6, and VH-OEB that is 48E, all 400 models.

But all that aside they are a little shabby and will be replaced as soon as they reach D checks it seems as long as QF have replacement A/C already available.

I'm not much of a plane spotter so maybe I am wrong, but the one I was on had Malaysian and English signs on the door next to my seat.

 

[toowongman]

Now that's a very good question!!! I didn't think to check that out.

My guess is that it would be included - once the movie is finished I'd expect that you could switch to any other channel. However the cost for Live2Air on longer flights is $9.90 anyway, so I'm just not sure.

I've just located some info on the movies here but there is no mention of whether the other channels are available afterwards.

The PPV and L2A are charged separately.

 

[NM]

I'm not much of a plane spotter so maybe I am wrong, but the one I was on had Malaysian and English signs on the door next to my seat.

The Malaysian word for "EXIT" is "KELUAR", litterally meaning To (ke) Outside (luar). Was that what was written near the door?

The ex-MH 747-400s are also 3-class Pacific configurations.

Perhaps any non-English marking near the exits was a requirement for previous operations to a particular country sometime in the aircraft's long history.

 

[Mrmaxwell]

So are the QF 747's the best way to go or not? If I can get an upgrade to J class then yes but if not how is economy?

Love these threads....I've learnt a lot about dual carriageways and design faults in A330 AC