Trans Tasman Quicky

[Keith009]

Ha made you look.

I thought this might be of interest to those contemplating similar hops outside AKL considering that these routes seem to feature less in TRs.

Sector – SYD-WLG
Flight number – QF47/ “Jetconnect for Qantas”
Class – Business
Seat 1A/C, then 1 D/F
Aircraft – B737-400

I decided to continue my DONE4 over my one week mid semester Easter break, repositioning back to Sydney where I last left the ticket in limbo and spending a night there - as well as using 2 of my SWP segment allowances to do SYD-WLG-MEL and spending a weekend in Wellington. I’ve always wanted to check out Wellington and Qantas, through its Kiwi subsidiary Jetconnect serves WLG out of both SYD and MEL.

I was initially put off by the equipment on this route. In comparison, AKL is served by B744 service out of MEL (332s on certain days but same hardware) with all the bells and whistles (as a one stop service to LAX), whilst out of SYD there are Dreamtime seating-equipped 763s or LAN’s A340 service – both with slightly less bells and whistles than the MEL service but nonetheless better than a 734 with convertible seating.

But it wasn’t as poor an experience as it could’ve been as the Jetconnect 734s have been refurbished to not only feature the Millennium seating (cradle style seating used on domestic aircraft), but they also feature new fabrics which made the cabin feel a lot fresher and cleaner. The pre-refurbishment fabrics were looking rather jaded.

QF 734 J cabin featuring new fabrics and Millenium seats

Not being familiar with the 734s (despite flying to CBR with them I’ve always been stuck in whY – nowadays I stick to the Crash8s though), I’d booked 1C without realizing that the legroom is significantly reduced by the bulkhead/cloak cupboard. However the cabin was rather empty with not a single soul in row 1 and I was able to swap to row 1D after boarding had ceased. Much better!

Legroom in 1A/C

Legroom in 1D/F

The champagne was Charles Heidsieck MEC 04 – kudos to QF for not skimping on champagne unlike the Kiwi sparkling wine that NZ offers on the trans tasman sectors. As much of a fan I am of wines from Australia and New Zealand and as much as I’d like to see the respective national carriers promote local produce – it is only because I think Australia and NZ are world leading when it comes to wine. OTOH nothing beats French when it comes to the bubbly stuff.

Champers was served prior to take off despite the 0900 departure which of course is only right so one does not have to feel bad when the crew members are made to turn back to the galley to retrieve champers. Ok I was really describing myself there. But hey I wasn’t the only one having the champers judging by the number of empty flutes on the FA’s tray when she collected them in preparation for departure – so kudos to my fellow pax on this flight for demonstrating that there’s no such thing as “too early for champagne.”

 

[Keith009]

As an aside, I was more in need of alcohol then than any other time. Let me back peddle a little and start from the nefarious activities I partook in the night before the flight. I was in Sydney to catch up with a good mate. Said good mate has a hobby which involves concocting very potent coughtails (everything above board) and his friends are guinea pigs in such experiments. Sometimes these are a party in a mouthful, other times not so. In exchange for some joint champers demolition, I agreed to be the subject of the latest experiment which involved rapidly sculling a pint of Jaeger bomb mixed with a shot each of coffee liqueur and green tea liqueur (dropped in wit htheir glasses). Does wonders for your brain cells and your heart of course. However thankfully this fell into the former category of experiments. I must now admit that I’ve warmed to the idea of broadening my palate (beyond champagne, wines and Student Unity punch) as the drink was delightful, as is the immediate ‘aftershock.’ Warm clothing is essential if any one of you ever try this mix. So after sculling several pints of the lethal brew, a Moet 2000, lots of wine, and simultaneously trying to analyse a film about The Dismissal (conveniently titled ‘The Dismissal’), I was more than ready to call it a night. The hangover on the other hand… let’s just say it was unprecedented.

So it might be a bit of an urban myth to suggest that the best way to ease a hangover is to ease back into drunkenness. Certainly in my case however, especially that very morning – it is no myth.

We departed a little bit late due to congestion and hence lack of ATC clearance.

Lunch was served on this flight. A bit odd that it’s not breakfast given the morning departure, so I presume that they were operating on NZ time which is 2 hours ahead of AEDT. I thought I’d had to go without salad due to my shellfish allergy as it contained prawns but the very resourceful crew members found a salad sans prawns for me without prompting. On probing as I’d wanted to make sure they hadn’t just removed the prawns from the salad (and apologies to any FAs reading this, pardon my ignorance about your training), it was revealed that they were extras from the crew meal.

I had the beef for the main course which had a very nice texture and was nicely flavoured. But the vegetables that came with it were quite soggy. I had the cheese plate for dessert and was very glad that I let the FA talk me into trying the dessert wine (“Please, just trust me.”  so I did). Even for someone who doesn’t normally drink dessert wine (*hands smelling salts to NM*) I couldn’t help liking it very much. Regrettably I can’t recall the label but it was beautifully fragrant and paired the cheeses very well.

A choice of nuts or olives to go with champers

Full menu here.

The youthful Jetconnect FAs led by a very young CSM did not equate to a less polished service. Quite the opposite! The level of service rendered was very much equivalent to the generally high levels (IMO) of service of their mainline counterparts. This set of crew created a very warm atmosphere onboard, and made the effort to provide a fun yet professional and personalized service. The enthusiasm must have had a positive impact on my hangover too!

Personal DVD players were handed out but I didn’t use mine as I was too tired to enjoy any movie properly. The combination of my hangover, the lack of sleep and too much champagne and dessert wine meant I passed out about 40 minutes prior to arrival, only to be shaken awake by the FAs as we arrived at our gate. I can’t remember the exact time we arrived but it couldn’t have been very much behind schedule.

Next: The InterContinental Wellington

 

[Keith009]

The InterContinental Wellington
2 Grey St

It is really not my fault that Welly has no HH or SPG affiliated properties… But I guess its strong reputation for good coffee and nightlife makes for a rather compelling proposition to ignore the existence of my favourite chains. At least I don’t have to stay off-chain entirely!

I’d thought about begging a sympathetic RA for the gifted RA status but then decided that I don’t have enough IC/IHG stays to justify the gifting of RA/PC Plat statuses. So I decided to suck it up and stay at the IC without all the “super powers” that come with status.

The lobby seemed rather ho hum – even for a business hotel. The furniture also seemed dated. It took an age to get checked in as the hotel was busy and I had to wait a little for my room which wasn’t yet ready. Would I like a complimentary drink while I wait? But of course!

Despite having no status, the “Club” level of my PC status allowed extended late check out at this property of up to 4pm. No mention of this was made at check in however – I only found out when I read a card explaining the features of my room. I extended my check out time through Guest Services to 1.30pm but it didn’t stop a frantic receptionist from calling me at 10am on the last day to find out when I’d be vacating the room.

The standard room I booked was of a good size and comfortable. The bed is comfy. However the furnishings felt rather drab and the décor in general feels pretty cheap. The bathtub was chipped. The bathroom also lacked a soap dish for the hand soap. When I asked about this, the Guest Services agent said they haven’t such a thing. Charming. I made a makeshift soap dish with the little tray that the bath amenities and hand towels were stacked on by removing the hand towels. Bathroom amenities were ok but I used the Bliss Sinkside 6 (sans green soap) that I’d brought with me anyway.

 

[Keith009]

I felt that the service levels in general at the hotel were pretty substandard, if the above examples haven’t illustrated this already. It took at least 30 minutes for anything to be delivered to the room (I requested for a dental kit as well as a shaving kit – but thankfully they’d tried to make it up by sending up a week’s worth of the stuff), my wake up call didn’t come on both mornings, billing errors.

The only exception was the concierge team – staffed by people who were mostly enthusiastic and competent. Though my first impression wasn’t great as I was told by a numpty who didn’t even bother trying that it’s “impossible” to get a seat in any restaurant on my first night there and that it’s best simply eating at the hotel restaurant, but I persisted and his supervisor found me a spot at a very nice restaurant at Courtenay Place. Aforementioned numpty also responded to my request for all day breakfast cafes at 12 noon the next day with "uhh it's midday" - that's exactly why I said "all day" - doh!Thankfully he wasn’t at work subsequent days.

Now it would seem like I am asking for too much, as was pointed out to me by another AFFer whom I complained to who considers IC “2nd tier.” Now obviously I’m not expecting a W, the Ritz Carlton or the Pen. But let’s consider the market positioning of the IC brand – upper upscale at least, if not borderline luxury. So they ought to be at least equivalent to the upper tier Westins. There are certainly many properties that I’ve experienced that meet this standard, eg IC Singapore and IC Bangkok. However the IC Wellington is really equivalent to a mid grade Sheraton at best, and feels much the same as a CP or one of the better HIs. The rooms are clean, functional, and have comfy beds. But don’t expect much else in the way of nice soaps, high quality furnishings etc.

The amazing thing is that this is meant to be one of Wellington’s top hotels. For a city that’s otherwise upscale and chic in so many ways, I’m surprised that a hotel like this is considered the city’s only 5 star hotel (or one of the few 5 star hotels)

Most importantly, you shouldn’t need any form of hotel status and associated benes to enjoy a hotel stay at a competent hotel.

Next: Wellington

 

[Keith009]

Oh and please say hi to Miffy, who's now happily sitting on my desk in his protective plastic gear:

 

[Keith009]

Wellington!!

Surrounded by water like most major NZ cities, there is some nice scenery to behold in Wellington. The lake area reminds me a bit of Geneva. We also drove up one of the hills, and followed a hidden track we discovered where we enjoyed some nice views.

Desperately trying to keep my hair down in the wind

 

[Keith009]

Wellington is very compact and it is very easy to walk everywhere. It’s no more than 30 minutes to walk from one end of town to the other. The InterContinental is located within a 10 minute walk to attractions like Parliament House, the lake, Courtenay Place (street full of eating and drinking places), Cuba St (nightlife).

Like Auckland, I love Wellington for its chic and stylish ways. Such a great emphasis is placed on clean line modern interior designs.

Wellington instantly joined my list of great coffee cities the moment I tasted a brew, alongside Melbourne, Paris, Perth and Auckland. There are apparently more coffee shops per head in Welly than in New York City. Coffee was very well made, and almost everyone made my soy lattes using bon soy – the only type of soy milk that froths properly.

Nightlife here was awesome. It doesn’t compare to bigger cities in volume, but everything is pretty compact which heightens the atmosphere. One of the clubs we went to opened and was busy all the way through closing at 0800.

Didn’t get to shop much, but I did manage to grab some stuff from a store of Kiwi designer Keith Matheson. Besides being my namesake, Keith is a most talented designer because there’s always something that suits everyone.

Next: QF38 WLG-MEL J

 

[NYCguy]

. One of the clubs we went to opened and was busy all the way through closing at 0800.

Oh, to be young again!

 

[Evan]

Oh, to be young again!

Ohhhh... It just takes training anybody can do it.
E

 

[Tooner]

If you ever go back to WLG the Bolton is a good newish hotel, I'm told. Most times I go I'm at the Duxton or a suite hotel - Boulcott Suites last time.

The other thing about Wellington (& NZ) is you can say you had a pizza from Hell and its not a bad thing!

 

[Keith009]

If you ever go back to WLG the Bolton is a good newish hotel, I'm told.

I will be back in WLG indeed - makes for a cheap and accessible weekend getaway. Plus the nightclubs are better than those in AKL.

Cheers for the tip! Yes it does look noice from the website - heaps more stylish.

I saw an ad for a lakeside boutique designer hotel and was kicking myself for not doing my research properly, till I realised that it isn't open till 2009. Looks real noice though. Pity I can't remember the name now.

 

[Petch]

Plus the nightclubs are better than those in AKL.

...hmmm... that requires details!

 

[Keith009]

...hmmm... that requires details!

They all seem a lot more classy. Nightclubs in AKL can be a bit tawdry.

And several open till 0800 like i said - check out Vespa and Bluenote.

 

[Keith009]

Sector - WLG-MEL
Flight number - QF38 / "Jetconnect for Qantas"
Class - Business
Seat - 1F
Aircraft - B737-400

My boarding pass was indicating a 1530 boarding time despite the 1525 departure, yet neither the check in agent nor the departure screens indicated any delays. I swung by Travelex to pay my departure tax, went through immigration and security, and bought some wine from duty free before heading into the Qantas Club. The lounge dragon welcomed me most warmly, before advising me of a 20 minute delay for my flight.

The lounge was nicer than I'd thought for an airport with a very limited number of international flights. One of the reds offered happened to be one of my favourite labels of pinot noir, Matua Valley and so I spent a fair bit of time working through that - those who attended SQTalk KUL do August 2007 will remember quaffling this lovely pinot at dinner on the 2nd evening.

I'd swapped out of my initially assigned seat 1C, and as 1D was already taken I settled for the window seat. Seated next to me in 1D was a DFAT bureaucrat on his way back to CBR via MEL which of course made for some interesting conversation, and it was a unique experience exchanging insights with someone from the non-party political crowd of CBR.

Having had little sleep the night before I snoozed for a bit after I'd finished my pre departure champers and woke up just as the seatbelt sign went off after take off.

We were served an early dinner/late lunch on this flight, depending how you look at it. The salad was shellfish free this time - greens with smoked salmon. I then had the very nice honey glazed pork with mashies and again - soggy beans. This was then followed by dessert. Between QF and NZ, I'd have to give it to NZ for being the better of the two when it comes to meals on transtasman flights.

Unfortunately I'd forgotten to take the menu off the flight with me.

Enchanted (mmm Patrick Dempsey) was shown on the main screen, and hence I watched that instead of using the personal DVD players.

Another set of awesome Jetconnect crew - our drinks kept getting topped up without any prompting. I think we ended up going through 2 and a half bottles of the Mis En Cave before the crew had to prepare for arrival.

Now isn't this a short trip report compared to my previous ones? A simple, there-and-back trip. Unfortunately you won't be hearing from me for a while yet - as I'd be grounded till the next uni holiday which occurs end of June. Until then, catch y'all in other parts of the forum.

Signing out for now,
QF009

 

[Tooner]

Great work Keith. I agree about Jetconnect crews - very friendly and great service. I'll have a chance to compare later this month when I fly in QF to CHC and back home from WLG on Jetconnect. In whY unfortunately!

Curious why you didn't pay departure tax at the counter (I've done that every time?)

 

[Keith009]

Curious why you didn't pay departure tax at the counter (I've done that every time?)

Because they only accepted credit cards at the counter and I had some NZ currency to get rid of. I'd do it at the counter at a busier airport like AKL.

 

[Tooner]

Because they only accepted credit cards at the counter and I had some NZ currency to get rid of. I'd do it at the counter at a busier airport like AKL.

Makes sense now - I've always been there for work so used trusty corporate card

 

[sr81]

Nice one Keith, as always a nice easy read with interesting notes on hotels.

Did Jetconnect to AKL last Nov. and was very impressed with the crew.

PS. love the tubs of ice-cream had 4 LHR-SIN in F last year!