When Qantas international Business Class doesn't make the grade

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Sep 20, 2012
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I recently flew in J class on QF4 from Honolulu to Sydney. What a disappointment! :( This is a 10 hour 45 minute flight, but the 767-300 J class had no beds - not even the old sloping ones - just recliners which are impossible to sleep in. And there was no AVOD! Instead you are given an iPad which had about 7 movies (including a couple of kids movies and some old ones), and some coughpy $2 earbuds that don't block out any of the external noise. There are noise-cancelling headsets, but if you plug one of the prongs into the iPad, you only get sound in one ear.

The food and service were up to the usual Qantas standard (which I think is quite good). I've flown in Qantas J class on many international flights, but this was undoubtedly the worst I have encountered (not including the Trans-Tasman flights which are really just domestic J class). I would certainly recommend that you not waste your money on a business class seat on flights between Australia and Hawaii. It should be sold as Premium Economy at best! Why can't Qantas produce a consistent international Business Class??
 
Much has been said about this?

if you had done your homework then this wouldn't have come as a shock and you could have lowered expectations somewhat.

i think the dreamtime seats are fine.

They should offer NC headphones at the very least.

next time consider going through lax
 
Not sticking up for them, but...

A) QF isn't the only airline with several different business class products being used. CX, SQ, MH and EK to name a few.

B) the QF3/4 issue is well documented on here, but also QF also state it on their what's on offer page.
A good place to find out information about the product is theqantassource.com

C) that QF product has more room than Hawaiians "first" on that route which is still only a recliner.
 
Your last question is one that you should ask QANTAS' former CEO who resolutely refused to purchase modern planes such as Boeing 777-300ER that now have a great track record with the likes of SQ, PR, CX and many others.

While QANTAS is trying to modernise its fleet, this should have been done five years ago plus: instead, the company still has a Boeing 737-400 flying around (almost 20 years old) while two of its 22 Boeing 767-300s are 22 and a half years old, with the 767s having an average age of 18.9 years.

Across its whole fleet of 135 aircraft (not including QANTASLInk or the various Jetstar entities), QANTAS' average plane age is about 10.3 years, compared with Singapore Airlines at 7.5 years, Malaysia Airlines (9.3 years), Cathay Pacific (9.5 years) and Philippine Airlines (9.6 years). Philippine and Singapore both have substantial aircraft orders yet to arrive (as does the QANTAS group).

QANTAS may maintain its aircraft well (a key safety point) with many 767s having just been refurbished, but that notwithstanding, its 'metal' is often older than Asian competitors.
 
You're right Sprucegoose - I should have done my homework! Once I've worked out how to use these forums more effectively, I will.
 
Across its whole fleet of 135 aircraft (not including QANTASLInk or the various Jetstar entities), QANTAS' average plane age is about 10.3 years, compared with Singapore Airlines at 7.5 years, Malaysia Airlines (9.3 years), Cathay Pacific (9.5 years) and Philippine Airlines (9.6 years). Philippine and Singapore both have substantial aircraft orders yet to arrive (as does the QANTAS group).

QANTAS may maintain its aircraft well (a key safety point) with many 767s having just been refurbished, but that notwithstanding, its 'metal' is often older than Asian competitors.
With the exception of SQ, there is no great difference in those averages you have presented
 
QF6 returning from SIN in J was pretty lousy. No fault of the crew, they were as good as they needed to be. Was in row 2 of one if the older 744s that wasn't refurbished yet, so was in San old F seat.. I should've picked the main J cabin...lesson for next time. Meal options were poor and the breakfast! I've had better on a SYD-BNE city flyer.

But...my main thing was to sleep, and I achieved a solid 5hrs so was all well I suppose. CX J next week..that will be nice!
 
As soon as I read in the preview that this was QF3/4, I knew straight away what this complaint was going to be about.
 
Your last question is one that you should ask QANTAS' former CEO who resolutely refused to purchase modern planes such as Boeing 777-300ER that now have a great track record with the likes of SQ, PR, CX and many others.

While QANTAS is trying to modernise its fleet, this should have been done five years ago plus: instead, the company still has a Boeing 737-400 flying around (almost 20 years old) while two of its 22 Boeing 767-300s are 22 and a half years old, with the 767s having an average age of 18.9 years.

Across its whole fleet of 135 aircraft (not including QANTASLInk or the various Jetstar entities), QANTAS' average plane age is about 10.3 years, compared with Singapore Airlines at 7.5 years, Malaysia Airlines (9.3 years), Cathay Pacific (9.5 years) and Philippine Airlines (9.6 years). Philippine and Singapore both have substantial aircraft orders yet to arrive (as does the QANTAS group).

QANTAS may maintain its aircraft well (a key safety point) with many 767s having just been refurbished, but that notwithstanding, its 'metal' is often older than Asian competitors.

And of course it is a perfectly level playing field for every country isn't it. - you cannot compare Asian carriers and their govt regulations with our own.
I have to fly from AKL to PVG next month on an air NZ 767 thats just as old as QF's and is just as long a route and equally as cough.

You cant compare apples and oranges, or in this case lemons and grapefruits.
 
I wonder when JQ starts getting its 787's later this year and starts returning its A330's to QF.... You'd have to hope that Honolulu would be one of the first routes to be switched over....?!

I actually lucked out one time when I went and got one of the few scheduled QFA330 services (think it was to cover maintenance for the 763 / peak season traffic though)
 
I wonder when JQ starts getting its 787's later this year and starts returning its A330's to QF.... You'd have to hope that Honolulu would be one of the first routes to be switched over....?!

I actually lucked out one time when I went and got one of the few scheduled QFA330 services (think it was to cover maintenance for the 763 / peak season traffic though)

The A330s are already coming back with the first two weeks ago, plying its trade on the trans con route.
 
...A) QF isn't the only airline with several different business class products being used. CX, SQ, MH and EK to name a few...
And look at what airlines in the USA sell as domestic first
Not hard to check what you are getting before buying
 
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The A330s are already coming back with the first two weeks ago, plying its trade on the trans con route.

Indeed, and the returning aircraft are all A330-200s, which are all said to be for domestic ops.

Somewhere in the next couple of years , they are going to have to do something with Honolulu, as they won't have any 767s to operate it!
 
Somewhere in the next couple of years , they are going to have to do something with Honolulu

They'll probably just drop the route completely and leave it to JQ. I'm kind of surprised they haven't already.
 
They'll probably just drop the route completely and leave it to JQ. I'm kind of surprised they haven't already.

It has been said before that it is a financially attractive route to have both carriers on.

As for the JQ 330's they are all domestic. Unless you put the 4 332's with skybeds back into QFi, the JQ birds won't have much of an impact on this route.
 
It has been said before that it is a financially attractive route to have both carriers on.

As for the JQ 330's they are all domestic. Unless you put the 4 332's with skybeds back into QFi, the JQ birds won't have much of an impact on this route.

All the QF A330s are being upgraded, so that will change things once it happens.
 
All the QF A330s are being upgraded, so that will change things once it happens.

I am aware of that, but nothing has been confirmed as to design etc so ATM its a waiting game isn't it!
 
I am aware of that, but nothing has been confirmed as to design etc so ATM its a waiting game isn't it!

What has been confirmed is that its all the fleet, so that international vs domestic differences will go away, and its lie flat, that's a big change.
 
There is no airlines flying lie flat seats between Australia and Hawaii so Qantas is quite competitive in this regard.
 
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