AAFFAustin

Hello All,

This is my first time posting on this board, but not my first time on a forum. I promise I searched already.

We are a family of 5 about to fly from Dallas FW to Brisbane, and then on to Sydney. I am getting conflicting information from the Qantas site and their agents. As the first leg is a 15 hour flight, I am concerned about the lack of USB or power outlets on this flight. Is this plane that old? Has this plane been refurbished to have the self serve snack bar?

I did notice on the Qantas website it mentions that SOME 747-400 have been upgraded. However, a few sentences later it states the flight paths that have been upgraded. When I call Qantas, they confirmed that our flight did not have power outlets. Are you kidding? This is 2013!! Anyway, can anyone confirm the DFW - SYD flight?

Also, if the plane truly does not have any power outlets in economy, can anyone also recommend a good portable charger? Thanks!

gfunkdave

Welcome to Flyertalk. Let's move this to our Qantas forum.

serfty

QF8 non-stop to BNE is in almost all cases operated by the Qantas 744ER's. All 6 have been refurbished. (If there is a substitution to a non ER, it won't make DFW-BNE in one hop.)

There is a 110vac power supply available for most seats as well as a USB port in all.

Inflight Communication

number_6

The A380s have AC outlets in economy but the B747s have it in premium economy and business class only. Also the 75w limit is strictly enforced, so be sure that your charger draws less than 75w or the breaker will trip (this cannot be reset inflight so no power for the rest of the flight). The larger laptops often have 90w chargers, for example. I haven't flown Y transpac in over a decade, but do recall no power outlets then, so the QF website description of the 744s is plausible.

As the OP is flying in Y on DFW-BNE, looks like no AC power on the plane for them. Choice is to upgrade, or to use a spare battery or 3. Or use a more modern device like some tablets that will run 15 hours on a single charge.

Himeno

My laptop has had issues with power points on the A330s and old F 747s. No issues with A380s or W/J seats on the 747s, though I've had to set the laptop to "eco" mode before plugging in.
Though same laptop, no issues at all (even without eco mode on) on CX 77Ws or BA 777/747.

serfty

That is incorrect.

All Qantas B744ER's have in seat power in all three classes!
Qantas upgrades Boeing 747-400 experienceThe refurbished 747ER's are indeed 'selected' aircraft.

mandolino

I would still use the power just to run my laptop, not charge the battery.

My battery is removable and I find it works fine with the battery removed and the power on, whereas it either won't work or trips with the battery in. My seatmate had the same issue.

tt7

I don't know whether number_6 looked at the links - but I did and they were not helpful. The first link (which you now appear to have corrected) simply linked to the QF home page. The second link - which you now quote above - clearly implies that economy does not have power. Why you have chosen to highlight the word "Economy" when it clearly refers to Premium Economy, I don't know.

The (corrected) first link to information on the refurbished 747s states "...... access PC power and USB ports in all cabins." which would clearly imply that the 747s do now have power in economy.

The second link states "PC power is available in First, Business and Premium Economy on selected international B747-400 and in Business on all international A330-300 aircraft." - which to me clearly implies that economy does not have power. That, however, is presumably out of date and has been superseded by the updated information in the first link.

For the OP, it appears that the 747s now have power in economy. I haven't flown in Y on a 747 recently but if it's like Y on the A380 (and it's been a while since I did that), the power port is not obvious - it's located under the seat in front, on the back of the armrest - feel down under the arm rest in front in you should be able to feel the socket.

number_6

Has anyone flown any B744s in Y with AC outlets? I have not, and that would clarify the QF situation. qantas.com states that Y doesn't have power, only W & J, but is notorioiusly late to be updated. I'll stick to flying F on QF so can't verify.

serfty

Thanks for the information, I apologise to those who were confused - I obviously was - it was a little late at night - I have now modified my post.

As verified by tt7 the last article I linked to on Qantas.com specifically states the economy power is available. which indicates that the most recently refurbished 747s do now have power in economy.

As for the power point location, I believe it is similar to to that of the 388 ... here's some photographs (of the 388 - click to enlarge):Note that there is always a chance of a substitution, but this is rare as a non ER 744 would be ulikely to safely make DFW-BNE in one hop.

tt7

Great pictures, which explain where the socket is much more eloquently than I managed....

My recollection from the A380 is that you can't see the socket (unless perhaps you grovel on the floor) and there was nothing in the inflight magazine or other bumpf in the seat back pocket to explain where it was - and I must admit I can't remember how I ever figured it out, other than just feeling around every available surface until I eventually found something that felt like a socket. Why it's in such an awkward position and whether it's in the same position on the 747s (assuming it exists), who knows....

number_6

Rewriting history to hide your mistakes is a great FT tradition -- one that I have too much integrity to partake in, and don't modify past posts. Hopefully QF will update qantas.com to correctly show the cabin amenities, it might help their competitive position Updating the seat maps to show power locations -- as most airlines do -- might be a good start.

serfty

History has not been rewritten; I removed some content as per below, but did not change the tenet of my posts.

There was nothing in my posts before editing that directly contradicted my assertion that the new 744ER have power in economy. I removed the links as indicated by tt7 that may have confused the issue (bad link and wrong page). I did this as a courtesy to others who may find this thread while searching for similar information.

I certainly left what was specific and available before you incorrectly posted "The A380s have AC outlets in economy but the B747s have it in premium economy and business class only".

That link as posted by me was was there then and it is still there now.

AAFFAustin

Everyone, thanks for the replies.

I should have clarified as it was late for me as well.

I am not stopping in Brisbane as I had thought. I forgot that I was able to find a direct flight from DFW - SYD.

So my question remains. Again, Qantas reps state that there is NO power in economy. Although their website suggests otherwise, I think I found the confusing part.
PC Power Outlets

PC power is available in First, Business and Premium Economy on selected international B747-400 and in Business on all international A330-300 aircraft. This system provides 110V AC (60 Hz) power and accepts most household power plugs including: Australian 2 or 3 pin, European 2 pin, Japanese 2 or 3 pin and USA 2 or 3 pin. Customers using UK 2 or 3 pin plugs need to use an adaptor.

"PC power is available on all A380 aircraft in First, Business and shared in Premium Economy and Economy.

In order to assure the safety of all users of this service, the available power is limited by Airworthiness Regulations. The PC power is configured to provide a maximum of output of 75 watts. If the limit is exceeded by a user, which is possible on new version PCs the power to the user will be interrupted and can only be reset on the ground."


Although there site also states the following:

"Qantas upgrades Boeing 747-400 experience
Enjoy a state-of-the-art cabin environment and an exceptional customer experience on our refitted Qantas Boeing 747-400 aircraft, which is aligned with our flagship A380 offering.
The Aircraft

The B747-400 Reconfiguration Program includes the complete fit out of the aircraft interior including new seats and new cabin configurations. The newly-configured aircraft are fitted with 364 seats: 58 Business, 36 Premium Economy and 270 Economy. The seats in all three cabins have won awards for their design and comfort, including the 2009 Australian International Design Award for the Economy seat.

There are now nine Boeing 747-400 aircraft operating on selected B747 routes including Brisbane-Los Angeles, Sydney-Dallas, Sydney-Santiago, Sydney-Los Angeles- New York, and Brisbane -Singapore. "

If you notice, the 747-400, which we will be on, does not show on the list from DFW - SYD as being one of the 9 upgraded. Only SYD - DFW.

Guess this is why the rep is stating that there is NO power on our flight. I was hoping they are wrong and wanted a confirmation. I won't be using any laptops. Only phones and Kindles. I guess I will have to start looking for some external power on Amazon.

serfty

A belated Welcome to FT

If you are on QF8, your flight will almost certainly have power in economy.

QF8 does not fly direct from DFW to SYD, it flies DFW-BNE, then BNE-SYD¹ after a short stop in BNE.

In fact, the aircraft flys SYD-DFW as QF7 before "turning around" and flying DFW-xBNE-SYD as QF8.

As posted above, all Qantas B744ER's have in seat power in all three classes. See here for this Qantas.com link:
Qantas upgrades Boeing 747-400 experience - Qantas.comThe refurbished 747ER's are indeed 'selected' aircraft.

If you really wish to be sure, check the seat map for your flight and if economy seating starts from row 43 then you should have seat power in economy.

¹ (DFW-SYD is too far for even the 744ER's to be reliably scheduled)