A Quick Trip Home, a week in the UK, SYD to LHR on the QF A380
Jan 23, 2011, 11:08 am
#16
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Another great couple of updates, matthandy ^
Interesting to read about your time in the UK. Hiring a Jag - now that's something I'd like to do!
Interesting to read about your time in the UK. Hiring a Jag - now that's something I'd like to do!
Jan 28, 2011, 3:06 am
#17
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Join Date: Jul 2008
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Jan 28, 2011, 3:10 am
#18
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Join Date: Jul 2008
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The Return
Day 9 – Flying Back to Sydney
Most of photos in this section were taken using my iPhone 4 so the quality varies from good to not so good (unfortunately).
I woke up at 5.30 to the sound of my alarm. Despite my flight scheduled to leave at 11am I had a lot to do before boarding. I was also worried about the Monday morning traffic around the M25 and didn’t want to risk missing the flight.
At 6am I packed up the Jag and said goodbye to Dad who had got up to see me off.
The drive to LHR was pretty straightforward. I resisted the temptation to take the scenic route to give the car one last go and stuck with the dual carriageways and motorways.
I arrived at the Avis drop off point, which is located near the Renaissance Hotel, along the A4 at about 8am, having made very good time from Dad’s place. All that was needed was to hand the guys the keys and then make my way to the courtesy bus. I was the only one of the bus so the driver was able to take me straight to Terminal 3. We arrived at 8.15, about 3 hours before the scheduled departure of QF32, so a bit early.
Terminal 3 Departures
The check in area, and outside weren’t particularly busy, I had expected it them to be, given that it was a Monday morning.
I looked on the board outside the terminal to find out where to check in and made my way around to the Qantas Business Desks. There was a separate desk for Premium Economy and Qantas Club members. The First class desks were behind the wooden partition. The agent at the Business desk was very uninterested and quite unfriendly. These guys should learn a thing or two from their Sydney colleagues. My bag was stuffed with clothes and chocolate but luckily I didn’t tip the scales.
Qantas Check In
I made my way upstairs to security and being unclear about whether I was able to use the Fastrack (because of my BA status) I stuck with the normal queue. Lucky that I did, otherwise I would have missed the scene.
The queue wasn’t very big at all and the agents working the X-ray machine today seemed polite and friendly, but not overly so. Anyway, about 10 people in front of me was a man. He was unpacking his stuff, laptop, wallet, and was asked whether he was carrying any liquids to which he replied yes. He was then asked to take them out of his bag. He produced a metal camping flask and started to say that the man at the entrance to security had said it was ok to bring it through and when the lady said that it wasn’t he started to properly kick off! I’d hadn’t seen anyone act like this before in a public place, let alone over a flask of tea. It went something like this:
Female security agent: “Sir, you can’t bring that through security.”
Man: “You are joking, this is a joke! Your colleague over there (pointing) said I could, do you not know your job or something??”
Agent: “Sir, you cannot bring that through, you must have been told the wrong information”.
Man: “What do you mean?? You are all the same company are you not?? Do you not talk to each other?? (pointing at all of the staff) Do you not work with each other?? This is ridiculous, crazy, you guys are a joke!”
Agent: “It doesn’t matter what you have been told before, you CANNOT take that through. I cannot let you go through.”
Man: (frantically grabs all of this stuff from the conveyer in a huge, child like tantrum). “So what am I supposed to do then ay?? Your guy told me I could bring this through, so it’s your fault if he got it wrong, not mine (aggressively pointing at her)”.
Agent: “Sir, I’ve already told you, you been mis-informed (beckons colleague over). (To colleague) “Go and find out who told him he could bring it through!”
Man walks off with the other agent and the female agent mutters something like “who’s having a bad morning then?”. Several passengers tell her that the guy is an idiot, and congratulate her for dealing with him. She was clearly a bit flustered. All this fuss over a flask of tea.
All praise to her, she dealt with it very professionally. Whenever something like this happens I know that I could never work with members of the public.
Anyway, security was quick, after the drama. iPad out by the way, but no shoes and no passport check.
After navigating through the duty free maze I made my way into the main terminal area.
LHR T3 Main Departures Area
I had at this point been unsuccessful in my search for two British favourites, Cadbury’s Creme Eggs and Cadbury’s Mini-Eggs. Well, I thought that I would have one last attempt so made my way over to WHSmiths. Sure enough, they had loads of them. I took as many as I thought that I could get into my bag, 2 bags of Mini-Eggs and six Creme Eggs! Yum.
So after that venture, I made my way towards the BA lounge and down the corridor which makes you think that you are going to the back offices.
Useless Directions to the Lounge
I didn’t have the courage to grab a shot of the lounge entrance, bathed in beautiful blue light as I probably would have been scolded by the lounge dragons. My boarding pass was scanned and I was in. I walked past the dining area to the main room at the back of the lounge and put my stuff down on one of the sofas.
I have really liked this lounge. Don’t get me wrong, it’s okay but it’s simply dull as dishwater. It lacks any spark or wow factor, unlike the T5 lounges. The plain white walls remind me of a Doctor’s waiting room. The lounge feels very much ‘dressed’, like it could be re-branded overnight by just replacing the furniture, it is missing that ‘exclusive’ feel, perhaps it is the low ceilings. Still, it was a better place to spend the next hour or so than outside in the cave that is T3.
The lounge wasn’t very busy at all so I decided that now would be a good time to get some snaps. I’ve become increasingly self-conscious when it comes to taking lounge photos. My camera is just too conspicuous and I hate getting stopped by the staff.
My view – main seating area at the back of the lounge
A view of the wine/water bar and main bar in the background
The wine/water bar
The main bar
The large work/computer area
Coffee area
After this I decided that it was time for some breakfast, it wasn’t even 9 am yet and I’d been up over three hours.
What did I choose? Well like most BA lounges the breakfast offering is pretty good, with cereal, juices, pastries etc. The king has to be the bacon rolls though, so I grabbed a couple of those and a glass of apple juice.
Hot breakfast selection
My choice
I sat back down and noticed that ‘Wanted Down Under’ was playing on the TV. Ironic really since I was about to return ‘Down Under’ because I am one of the ‘Wanted’.
It was about this time that I started doing a bit of people watching. I generally find that strange people are all around, you just need to look. For example, the man next to me seemed to be putting away loads of pills. I don’t know why. Then another, rather scruffily dressed man spent an inordinate amount of time selecting the most appropriate can of coke from the large selection in the fridge. Another man then started to prepare himself a drink but he clearly wasn’t sure what he wanted. 10 bottles of spirits sniffed later and he chose the Tia Maria. I was careful to notice that his nose did not make contact with any of the bottles so anyone passing through the BA lounge in T3 is safe from his germs at least.
I browsed the internet and watched a bit of BBC iPlayer using the very fast free wifi. It was about 10am now and the lounge was starting to fill up although it never got busy.
Gate 1 appeared against QF32 on the board. Boarding started at 10.30 at which point I left the lounge and made my way towards the gate. This is quite a long trek and takes you past the SQ and EK lounges although you can’t really see anything. I visited the EK lounge in this report from May last year.
As I arrived at the gate a lot of people were still sitting down so I guessed that boarding for economy hadn’t really started yet.
Flight: QF032
Carrier: Qantas
Aircraft: Airbus A380
Scheduled Departure time: 11.10
Duration: 20h 35m (flying time)
Scheduled Arrival time: 20:15 (local)
Routing: London Heathrow (LHR) T3 - Sydney T1
Class: Economy
Seat: 51K – Bulkhead (seat plan)
An SQ A380 was on the gate next to us so I was able to get a snap before heading to Door A where my boarding pass was scanned and I was invited to board.
SQ A380 – see you in Singapore!
Hello Mr Fysh
Our bird today was going to be VH-OQB, Qantas’ oldest flying A380 since Nancy Bird had a flap over Singapore in November last year and wasn’t serviceable.
I was greeted at the door by the London based crew and then made my way right into the first economy cabin. I’d already spent some 22+ hours in this seat previously so I knew what to expect. The plane was pretty empty though, perhaps there was going to be a limited load this time around.
I got everything that I need out of my carry on and then stored it in the overhead locker and waited for everyone else to board.
51K – pillow, blanket and headphones
Leg room
Empty cabin – it didn’t stay that way
On this rather grey day there wasn’t much to see out of the window. Sadly, gate 1 at T3 doesn’t put the aircraft in a great position to see the airfield. I did of course have a good view of the A380’s massive curved wing and it’s giant engines that had caused so much trouble for Qantas and Rolls Royce (who the Australia media are keen to point out are a British company).
Massive curved wing
Most of photos in this section were taken using my iPhone 4 so the quality varies from good to not so good (unfortunately).
I woke up at 5.30 to the sound of my alarm. Despite my flight scheduled to leave at 11am I had a lot to do before boarding. I was also worried about the Monday morning traffic around the M25 and didn’t want to risk missing the flight.
At 6am I packed up the Jag and said goodbye to Dad who had got up to see me off.
The drive to LHR was pretty straightforward. I resisted the temptation to take the scenic route to give the car one last go and stuck with the dual carriageways and motorways.
I arrived at the Avis drop off point, which is located near the Renaissance Hotel, along the A4 at about 8am, having made very good time from Dad’s place. All that was needed was to hand the guys the keys and then make my way to the courtesy bus. I was the only one of the bus so the driver was able to take me straight to Terminal 3. We arrived at 8.15, about 3 hours before the scheduled departure of QF32, so a bit early.
Terminal 3 Departures
The check in area, and outside weren’t particularly busy, I had expected it them to be, given that it was a Monday morning.
I looked on the board outside the terminal to find out where to check in and made my way around to the Qantas Business Desks. There was a separate desk for Premium Economy and Qantas Club members. The First class desks were behind the wooden partition. The agent at the Business desk was very uninterested and quite unfriendly. These guys should learn a thing or two from their Sydney colleagues. My bag was stuffed with clothes and chocolate but luckily I didn’t tip the scales.
Qantas Check In
I made my way upstairs to security and being unclear about whether I was able to use the Fastrack (because of my BA status) I stuck with the normal queue. Lucky that I did, otherwise I would have missed the scene.
The queue wasn’t very big at all and the agents working the X-ray machine today seemed polite and friendly, but not overly so. Anyway, about 10 people in front of me was a man. He was unpacking his stuff, laptop, wallet, and was asked whether he was carrying any liquids to which he replied yes. He was then asked to take them out of his bag. He produced a metal camping flask and started to say that the man at the entrance to security had said it was ok to bring it through and when the lady said that it wasn’t he started to properly kick off! I’d hadn’t seen anyone act like this before in a public place, let alone over a flask of tea. It went something like this:
Female security agent: “Sir, you can’t bring that through security.”
Man: “You are joking, this is a joke! Your colleague over there (pointing) said I could, do you not know your job or something??”
Agent: “Sir, you cannot bring that through, you must have been told the wrong information”.
Man: “What do you mean?? You are all the same company are you not?? Do you not talk to each other?? (pointing at all of the staff) Do you not work with each other?? This is ridiculous, crazy, you guys are a joke!”
Agent: “It doesn’t matter what you have been told before, you CANNOT take that through. I cannot let you go through.”
Man: (frantically grabs all of this stuff from the conveyer in a huge, child like tantrum). “So what am I supposed to do then ay?? Your guy told me I could bring this through, so it’s your fault if he got it wrong, not mine (aggressively pointing at her)”.
Agent: “Sir, I’ve already told you, you been mis-informed (beckons colleague over). (To colleague) “Go and find out who told him he could bring it through!”
Man walks off with the other agent and the female agent mutters something like “who’s having a bad morning then?”. Several passengers tell her that the guy is an idiot, and congratulate her for dealing with him. She was clearly a bit flustered. All this fuss over a flask of tea.
All praise to her, she dealt with it very professionally. Whenever something like this happens I know that I could never work with members of the public.
Anyway, security was quick, after the drama. iPad out by the way, but no shoes and no passport check.
After navigating through the duty free maze I made my way into the main terminal area.
LHR T3 Main Departures Area
I had at this point been unsuccessful in my search for two British favourites, Cadbury’s Creme Eggs and Cadbury’s Mini-Eggs. Well, I thought that I would have one last attempt so made my way over to WHSmiths. Sure enough, they had loads of them. I took as many as I thought that I could get into my bag, 2 bags of Mini-Eggs and six Creme Eggs! Yum.
So after that venture, I made my way towards the BA lounge and down the corridor which makes you think that you are going to the back offices.
Useless Directions to the Lounge
I didn’t have the courage to grab a shot of the lounge entrance, bathed in beautiful blue light as I probably would have been scolded by the lounge dragons. My boarding pass was scanned and I was in. I walked past the dining area to the main room at the back of the lounge and put my stuff down on one of the sofas.
I have really liked this lounge. Don’t get me wrong, it’s okay but it’s simply dull as dishwater. It lacks any spark or wow factor, unlike the T5 lounges. The plain white walls remind me of a Doctor’s waiting room. The lounge feels very much ‘dressed’, like it could be re-branded overnight by just replacing the furniture, it is missing that ‘exclusive’ feel, perhaps it is the low ceilings. Still, it was a better place to spend the next hour or so than outside in the cave that is T3.
The lounge wasn’t very busy at all so I decided that now would be a good time to get some snaps. I’ve become increasingly self-conscious when it comes to taking lounge photos. My camera is just too conspicuous and I hate getting stopped by the staff.
My view – main seating area at the back of the lounge
A view of the wine/water bar and main bar in the background
The wine/water bar
The main bar
The large work/computer area
Coffee area
After this I decided that it was time for some breakfast, it wasn’t even 9 am yet and I’d been up over three hours.
What did I choose? Well like most BA lounges the breakfast offering is pretty good, with cereal, juices, pastries etc. The king has to be the bacon rolls though, so I grabbed a couple of those and a glass of apple juice.
Hot breakfast selection
My choice
I sat back down and noticed that ‘Wanted Down Under’ was playing on the TV. Ironic really since I was about to return ‘Down Under’ because I am one of the ‘Wanted’.
It was about this time that I started doing a bit of people watching. I generally find that strange people are all around, you just need to look. For example, the man next to me seemed to be putting away loads of pills. I don’t know why. Then another, rather scruffily dressed man spent an inordinate amount of time selecting the most appropriate can of coke from the large selection in the fridge. Another man then started to prepare himself a drink but he clearly wasn’t sure what he wanted. 10 bottles of spirits sniffed later and he chose the Tia Maria. I was careful to notice that his nose did not make contact with any of the bottles so anyone passing through the BA lounge in T3 is safe from his germs at least.
I browsed the internet and watched a bit of BBC iPlayer using the very fast free wifi. It was about 10am now and the lounge was starting to fill up although it never got busy.
Gate 1 appeared against QF32 on the board. Boarding started at 10.30 at which point I left the lounge and made my way towards the gate. This is quite a long trek and takes you past the SQ and EK lounges although you can’t really see anything. I visited the EK lounge in this report from May last year.
As I arrived at the gate a lot of people were still sitting down so I guessed that boarding for economy hadn’t really started yet.
Flight: QF032
Carrier: Qantas
Aircraft: Airbus A380
Scheduled Departure time: 11.10
Duration: 20h 35m (flying time)
Scheduled Arrival time: 20:15 (local)
Routing: London Heathrow (LHR) T3 - Sydney T1
Class: Economy
Seat: 51K – Bulkhead (seat plan)
An SQ A380 was on the gate next to us so I was able to get a snap before heading to Door A where my boarding pass was scanned and I was invited to board.
SQ A380 – see you in Singapore!
Hello Mr Fysh
Our bird today was going to be VH-OQB, Qantas’ oldest flying A380 since Nancy Bird had a flap over Singapore in November last year and wasn’t serviceable.
I was greeted at the door by the London based crew and then made my way right into the first economy cabin. I’d already spent some 22+ hours in this seat previously so I knew what to expect. The plane was pretty empty though, perhaps there was going to be a limited load this time around.
I got everything that I need out of my carry on and then stored it in the overhead locker and waited for everyone else to board.
51K – pillow, blanket and headphones
Leg room
Empty cabin – it didn’t stay that way
On this rather grey day there wasn’t much to see out of the window. Sadly, gate 1 at T3 doesn’t put the aircraft in a great position to see the airfield. I did of course have a good view of the A380’s massive curved wing and it’s giant engines that had caused so much trouble for Qantas and Rolls Royce (who the Australia media are keen to point out are a British company).
Massive curved wing
Last edited by matthandy; Jan 28, 2011 at 3:38 am
Jan 28, 2011, 3:11 am
#19
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Kent, UK
Programs: BA Gold, SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 3,809
It’s funny when you board early, all those people walking past, you soon spot the ones that you don’t want to sit next to you. Luckily, a very nice American lady (who lives in Sydney) sat in the aisle seat, leaving the middle seat free. We had a pretty good chat and it turns out that she was in Paris this morning and is heading home after meeting up with her daughter in the UK.
Shortly after the Captain came on to announce a flying time of 12 hours and that we would be pushing back shortly. At 11.10, right on time we did and had a rather long taxi to the active runway. The Captain informed us that there was a bit of traffic ahead and that we’d have to wait. At 11.40 we were on our way as the four RR engines spooled up and took as into the clouds. Goodbye UK, not sure when I’ll see you again.
Shortly after take off, menu’s were handed out. Now unfortunately, due to circumstances that affected the SIN-SYD leg, I didn’t retain a copy of the menu. You’ll see why later.
Anyway, the menu looked really good. I’ve always had pretty good food ex-LHR on Qantas and the pie on offer certainly took my fancy. I also like the fact that sparkling wine is offered, even in Economy. On this flight we had a choice of two, which lead to a slight disagreement between myself and the FA.
I got my screen out to see if the IFE had been updated at all (we still had the December selection on the flight out). It had, the movies were different, but unfortunately, the TV hadn’t changed. I set about getting out my iPad to watch some videos that I’d prepared for the journey.
My iPad and Menu
About an hour after take off the lunch service started. I selected the steak pie and ordered a bottle of sparkling. I asked the FA for the sparkling Chardonnay to which she replied they didn’t have any. She said that they only had a sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir or a Rose. I wasn’t sure if she was being funny or just thick, but she was very ‘stand offish’ about it, as if it was me that was being stupid. Anyway, I ended up with my wine, and the pie, and my seat mate followed suit.
Steak Pie and the offending Wine
The wine was pretty good actually although it could have been a bit cooler. My seat mate asked if I wanted to finish off her bottle as she only wanted to try it. Well, I couldn’t really say no. The food was excellent again, with the pie being just right, tender meat and a flaky crust. The starter was also great although I’ve no idea what was in it!
I finished in about 20 minutes and my tray was collected about 30 minutes later. I was a little tipsy at this point, having finished off two bottles of wine.
The end result!
About 20 minutes later, ice cream was offered, followed by hot chocolate. At this point the sun had started to set as we headed into our accelerated evening.
Hot chocolate
The ‘snack on Q’ bags were handed out which contained a good selection of snacks including a rather large luxury cookie which I chomped down on a bit later in the flight. Interestingly, these bags are not handed out in Premium Economy, which I can understand, but it is so convenient to have something to hand if you get peckish, rather than bother the crew to prepare a sandwich for you.
I switched my clock to Sydney time and tried to get a bit of sleep, rather unsuccessfully. At this point I couldn’t stand it any longer. Knowing that I had bags of Mini-Eggs in my suitcase, they had to be eaten. Regrettably, I delved into my hand luggage and pulled out a bag. I devoured these while watching some Family Guy. Afterwards I felt full but guilty. Luckily, one bag did make it back to Sydney, where they are still currently waiting in my fridge for the right time.
I suppose that I must have manage to get some sleep after that, as I was disturbed when the lights were turned on for breakfast, although it would feel more like dinner for the passengers, given the time.
Breakfast was either a hot or continental selection as before (apologies for not having the menu to hand). Reading the PE menu, I suspect that the food choice was exactly the same, although presented differently. Breakfast consisted of the return of an egg based ‘thing’ which wasn’t great although the sausages and mushrooms were pretty good. It was a fairly substantial meal.
Breakfast – you’ll notice the empty mini-eggs packet stuffed into a cup on the side!
At this point I really didn’t want to have to stop in Singapore, I felt as though I could have carried straight on.
At 7.20am Singapore time the Captain announced top of descent and that we could expect to disembark on time.
Our descent was great, with beautiful sunny views over Singapore, although for those seated on the right hand side it was more the sea, and less of the city.
Banking over Singapore
As I packed up all of my stuff and my seat mate did the same we started to have a bit of a chat about the stop over. I was quite cagey, and I feel guilty now. I could of course have guested her into the lounge but didn’t want her to slow me down as I was keen on getting a shower. That is very selfish of me. As it happens, she was a QF Platinum frequent flyer and, after me mentioning that I was hoping to grab a shower in the lounge she suggested that she guest me into the First Class lounge instead. How guilty did I feel for not offering her the same?
Well, we landed at 7.50, on time and after a short delay on the ground for the airbridge to be connect to door 2 we were off the aircraft. One of the Singapore ground staff had a board which had my seat mate’s name on it so we stopped to find out what the issue was. Apparently, her upgrade request had been honoured, from economy to Premium, however, they wanted to check if she minded not having her vegetarian meal, which she didn’t. I told her how good Premium was, and that the standard of service is the same as Business with the same wines etc. I told her that she’d definitely enjoy the experience.
She had never been to Singapore before so I helped direct her to lounge, being an old hat by now. She really was a lovely lady, very friendly, the kind of traveller that you wish you’d always end up sitting next to. I actually asked her about Flyertalk but she didn’t know what I was talking about, which is a shame, I’d have liked to have kept in touch.
We made our way up the escalator to the FCL both saying that we didn’t feel too bad after the flight and indicating that a shower and a glass of Champagne would go down very nicely.
I was guested into the FCL and we whipped round to the left to grab a shower. We managed to get the last two which was great timing. Funny, after never having set foot into an FCL this was my second visit in less than two weeks. It’s weird how things work out.
After the shower I met my new friend in the lounge and went on the hunt for Champagne. Unlike many of the BA lounges it seems that this particular lounge does not offer wine until lunch time as none could be found
. I enquired at the desk to be met with a slightly strange look, as if to suggest that the lady did not approve of my request. However, she spoke to one of the attendants who nodded enthusiastically and returned shortly with two large glasses of Champagne. We both then selected some juice and the same attendant bought out (unprompted) some toasted sandwiches for us to enjoy, pretty good service!
As much as it was great to visit this lounge, I still feel more comfortable in the Business lounge, I prefer the space. Anyway, as the lounge wasn’t at all full, I was able to get some snaps,
A view from the dining area into the lounge
Looking back towards the dining area
Soon it was time to re-board, so we made our way down to the gate. There was a priority line for F, J and frequent fliers and I wasn’t sure if I qualified, still I wasn’t questioned so we both went through. After security she joined the premium line and I said my goodbyes, thanking her for the lounge invite and wishing her a good trip.
Shortly after the Captain came on to announce a flying time of 12 hours and that we would be pushing back shortly. At 11.10, right on time we did and had a rather long taxi to the active runway. The Captain informed us that there was a bit of traffic ahead and that we’d have to wait. At 11.40 we were on our way as the four RR engines spooled up and took as into the clouds. Goodbye UK, not sure when I’ll see you again.
Shortly after take off, menu’s were handed out. Now unfortunately, due to circumstances that affected the SIN-SYD leg, I didn’t retain a copy of the menu. You’ll see why later.
Anyway, the menu looked really good. I’ve always had pretty good food ex-LHR on Qantas and the pie on offer certainly took my fancy. I also like the fact that sparkling wine is offered, even in Economy. On this flight we had a choice of two, which lead to a slight disagreement between myself and the FA.
I got my screen out to see if the IFE had been updated at all (we still had the December selection on the flight out). It had, the movies were different, but unfortunately, the TV hadn’t changed. I set about getting out my iPad to watch some videos that I’d prepared for the journey.
My iPad and Menu
About an hour after take off the lunch service started. I selected the steak pie and ordered a bottle of sparkling. I asked the FA for the sparkling Chardonnay to which she replied they didn’t have any. She said that they only had a sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir or a Rose. I wasn’t sure if she was being funny or just thick, but she was very ‘stand offish’ about it, as if it was me that was being stupid. Anyway, I ended up with my wine, and the pie, and my seat mate followed suit.
Steak Pie and the offending Wine
The wine was pretty good actually although it could have been a bit cooler. My seat mate asked if I wanted to finish off her bottle as she only wanted to try it. Well, I couldn’t really say no. The food was excellent again, with the pie being just right, tender meat and a flaky crust. The starter was also great although I’ve no idea what was in it!
I finished in about 20 minutes and my tray was collected about 30 minutes later. I was a little tipsy at this point, having finished off two bottles of wine.
The end result!
About 20 minutes later, ice cream was offered, followed by hot chocolate. At this point the sun had started to set as we headed into our accelerated evening.
Hot chocolate
The ‘snack on Q’ bags were handed out which contained a good selection of snacks including a rather large luxury cookie which I chomped down on a bit later in the flight. Interestingly, these bags are not handed out in Premium Economy, which I can understand, but it is so convenient to have something to hand if you get peckish, rather than bother the crew to prepare a sandwich for you.
I switched my clock to Sydney time and tried to get a bit of sleep, rather unsuccessfully. At this point I couldn’t stand it any longer. Knowing that I had bags of Mini-Eggs in my suitcase, they had to be eaten. Regrettably, I delved into my hand luggage and pulled out a bag. I devoured these while watching some Family Guy. Afterwards I felt full but guilty. Luckily, one bag did make it back to Sydney, where they are still currently waiting in my fridge for the right time.
I suppose that I must have manage to get some sleep after that, as I was disturbed when the lights were turned on for breakfast, although it would feel more like dinner for the passengers, given the time.
Breakfast was either a hot or continental selection as before (apologies for not having the menu to hand). Reading the PE menu, I suspect that the food choice was exactly the same, although presented differently. Breakfast consisted of the return of an egg based ‘thing’ which wasn’t great although the sausages and mushrooms were pretty good. It was a fairly substantial meal.
Breakfast – you’ll notice the empty mini-eggs packet stuffed into a cup on the side!
At this point I really didn’t want to have to stop in Singapore, I felt as though I could have carried straight on.
At 7.20am Singapore time the Captain announced top of descent and that we could expect to disembark on time.
Our descent was great, with beautiful sunny views over Singapore, although for those seated on the right hand side it was more the sea, and less of the city.
Banking over Singapore
As I packed up all of my stuff and my seat mate did the same we started to have a bit of a chat about the stop over. I was quite cagey, and I feel guilty now. I could of course have guested her into the lounge but didn’t want her to slow me down as I was keen on getting a shower. That is very selfish of me. As it happens, she was a QF Platinum frequent flyer and, after me mentioning that I was hoping to grab a shower in the lounge she suggested that she guest me into the First Class lounge instead. How guilty did I feel for not offering her the same?
Well, we landed at 7.50, on time and after a short delay on the ground for the airbridge to be connect to door 2 we were off the aircraft. One of the Singapore ground staff had a board which had my seat mate’s name on it so we stopped to find out what the issue was. Apparently, her upgrade request had been honoured, from economy to Premium, however, they wanted to check if she minded not having her vegetarian meal, which she didn’t. I told her how good Premium was, and that the standard of service is the same as Business with the same wines etc. I told her that she’d definitely enjoy the experience.
She had never been to Singapore before so I helped direct her to lounge, being an old hat by now. She really was a lovely lady, very friendly, the kind of traveller that you wish you’d always end up sitting next to. I actually asked her about Flyertalk but she didn’t know what I was talking about, which is a shame, I’d have liked to have kept in touch.
We made our way up the escalator to the FCL both saying that we didn’t feel too bad after the flight and indicating that a shower and a glass of Champagne would go down very nicely.
I was guested into the FCL and we whipped round to the left to grab a shower. We managed to get the last two which was great timing. Funny, after never having set foot into an FCL this was my second visit in less than two weeks. It’s weird how things work out.
After the shower I met my new friend in the lounge and went on the hunt for Champagne. Unlike many of the BA lounges it seems that this particular lounge does not offer wine until lunch time as none could be found
. I enquired at the desk to be met with a slightly strange look, as if to suggest that the lady did not approve of my request. However, she spoke to one of the attendants who nodded enthusiastically and returned shortly with two large glasses of Champagne. We both then selected some juice and the same attendant bought out (unprompted) some toasted sandwiches for us to enjoy, pretty good service!As much as it was great to visit this lounge, I still feel more comfortable in the Business lounge, I prefer the space. Anyway, as the lounge wasn’t at all full, I was able to get some snaps,
A view from the dining area into the lounge
Looking back towards the dining area
Soon it was time to re-board, so we made our way down to the gate. There was a priority line for F, J and frequent fliers and I wasn’t sure if I qualified, still I wasn’t questioned so we both went through. After security she joined the premium line and I said my goodbyes, thanking her for the lounge invite and wishing her a good trip.
Last edited by matthandy; Jan 28, 2011 at 4:24 am
Jan 31, 2011, 8:46 pm
#21
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: East Ester, Alaska
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Posts: 12,148
What a marvelous report and pictures! Nicely done, Mr. Handy. ^^
I'd love to visit that museum, if only for a chance to board the VC-10, to my tastes the most beautiful jetliner ever built. The pub walk and Sydney Harbor bridge shots were also stand outs.
As for flying Economy Class, it's amazing how the meal you were served is smaller than some First Class appetizers!
I'd love to visit that museum, if only for a chance to board the VC-10, to my tastes the most beautiful jetliner ever built. The pub walk and Sydney Harbor bridge shots were also stand outs.
As for flying Economy Class, it's amazing how the meal you were served is smaller than some First Class appetizers!
Feb 3, 2011, 12:34 am
#22
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Kent, UK
Programs: BA Gold, SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 3,809
Thanks for your praise Seat 2A!
Haha, I'm sure you are right, however I can't say that I ever felt that hungry although the snack bags probably had something to do with that.
Haha, I'm sure you are right, however I can't say that I ever felt that hungry although the snack bags probably had something to do with that.
Feb 5, 2011, 12:13 pm
#24
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Gold, SQ Gold, KQ Platinum, IHG Diamond Ambassador, Hilton Gold, Marriott Silver, Accor Silver
Posts: 16,351
Another great update to SIN - great that you had the empty middle seat, and a nice seat mate too. Two visits to the F lounge in one trip is certainly lucky! I really like the SIN F lounge, even though it's not a patch on many other oneworld F lounges.
Looking forward to the next part...
Looking forward to the next part...
Feb 6, 2011, 3:47 am
#26
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Kent, UK
Programs: BA Gold, SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 3,809
The next part is coming soon. My mother is with me this weekend so I've not been able to finish it off, although I am about half way through the last part.
. Based on that experience, I did like the service aspect of the F lounge versus the J self-service concept but that was about it.
Feb 6, 2011, 6:19 am
#27
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Kent, UK
Programs: BA Gold, SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 3,809
Flight: QF032
Carrier: Qantas
Aircraft: Airbus A380
Scheduled Departure time: 09.30
Duration: 7h 45m
Scheduled Arrival time: 20:15 (local)
Routing: Singapore T1 - Sydney T1
Class: Premium Economy
Seat: 35F (seat plan)
At that point, I had my boarding pass scanned and a smile was brought to my face as I received the famous beep and could see the lady fiddling around on the computer assigning me a new seat in Premium. I’d been given 35F which is an aisle seat in the middle of the cabin. This was my third or fourth upgrade on long haul QF which works out to be around the 50% mark which I think is pretty damn good for someone who isn’t a member of the QF programme! I seem to do so much better on QF than I ever did on my ‘home’ carrier, BA having only scored one op-up many years ago when I was a lowly Blue and nothing since becoming Silver (despite 20+ flights in Business, Premium and Economy over the past few years).
I ran up towards the boarding door queue and tapped my new friend on the shoulder to announce that I had been upgraded too! I got the impression that she was pleased but maybe slightly miffed as I think that she had used points to upgrade, whereas I got mine for free, oops.
Mr Fysh ready to take me back to Sydney
We boarded using the priority boarding lane and were invited to climb slightly and board through the upper deck door. My friend had been allocated a seat at the back of the cabin which is a shame as she could have helped me with the Champagne.
I arrived in the Premium Economy cabin to find a lady sitting in my seat. I politely told her that she was in the wrong place, fearing slightly that perhaps the op-up hadn’t worked properly and I would be sent back downstairs. I resolutely showed her my boarding pass and pointed to the allocation on the overhead bin, indicating that F is the aisle seat. She mumbled something about thinking that E was the aisle seat and there was a moment where I thought she was going to ask me to sit in the middle. She huffed and puffed a bit and moved over. She definitely was not happy with me at all. Well tough love, it’s not my fault that you can’t read is it!
Anyway, this stopped me getting a snap of the Premium Economy seat so here are some from my previous travels:
Premium Economy Seat on the 747
Premium Economy Seat on the 747
On my seat was a large pillow (same as Business Class), substantial lined blanket (same as Business Class) and a pair of noise cancelling headphones (same as Business Class too). The leg room was very good and although I have travelled in Premium Economy before I am always impressed with how close it is to Business Class in pretty much aspect except the actual seat itself. The amenities are very similar if not the same in some cases, the food is very similar, the wines are the same and the service is also completed in a more personal manner, like Business Class.
Leg room, headphones, pillow, blanket, iPad…..
Another leg room shot, across the cabin
The crew member serving my side of the cabin came over to offer Champagne, water or orange juice. Although I’d already had a glass of Champagne this morning I didn’t mind having another one. The drop on offer in both the Business and Premium cabins was the same, Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve.
It was at this point that I noticed the passenger next to disgruntled seat mate. Oh god, a fellow English man and he was doing us proud. He was the poshest man I had ever heard speaking. He was so posh that he sounded drunk, he was slurring and you could hardly understand him. If anyone has seen ‘The Fast Show’ you’ll know what type of person I’m talking about: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qzsu...eature=related.
Even worse, he didn’t shut up, rabbiting on and on about all sorts of crap and kept saying ‘well you know’ before every sentence. Yuck, yuck, yuck, disgusting old man. My seat mate took the brunt of it, with me managing to avoid any contact altogether.
The Captain announced over the PA that we were currently waiting for a number transit bags but should be away shortly and that we were still expected to make our scheduled arrival time.
A view into Business Class from my seat
We pushed back at 9.55am (Singapore time) after a 40 minute or so wait on the ground. After a pretty long taxi and wait for the runway, the engines were soon being pushed to full power and we were on our way at about 10.20 local time. One thing I did notice about this take off is that it certainly isn’t as smooth sitting at the back as it is sitting at the front of economy, over the wings.
Very shortly after take off, once the seat belt sign was put out, the two crew members serving the cabin (a young Asian lady and an older lady on my side) set about with the service. This started with a hot towel which was collected promptly. The CSS (Cabin Service Supervisor, 2nd in command and responsible for the Premium and Economy cabins) made her way around the cabin to welcome each passenger, introduce herself and then offer landing cards. This is a standard service but she managed to do it in a friendly and personal way so that it did not seem robotic.
Next followed the first drinks service, with nuts being served to each passenger to accompany their choice of drink. It is not possible to list out the wines on this flight, as they change regularly but needless to say there was a very good range of both whites and reds, at least two or three of each, all also served in the Business cabin. I felt that I needed something refreshing at this point so simply chose water.
Water and nuts
At this point it is pertinent to list out the menu:
It was very interesting to see that the Premium Economy menu was incredibly similar to the Economy menu on the London to Singapore leg, suggesting that actually the food is the pretty much the same in both cabins, but served up and presented differently. How do I know this? Well the pie being offered in Premium was the same as was being offered in Economy as well as the second choice, the poached salmon. The breakfast options were also exactly the same.
One difference however was the option to ask the crew to put together a sandwich for you, at any time during the flight, and there was quite a selection of fillings available. On the long LHR – SIN sector this seemed to replace the ‘Snack on Q’ bags which were available in Economy.
The drinks selection also gets a significant upgrade, with wines and Champagne from Business Class including fortified and dessert wine as well as an improvement on the quality of the spirits and the addition of liqueurs too.
Whilst we were enjoying our drinks the Captain came on to give us an updated on our arrival. We were much later leaving Singapore than expected so should be on stand at 8.40pm, about 25 minutes later than scheduled.
Lunch was served at about 11.30, just over an hour after take off. This was quite a slow process, since each table has to be laid up first and drinks offered. A tip is to definitely try to get yourself a seat as far forward in the cabin as possible.
At this point we had some pretty bad turbulence, the seat belt sign was illuminated, the service suspended and the crew asked to sit down. While I understand this, it couldn’t have happened at a worse time as all of the food was getting cold! Luckily it didn’t last more than 10-15 minutes and the service resumed.
I chose the chicken curry, as it sounded nice on the menu.
Green Leaf Salad, Singapore Style Chicken Curry and cheese and biscuits
I decided to stick with the water. The food was damn tasty and I finished it all. Again, Qantas continues to be consistent with it’s food quality. The portion sizes were a little larger than those in Economy and having the food a little more spread out in the dish meant that the presentation was better too.
About half way through we hit turbulence again, with the crew again being asked to take their seats. This again only lasted about 10 minutes.
After lunch was finished with the crew came around to offer tea and coffee and ice cream as well as clearing the trays, handing out water bottles and offering more drinks. I happened to notice that there was a cheeky bottle of ‘Noble One Botrytis Semillion’ poking out near the top of the trolley so I asked for a glass. It would have been nice if this was offered to me directly, but still, I love this stuff so couldn’t complain. It was excellent, as always. It retails at about $35 a bottle (for 375ml) in Sydney city centre which is a little more than most ‘stickies’ that you’ll find in many of the cellar doors across Australia.
A fine glass of Noble One
As I was enjoying my dessert wine the woman next to me decided to have her revenge for my earlier seat shifting retort and made motions that she wanted to get out to use the toilet or whatever. Bloody woman, can’t she see that I’m trying to enjoy my wine? I’d have to pack up the wine, the water, the linen and pack up the table too. Luckily, I was saved when we again hit some more turbulence and she had to sit back down. I just smirked and carried on drinking the Noble One. Yes, I am evil, perhaps I should have taken more pity on her given that she had endured the disgusting specimen that was the man next to her.
Speaking of which, at this point he was snoring away like no tomorrow which I’m sure was repulsing the lady next to me even more. Ok, I was starting to feel a bit sorry for her now, so as soon as the seat belt sign went off again I cleared up my stuff and got out for her.
I took the opportunity for a bit of a wander. The Premium Economy cabin on the A380 offers a lot more than the same cabin on the 747. Despite the same number of seats overall, it is more spacious with a 2-3-2 layout as opposed to 2-4-2 on the 747. The pitch is better too, at a consistent 42 inches, with a varied 38-40 inch pitch on the 747. In addition, on the A380 there are more places to wander and the cabin has two dedicated toilets, rather than sharing these with the Economy cabin like you have to on the 747. You also get a self-service bar and more ‘wandering’ space with the large galley at the back of the A380. Have I sold the A380 over the 747 to you yet?
Compare and contrast for yourself here:
Typical 747 Seat Plan on This Route vs. A380 Seat Plan.
I have previously travelled twice on the 747 in Premium Economy, here and here.
Premium Economy Cabin on the A380, taken from row 38/39
The gate that stops silly people (or carts) falling down the stairs
Snack Bar (better snacks than Economy)
After a quick trip to the toilet I grabbed a Toblerone on the way back to my seat, chatted to my previous seat mate (the nice lady from the LHR-SIN sector) opened up the blanket and dozed for a few hours.
I was woken at 7.00pm Sydney time (4.00pm Singapore time) by the cabin lights turning on. This was about an hour and a half before we were due to land. The crew came around to offer sandwiches and further drinks. Despite these being available at any time during the flight the crew were pro-active enough to offer them at the end of the flight as a second meal. Perhaps there were complains previously as my past experiences seemed to indicate that said sandwich would not be offered unless you asked for it, even towards the end of the flight.
I chose the salmon baguette which was warm and crusty.
Salmon and Cream Cheese Baguette
Looking back at the pictures of my previous flights the baguette seems to have shrunk to half the size, again, perhaps this is due to the crew ensuring that everyone gets something to eat, I’m not sure.
I stuck with water again, not wanting to feel light headed going through customs and immigration (I’d slept off the Champagne by now).
Once this was cleared away, the Captain announced that we are just about to start our descent (8pm Sydney time) and that we should be on the ground just before 8.40pm as previously advised.
Our descent seemed pretty steep and we dropped rapidly several times, perhaps this was to avoid some more bad weather.
At 8.35 we made a rather windy, bumpy landing, bouncing up and down as we hit the tarmac at Sydney Airport. We were running only about 20 minutes late at this point which wasn’t too bad, however I was pretty keen to get to my bed which was waiting for me in Milsons Point, at least a half hour train ride away (after immigration and customs).
We had a quick taxi to the terminal and then unfortunately had to wait 10 minutes or so for our air bridge to be attached. I was fortunate enough at this point to be able to grab a snap of the Business Class seats.
Business Class Product
Once the bridge was attached we were quickly off the plane and I made a brisk walk to immigration which was reasonably empty. It was my guess that we were one of, if not the last flight of the day.
Whilst immigration was quick, baggage reclaim was not. For some reason, the Sydney airport authority has failed to realise that 450 people descending on a baggage belt suitable for a 737 will lead to lengthy delays. Maybe it is a way of slowing down the numbers entering quarantine? Compared to LHR which have huge double belts (that make a kind ‘m’ shape) Sydney has a single belt with a system that controls the flow of bags onto the belt. Unfortunately, this system relied on people removing bags before it would add anymore onto the belt, a bit like when a night club is full, one in, one out. For whatever reason, people just weren’t retrieving their bags quickly enough so it meant that there was a huge crowd around the belt.
My bag took 45 minutes to arrive which is rather disgraceful for a modern airport. I don’t remember having to wait this long for my bag for many years. However, there was an upside. A clever man at quarantine realised that if he was to get home on time (and us too) he should try to process people while they were still waiting to collect their bags. So he made his away around the belt checking people’s forms and asking the usual questions. All I had was chocolate so he stamped my form and moved on.
When my bag finally arrived, minus my BA baggage tag (lost in transit I suppose), I was able to head to quarantine and was quickly ushered through with no further questions or screening.
So about an hour and 15 minutes after we landed I was finally landside (and I managed to skip quarantine too, luckily). I couldn’t be bothered with getting the train so hopped into a taxi instead.
I was pretty tired so it was straight to bed to try and face work in the morning.
Verdict
I would still say that Qantas has the best Economy and Premium Economy products in the sky at the moment (although, having seen the new Air New Zealand offerings I might have to take that back!).
I love the Premium Economy product and applaud Qantas for taking it further than BA or Virgin did in the past. Virgin have followed suit to some degree but BA is still lacking, despite the new seat revealed for the 777-300ER fleet. What seperates Qantas is the level of service and the smaller things such as sharing the wine selection with Business, noise cancelling headphones, a proper, lined blanket, a dedicated cabin with dedicated staff and toilets, which are not shared with Economy.
The seat itself is excellent, very well designed and it is easy to get comfortable. Compared to my previous leg in Economy, sitting at the bulkhead, the overall level of space was ironically less, but the upgrade in service, food and drink quality made up for this.
It was lovely to meet a fellow traveller and I’m grateful for the invite to the First Class lounge in Singapore. Being able to unwind for 40 minutes with a glass of Champagne and chatting to someone new was great.
When I first travelled in Premium Economy with Qantas back in 2009 I said at the time that I would definitely pay for it and I did, in September 2010 when I travelled over to Australia to start my work visa. I 100% stand by that, even more so on the A380 where I think that the experience is enhanced over the 747. Of course, it is no substitute for Business Class but I feel that it really is worth the significant increase price over Economy.
Overall, it was a great trip and it was fun seeing everyone back home in the UK. My over-riding feeling was that the UK is a rather miserable place at the moment, with everyone worrying about the economy, their jobs and petrol prices. I was very much glad when I arrived back in Sydney, knowing even more than before that I had made the right choice to move over here.
I hope that you enjoyed this trip report and I welcome your comments.
Thanks for reading, why not check out some of my other reports?
Carrier: Qantas
Aircraft: Airbus A380
Scheduled Departure time: 09.30
Duration: 7h 45m
Scheduled Arrival time: 20:15 (local)
Routing: Singapore T1 - Sydney T1
Class: Premium Economy
Seat: 35F (seat plan)
At that point, I had my boarding pass scanned and a smile was brought to my face as I received the famous beep and could see the lady fiddling around on the computer assigning me a new seat in Premium. I’d been given 35F which is an aisle seat in the middle of the cabin. This was my third or fourth upgrade on long haul QF which works out to be around the 50% mark which I think is pretty damn good for someone who isn’t a member of the QF programme! I seem to do so much better on QF than I ever did on my ‘home’ carrier, BA having only scored one op-up many years ago when I was a lowly Blue and nothing since becoming Silver (despite 20+ flights in Business, Premium and Economy over the past few years).
I ran up towards the boarding door queue and tapped my new friend on the shoulder to announce that I had been upgraded too! I got the impression that she was pleased but maybe slightly miffed as I think that she had used points to upgrade, whereas I got mine for free, oops.
Mr Fysh ready to take me back to Sydney
We boarded using the priority boarding lane and were invited to climb slightly and board through the upper deck door. My friend had been allocated a seat at the back of the cabin which is a shame as she could have helped me with the Champagne.
I arrived in the Premium Economy cabin to find a lady sitting in my seat. I politely told her that she was in the wrong place, fearing slightly that perhaps the op-up hadn’t worked properly and I would be sent back downstairs. I resolutely showed her my boarding pass and pointed to the allocation on the overhead bin, indicating that F is the aisle seat. She mumbled something about thinking that E was the aisle seat and there was a moment where I thought she was going to ask me to sit in the middle. She huffed and puffed a bit and moved over. She definitely was not happy with me at all. Well tough love, it’s not my fault that you can’t read is it!
Anyway, this stopped me getting a snap of the Premium Economy seat so here are some from my previous travels:
Premium Economy Seat on the 747
Premium Economy Seat on the 747
On my seat was a large pillow (same as Business Class), substantial lined blanket (same as Business Class) and a pair of noise cancelling headphones (same as Business Class too). The leg room was very good and although I have travelled in Premium Economy before I am always impressed with how close it is to Business Class in pretty much aspect except the actual seat itself. The amenities are very similar if not the same in some cases, the food is very similar, the wines are the same and the service is also completed in a more personal manner, like Business Class.
Leg room, headphones, pillow, blanket, iPad…..
Another leg room shot, across the cabin
The crew member serving my side of the cabin came over to offer Champagne, water or orange juice. Although I’d already had a glass of Champagne this morning I didn’t mind having another one. The drop on offer in both the Business and Premium cabins was the same, Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve.
It was at this point that I noticed the passenger next to disgruntled seat mate. Oh god, a fellow English man and he was doing us proud
. He was the poshest man I had ever heard speaking. He was so posh that he sounded drunk, he was slurring and you could hardly understand him. If anyone has seen ‘The Fast Show’ you’ll know what type of person I’m talking about: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qzsu...eature=related. Even worse, he didn’t shut up, rabbiting on and on about all sorts of crap and kept saying ‘well you know’ before every sentence. Yuck, yuck, yuck, disgusting old man. My seat mate took the brunt of it, with me managing to avoid any contact altogether.
The Captain announced over the PA that we were currently waiting for a number transit bags but should be away shortly and that we were still expected to make our scheduled arrival time.
A view into Business Class from my seat
We pushed back at 9.55am (Singapore time) after a 40 minute or so wait on the ground. After a pretty long taxi and wait for the runway, the engines were soon being pushed to full power and we were on our way at about 10.20 local time. One thing I did notice about this take off is that it certainly isn’t as smooth sitting at the back as it is sitting at the front of economy, over the wings.
Very shortly after take off, once the seat belt sign was put out, the two crew members serving the cabin (a young Asian lady and an older lady on my side) set about with the service. This started with a hot towel which was collected promptly. The CSS (Cabin Service Supervisor, 2nd in command and responsible for the Premium and Economy cabins) made her way around the cabin to welcome each passenger, introduce herself and then offer landing cards. This is a standard service but she managed to do it in a friendly and personal way so that it did not seem robotic.
Next followed the first drinks service, with nuts being served to each passenger to accompany their choice of drink. It is not possible to list out the wines on this flight, as they change regularly but needless to say there was a very good range of both whites and reds, at least two or three of each, all also served in the Business cabin. I felt that I needed something refreshing at this point so simply chose water.
Water and nuts
At this point it is pertinent to list out the menu:
Singapore to Sydney
Lunch
Green Leaf Salad with Cucumber and Olives
Main Courses
Singapore Style Chicken Curry with Steamed Rice and Bok Choy
Lamb Casserole with Raisins, New Potatoes and Kenya Beans
Cheese and Biscuits
Dessert
Ice Cream
Grinders Coffee Dilmah Tea
Refreshment
Available at any time during your flight
Toasted Focaccia with Slow Roasted Tomatoes, Emmental Tapenade and Rocket
Toasted Baguette with Smoked Salmon, Cream Cheese, Dill Pickles and Spinach
or
Create your own toasted sandwich from the following selection
Focaccia or Baguette:
Smoked Salmon
Slow Roasted Tomatoes
Cream Cheese
Emmental
Dill Pickles
Olive Tapenade
Baby Spinach
Rocket Leaves
Fresh Whole Fruit
Luken and May Biscuits
Cheese and Biscuits
Chocolate Bars
Beverages
A range of drinks, including water is available throughout your flight.
Champagne
Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve
Wine
A selection of light and full bodied, premium white and red wines/
Sprits
Barcardi White Rum
Bundaberg Dark Rum
Campari
Chivas Regal 12yo Scotch Whisky
Plymouth The Smooth English Gin
The Glenlivet 12yo Malt Whisky
Wild Turkey 86.8º Bourbon
Wyborowa Polish Vodka
Beers
Hahn Premium Light
Heineken
James Squire Golden Ale
Victoria Bitter
Liqueurs
Baileys Irish Cream
Cointreau
Martell VSOP Cognac
Non-Alcoholic
Apple Juice
Orange Juice
Spicy Tomato Juice
Tomato Juice
Mineral Water
Soda Water
Tonic Water
Bundaberg Ginger Beer
Coke Zero or Diet Coke
Coca-Cola
Ginger Ale
Lemonade
Solo – Lemon Squash
Lunch
Green Leaf Salad with Cucumber and Olives
Main Courses
Singapore Style Chicken Curry with Steamed Rice and Bok Choy
Lamb Casserole with Raisins, New Potatoes and Kenya Beans
Cheese and Biscuits
Dessert
Ice Cream
Grinders Coffee Dilmah Tea
Refreshment
Available at any time during your flight
Toasted Focaccia with Slow Roasted Tomatoes, Emmental Tapenade and Rocket
Toasted Baguette with Smoked Salmon, Cream Cheese, Dill Pickles and Spinach
or
Create your own toasted sandwich from the following selection
Focaccia or Baguette:
Smoked Salmon
Slow Roasted Tomatoes
Cream Cheese
Emmental
Dill Pickles
Olive Tapenade
Baby Spinach
Rocket Leaves
Fresh Whole Fruit
Luken and May Biscuits
Cheese and Biscuits
Chocolate Bars
Beverages
A range of drinks, including water is available throughout your flight.
Champagne
Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve
Wine
A selection of light and full bodied, premium white and red wines/
Sprits
Barcardi White Rum
Bundaberg Dark Rum
Campari
Chivas Regal 12yo Scotch Whisky
Plymouth The Smooth English Gin
The Glenlivet 12yo Malt Whisky
Wild Turkey 86.8º Bourbon
Wyborowa Polish Vodka
Beers
Hahn Premium Light
Heineken
James Squire Golden Ale
Victoria Bitter
Liqueurs
Baileys Irish Cream
Cointreau
Martell VSOP Cognac
Non-Alcoholic
Apple Juice
Orange Juice
Spicy Tomato Juice
Tomato Juice
Mineral Water
Soda Water
Tonic Water
Bundaberg Ginger Beer
Coke Zero or Diet Coke
Coca-Cola
Ginger Ale
Lemonade
Solo – Lemon Squash
One difference however was the option to ask the crew to put together a sandwich for you, at any time during the flight, and there was quite a selection of fillings available. On the long LHR – SIN sector this seemed to replace the ‘Snack on Q’ bags which were available in Economy.
The drinks selection also gets a significant upgrade, with wines and Champagne from Business Class including fortified and dessert wine as well as an improvement on the quality of the spirits and the addition of liqueurs too.
Whilst we were enjoying our drinks the Captain came on to give us an updated on our arrival. We were much later leaving Singapore than expected so should be on stand at 8.40pm, about 25 minutes later than scheduled.
Lunch was served at about 11.30, just over an hour after take off. This was quite a slow process, since each table has to be laid up first and drinks offered. A tip is to definitely try to get yourself a seat as far forward in the cabin as possible.
At this point we had some pretty bad turbulence, the seat belt sign was illuminated, the service suspended and the crew asked to sit down. While I understand this, it couldn’t have happened at a worse time as all of the food was getting cold! Luckily it didn’t last more than 10-15 minutes and the service resumed.
I chose the chicken curry, as it sounded nice on the menu.
Green Leaf Salad, Singapore Style Chicken Curry and cheese and biscuits
I decided to stick with the water. The food was damn tasty and I finished it all. Again, Qantas continues to be consistent with it’s food quality. The portion sizes were a little larger than those in Economy and having the food a little more spread out in the dish meant that the presentation was better too.
About half way through we hit turbulence again, with the crew again being asked to take their seats. This again only lasted about 10 minutes.
After lunch was finished with the crew came around to offer tea and coffee and ice cream as well as clearing the trays, handing out water bottles and offering more drinks. I happened to notice that there was a cheeky bottle of ‘Noble One Botrytis Semillion’ poking out near the top of the trolley so I asked for a glass. It would have been nice if this was offered to me directly, but still, I love this stuff so couldn’t complain. It was excellent, as always. It retails at about $35 a bottle (for 375ml) in Sydney city centre which is a little more than most ‘stickies’ that you’ll find in many of the cellar doors across Australia.
A fine glass of Noble One
As I was enjoying my dessert wine the woman next to me decided to have her revenge for my earlier seat shifting retort and made motions that she wanted to get out to use the toilet or whatever. Bloody woman, can’t she see that I’m trying to enjoy my wine? I’d have to pack up the wine, the water, the linen and pack up the table too. Luckily, I was saved when we again hit some more turbulence and she had to sit back down. I just smirked and carried on drinking the Noble One. Yes, I am evil, perhaps I should have taken more pity on her given that she had endured the disgusting specimen that was the man next to her.
Speaking of which, at this point he was snoring away like no tomorrow which I’m sure was repulsing the lady next to me even more. Ok, I was starting to feel a bit sorry for her now, so as soon as the seat belt sign went off again I cleared up my stuff and got out for her.
I took the opportunity for a bit of a wander. The Premium Economy cabin on the A380 offers a lot more than the same cabin on the 747. Despite the same number of seats overall, it is more spacious with a 2-3-2 layout as opposed to 2-4-2 on the 747. The pitch is better too, at a consistent 42 inches, with a varied 38-40 inch pitch on the 747. In addition, on the A380 there are more places to wander and the cabin has two dedicated toilets, rather than sharing these with the Economy cabin like you have to on the 747. You also get a self-service bar and more ‘wandering’ space with the large galley at the back of the A380. Have I sold the A380 over the 747 to you yet?
Compare and contrast for yourself here:
Typical 747 Seat Plan on This Route vs. A380 Seat Plan.
I have previously travelled twice on the 747 in Premium Economy, here and here.
Premium Economy Cabin on the A380, taken from row 38/39
The gate that stops silly people (or carts) falling down the stairs
Snack Bar (better snacks than Economy)
After a quick trip to the toilet I grabbed a Toblerone on the way back to my seat, chatted to my previous seat mate (the nice lady from the LHR-SIN sector) opened up the blanket and dozed for a few hours.
I was woken at 7.00pm Sydney time (4.00pm Singapore time) by the cabin lights turning on. This was about an hour and a half before we were due to land. The crew came around to offer sandwiches and further drinks. Despite these being available at any time during the flight the crew were pro-active enough to offer them at the end of the flight as a second meal. Perhaps there were complains previously as my past experiences seemed to indicate that said sandwich would not be offered unless you asked for it, even towards the end of the flight.
I chose the salmon baguette which was warm and crusty.
Salmon and Cream Cheese Baguette
Looking back at the pictures of my previous flights the baguette seems to have shrunk to half the size, again, perhaps this is due to the crew ensuring that everyone gets something to eat, I’m not sure.
I stuck with water again, not wanting to feel light headed going through customs and immigration (I’d slept off the Champagne by now).
Once this was cleared away, the Captain announced that we are just about to start our descent (8pm Sydney time) and that we should be on the ground just before 8.40pm as previously advised.
Our descent seemed pretty steep and we dropped rapidly several times, perhaps this was to avoid some more bad weather.
At 8.35 we made a rather windy, bumpy landing, bouncing up and down as we hit the tarmac at Sydney Airport. We were running only about 20 minutes late at this point which wasn’t too bad, however I was pretty keen to get to my bed which was waiting for me in Milsons Point, at least a half hour train ride away (after immigration and customs).
We had a quick taxi to the terminal and then unfortunately had to wait 10 minutes or so for our air bridge to be attached. I was fortunate enough at this point to be able to grab a snap of the Business Class seats.
Business Class Product
Once the bridge was attached we were quickly off the plane and I made a brisk walk to immigration which was reasonably empty. It was my guess that we were one of, if not the last flight of the day.
Whilst immigration was quick, baggage reclaim was not. For some reason, the Sydney airport authority has failed to realise that 450 people descending on a baggage belt suitable for a 737 will lead to lengthy delays. Maybe it is a way of slowing down the numbers entering quarantine? Compared to LHR which have huge double belts (that make a kind ‘m’ shape) Sydney has a single belt with a system that controls the flow of bags onto the belt. Unfortunately, this system relied on people removing bags before it would add anymore onto the belt, a bit like when a night club is full, one in, one out. For whatever reason, people just weren’t retrieving their bags quickly enough so it meant that there was a huge crowd around the belt.
My bag took 45 minutes to arrive which is rather disgraceful for a modern airport. I don’t remember having to wait this long for my bag for many years. However, there was an upside. A clever man at quarantine realised that if he was to get home on time (and us too) he should try to process people while they were still waiting to collect their bags. So he made his away around the belt checking people’s forms and asking the usual questions. All I had was chocolate so he stamped my form and moved on.
When my bag finally arrived, minus my BA baggage tag (lost in transit I suppose), I was able to head to quarantine and was quickly ushered through with no further questions or screening.
So about an hour and 15 minutes after we landed I was finally landside (and I managed to skip quarantine too, luckily). I couldn’t be bothered with getting the train so hopped into a taxi instead.
I was pretty tired so it was straight to bed to try and face work in the morning.
Verdict
I would still say that Qantas has the best Economy and Premium Economy products in the sky at the moment (although, having seen the new Air New Zealand offerings I might have to take that back!).
I love the Premium Economy product and applaud Qantas for taking it further than BA or Virgin did in the past. Virgin have followed suit to some degree but BA is still lacking, despite the new seat revealed for the 777-300ER fleet. What seperates Qantas is the level of service and the smaller things such as sharing the wine selection with Business, noise cancelling headphones, a proper, lined blanket, a dedicated cabin with dedicated staff and toilets, which are not shared with Economy.
The seat itself is excellent, very well designed and it is easy to get comfortable. Compared to my previous leg in Economy, sitting at the bulkhead, the overall level of space was ironically less, but the upgrade in service, food and drink quality made up for this.
It was lovely to meet a fellow traveller and I’m grateful for the invite to the First Class lounge in Singapore. Being able to unwind for 40 minutes with a glass of Champagne and chatting to someone new was great.
When I first travelled in Premium Economy with Qantas back in 2009 I said at the time that I would definitely pay for it and I did, in September 2010 when I travelled over to Australia to start my work visa. I 100% stand by that, even more so on the A380 where I think that the experience is enhanced over the 747. Of course, it is no substitute for Business Class but I feel that it really is worth the significant increase price over Economy.
Overall, it was a great trip and it was fun seeing everyone back home in the UK. My over-riding feeling was that the UK is a rather miserable place at the moment, with everyone worrying about the economy, their jobs and petrol prices. I was very much glad when I arrived back in Sydney, knowing even more than before that I had made the right choice to move over here.
I hope that you enjoyed this trip report and I welcome your comments.
Thanks for reading, why not check out some of my other reports?
Feb 6, 2011, 9:54 am
#28
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: London, U.K.
Programs: bmi British Midland International Diamond Club
Posts: 3,370
A very enjoyable and interesting report, well done!
That was a long flight from SIN-LHR. 13hrs 45mins is about an hour longer than normal. I usually fly SIA on the Kangaroo route in Y and it's interesting to compare their A380 service to QF.
Adjusting to the big time difference between the UK and Sydney is always a challenge when flying in any class.
You do meet strange people on your travels. And, as you experienced, some nice people too!
Thanks for writing and sharing your QF Y experience. ^
That was a long flight from SIN-LHR. 13hrs 45mins is about an hour longer than normal. I usually fly SIA on the Kangaroo route in Y and it's interesting to compare their A380 service to QF.
Adjusting to the big time difference between the UK and Sydney is always a challenge when flying in any class.
You do meet strange people on your travels. And, as you experienced, some nice people too!
Thanks for writing and sharing your QF Y experience. ^
Feb 6, 2011, 12:35 pm
#29
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Gold, SQ Gold, KQ Platinum, IHG Diamond Ambassador, Hilton Gold, Marriott Silver, Accor Silver
Posts: 16,351
Because I've already read them
Great finish to the report, matthandy, and glad you feel you made the right decision to move to Sydney.
Very lucky getting the upgrade to PE, and whilst I haven't tried the product, I hear nothing but rave reviews about QF's PE product compared to BA WTP.
Similarly to Y and W, it's interesting that there is quite a lot of overlap between QF's J and F food - the beef rendang I had on my SIN-SYD sector in F was featured in a J report that I read recently... Not acceptable really for F.
Great finish to the report, matthandy, and glad you feel you made the right decision to move to Sydney.
Very lucky getting the upgrade to PE, and whilst I haven't tried the product, I hear nothing but rave reviews about QF's PE product compared to BA WTP.
Similarly to Y and W, it's interesting that there is quite a lot of overlap between QF's J and F food - the beef rendang I had on my SIN-SYD sector in F was featured in a J report that I read recently... Not acceptable really for F.
Feb 6, 2011, 1:08 pm
#30
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: UK
Posts: 235
Thanks for the last part Matt, very interesting. Certainly looks like a decent amount of leg room and pretty comfortable overall. I'm actually now convincing myself that the trip will be okay although I'm not looking forward to travelling back on BA WT+ as I'm sure it is a big comedown after QF. Unfortunately the QF legs on the way back were much much more expensive that BA so my wallet spoke on that leg!
Also pleased to hear you're glad to be back in Sydney, nothing like a trip back to cold and grey UK to make you realise you're in the right place!
Also pleased to hear you're glad to be back in Sydney, nothing like a trip back to cold and grey UK to make you realise you're in the right place!