El_Chiflero

I interpret that sign as allowing alcohol at the beach suring the day time, in that case, I'm in the wrong country.

Short hair Francis

Haha jfkeze,I'm sure other might not think "the more the merrier" is that good.
I've been working on this baby so long it's not even funny anymore
I'll get the QF 763 Int'l up in an hour or two, desperately trying to complete this TR before my trip starting next week.
The next report probably won't be Mega "25 Parts or more", I simply take too long for write and publish those.
Next one should be 10-15 parts I think

Good Call El Chiflero, Glass Half Full/Half Empty Outlook

Short hair Francis

Part 59 – Qantas Airways Boeing 767-300 International Business Class MEL – SYD


Time to start heading home, and with no Int’l Stopover Options with AA rewards; I took a 2nd “23 Hr 59 Min” Connection in SYD, effectively 1 Outbound from JNB, 1 Inbound to HKG for this Australian Trip. Plus it worked great from a scheduling perspective, a not so early departure from Melbourne for my friend’s parents who were driving me to the airport, and a 10:25am Arrival on the 19th, connecting to a 10:10am departure on the 20th which gave me 23 hours 45 Minutes in SYD.


Aug 19, 2013 – Monday
QF 418 MEL – SYD 9:00am – 10:25am (763/J)


After leaving my friend’s place at 7am for the 1 hour Car trip back to Tullamarine.
Big Thanks to my mate, Mr. C for his Australian Hospitality

It took a full hour to get to the airport, and one issue that popped up. You might be on airport grounds but it doesn’t count until you stepped inside the terminal building.
Same can be said for today since MEL had construction on the departure on-ramp, so that took over 15 mins in this Monday Morning Rush to get to Terminal 1, the far end of the departure on-ramp, despite being on airport property.

Melbourne Tullamarine Airport Terminal 1


The Monday Morning Rush


Qantas Airways Domestic Business Class Check-In


If there was anything called as a good aircraft change, today was it.
My equipment seems to have gone from a (30J/211Y Domestic Config) to a (25J/208Y International Config) sometime between leaving my friend’s place and getting to the airport.
And in sheer luck, a Single Seater seat was still available for selection, YAY

So 2A it is ^
Pretty Happy going from a 2-2-2, 38 Seat Pitch to a 1-2-2, 50 Seat Pitch and I originally wasn’t planning to be the 1st one to board so that changed today’s semantic slightly.

Security was done within 5 Minutes with Priority Security available. Domestic Australian Security is so much more of a breeze than the TSA.

And off to the Melbourne Qantas Club I went, the Business Lounge is enclosed inside the Qantas Club similar to AA’s Set-up at LAX and JFK.

For Photos, the Qantas Club pics are stocked from my Friday arrival into Melbourne and the Business Lounge pics are from Monday.
That’s why the QF Club pics are way more plentiful and have less people in them, I didn’t think it would be feasible or practical to have photos taken on Monday Morning.

Melbourne Tullamarine Qantas Airways “The Qantas Club”
















Part 59 Continues Below

Short hair Francis

Melbourne Tullamarine Qantas Airways Business Lounge





Crowd was pretty busy on Monday Morning but overall finding a table isn’t impossible. Breakfast Offering were basically the same as ones offered in the Sydney Business Lounge and the Staff cleaned off plates very quickly and was mostly able to keep up with the Foot Traffic on the Morning Rush.

Around 8:30am or T-30, I made my way down to the concourse to Gate 23 which is about a 5 Minute Walk from the Qantas Club.

Upon getting to Gate 23, seems like our inbound is running late today.



*57th Flight, 135670 Miles flown since Apr 28
Qantas Airways 418
Melbourne Tullamarine to Sydney, Australia
Scheduled - 9:00am – 10:25am, 1 hr 25 Min flight
Delayed Departure – 9:21am, Late Arrival of Inbound Aircraft
Delayed Arrival – 10:45am
Business Class, Seat 2A
Food – Breakfast
Equipment – Boeing 767-300 (25J/204Y Refurbished Int’l Configuration)



Anyway, QF 409 finally parked at the gate at 8:43am, I wonder who’s the optimist to think a 763 can be de-board fully, clean ever slightly then start boarding in 10 Minutes.

Anyway, I was lucky to wiggle my way to the front of the Boarding Lane to be the 1st one onboard for this 763 Int’l Version.
Today’s Aircraft was VH-OGT “Maroochydore” which was luckily refurbished with the New Leather Seats, Q-Streaming Ipad and Taped Audio System.

For reference to how the old Green Cloth Seat, refer here
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...l#post15603170

Boarding finally began at 9:04am, and off I ran down the jetway as usual

Qantas Airways Boeing 767-300 Refurbished International Business Class Cabin



Qantas Airways Boeing 767-300 Refubished International Business Class Seat










Some of the Biggest Difference that can be noticed from the Refurbishment
1) Seats Gone from Green Cloth to Black Leather
2) The Old 5 Inches Tape-Run PTV has been ripped out in lieu of the Ipad/Q-Streaming, however the taped audio system remains available for use. The audio does come out better/cleaner than it used to.
3) Bins are still the Old-School 767 types, no new bins.

Overall, I think Qantas did fine with their Business Class Refreshment which should be able to extend the lives of the Boeing 767-300 which loves to do runs on MEL – SYD.
That is provided they don’t retire them within a year or two of spending the money obviously.

Pre-Departure Beverage


Door were closed by 9:24am, and Aircraft Pushback at 9:28am for today’s quick 1 Hour Exact flight back to Sydney.

Qantas Airways Airbus 330-200


Jetstar or Deathstar, the Choice is Yours


Whalejet Country



Virgin Australia Airlines Boeing 737-800



Part 59 Continues Below

Short hair Francis

About a 4 Plane Wait, it was our turn off Runway 27



Take-off at 9:40am and we started our journey for Sydney





Another Ipad for the quick flight, the int’l seat sadly doesn’t come with the little strap on the seatback in front of you, so slightly hard to use during meal times.

And within 15 Minutes of taking off, the FA quickly handed out this morning’s breakfast, I took it for the team despite having some breakfast at the Business Lounge.

QF 418 Breakfast

Cheese Omelette with Chopped Tomato and Wilted Spinach
Or
Cereal with Milk accompanied with Yogurt




A very quick flight and with minimal time to try out the seat and we made our descent into Sydney at 10:30am.

No Shot of the Sydney Skyline this morning since we made our descent from Botony Bay




Finally landed at 10:40am quick 5 min taxi to the gate

The Maple Leaf Down Under


Cathay Pacific Airways Airbus 330-300


Qantas Airways Boeing 767-300


British Airways Boeing 777-300ER


We finally pulled into the gate at 10:45am, farewell to VH-OGT


As it was close to Lunch Time, I quickly made my way back to the Airport Link Station and back to Sydney CBD. Since I already did the hotel near Circular Quay earlier this trip, for tonight’s stay I decided to stay at the Park 8 Hotel on the Corner of Castlereagh and Park.

Took about 15 Minutes to get a room since I was checking in early

Park 8 Hotel Sydney




King Bed Room





Part 59 Continues Below

Short hair Francis

After getting a clean shower and dropping my stuff off, it was time to cover some of the attraction on my outbound mini-stop.

St. Andrew’s Cathedral


I decided to go the Museum of Australian Currency Notes, which was on the bottom floor of the Reserve Bank of Australia at Martin Place







Historic Bills





World War 2 Era



First Version of Australian Dollar


The Current Australian Dollar Polymer Bills, no free samples






Other Places in the World using Polymer Bills


Now that’s a place I still need to go in the world



Part 59 Continues Below

Short hair Francis

Another Fine Day in Sydney


After the Museum of Australian Dollar Notes, I went to the Hyde Park Barracks.

Hyde Park Barracks





A Dual View of The World


Rest of the Barracks








St. Mary’s Cathedral and Archibald Fountain





Despite being only 4:15pm, seems like the Jet-Lag from South Africa have started to catch-up on me again.

So I ended up walking to Darling Harbour for some photo opportunities





And after that, my body is done, Sleep Required…
And that’s it, sometime we don’t go out on a Bang but on a whimper and it’s only 6pm.
Zzz….


Next and Last Part
Part 60 - Back to Normalcy, Cathay Pacific Airbus 330-300 Cirrus Business Class SYD-HKG

offerendum

Really enjoy your Report. Can`t object the seat looks better, but it`s still awful for longer flights. Sure it`s the international cabin? Looks like the domestic in their website

Short hair Francis

Yep, it's the 50 Inches Seat Pitch International version.

It's not necessarily marketed well on the QF website but definitely exists.
Look in Seat Guru, there are a domestic and international configs
The Longest Route still run by a QF Int'l 763 is HNL-SYD so about 9-10 hours.

offerendum

Incredible! OK, better than Economy, but still awful

Short hair Francis

Part 60 – Back to Normalcy, Cathay Pacific Airbus 330-300 Cirrus Business Class SYD-HKG


Last flight, the product choice was rather easy with no Qantas 744 F availability on SYD - HKG, old QF 744 J vs. CX 333 Cirrus. So Cathay 333 Cirrus it is, only issue was finding the flight I wanted and my preferred option was 10am CX 162 which I picked up 1 week out while on the trip.
And to be honest, I still can’t find a better business product out there for now vs. the Cirrus. Flat bed, direct-aisle access, lots of space to store personal items, relatively easy to look out the window, mood lighting, what else can I complain when it comes to the hard product other than 333 has the miniature version of the Cirrus vs. on the grandier version on the 77W.
Soft product, Cathay doesn’t have the best food but Cirrus is hard to beat when putting everything else in the equation.


Aug 20, 2013 – Monday
CX 162 SYD – HKG 10:10am – 5:40pm (333/J)

And with my body falling off the map at 6pm the night prior, body decides 3am is your wake-up call. D’Oh

Guess I’m awake and I’m a bit hungry with the lack of adequate dinner, I did grab a subway on the way back to the rook the night prior so let’s head out to the airport.

Left around 4:50am back to Sydney Airport.

Sydney Airport, taken the day before of course


Cathay Pacific Check-In



Took about 5 minutes of waiting due to 2 passengers ahead of me in the Business Line, sadly no F or Emerald lines in these stations.
Sadly ran into a bit of a dragon at security but soon I was at one of my favorite First Class Lounges in the world.

SYD Qantas Airways International First Class Lounge






Have to love the flip-style flight info display, but nonetheless to take up all the space displaying each codeshare flight numbers, hmm…


Seating Area










Part 60 Continues Below

Short hair Francis

Bar and Restaurant Section







Good Morning Sydney


Breakfast Time with little dinner the night prior, OH BOY



Service Bar for the smaller delights




Then the Onslaught





Part 60 Continues Below

Short hair Francis

And the matinee, Am I missing anything?


After finishing the breakfast was a bit more waiting prior to the spa opening at 8am so some more pics

The Qantas-Emirates Alliance




Personal Office Areas


Various Desktop Computers for use



The Library



Showers



The Spa




*Went for a 30 Minute Back Massage.

Inbound was running slight late parking at 9:12am, I finally made it down the gates at 9:20am

Emirates Airbus 380-800


Part 60 Continues Below

Short hair Francis

Cathay Pacific Airways Airbus 330-300



Only 1L was in use today so a bit annoying but the ground crew did a great job turning around the plane.


*58th and Last Flight, 140362 Miles flown since Apr 28
Cathay Pacific Airways 162
Sydney, Australia to Hong Kong
Scheduled – 10:10am – 5:50pm, 9 hr 40 min flight
Actual Departure – 10:06am
Delayed Arrival – 5:55pm
Business Class, Seat 11A
Food – Lunch, Snack/Brunch
Equipment – Airbus 330-300 (39J/28Y+/175Y 3 Class Cirrus Configuration “33G”)




Boarding started around 9:50am due to the late arrival and as usual was the first onboard. Sadly since we were only using 1L, I was somewhat limited on the cabin photos

Cathay Pacific Airways Airbus 330-300 Cirrus Business Class Cabin


*Apologies regarding no pics on the mini-cabin

Cathay Pacific Airways Airbus 330-300 Cirrus Business Class Seat










Pre-Departure Beverage


Right on schedule, door closed at 10:08am and pushback in 5 minutes for an on-time departure back to Hong Kong


About a 4 plane wait for take-off and shortly airborne after 10:30am


Bye Bye Sydney





Part 60 Continues Below

Short hair Francis

Hmm, we just took off, are we there already


9 Hours 5 Minutes Estimated Flying time to HKG



Amenity Kit and Turndown Water Bottle


Service started out with the handout of amenity kit and turndown water and drinks about 40 minutes after wheels off.


CX 162 Lunch

Starter
Lime Prawn, Seared Sesame Tuna and Gravlax Salmon

Mixed Salad with feta, dried cranberries, and Italian Dressing

Main Course
Hong Kong Curry Prawns with steamed Rice and stir-fried Vegetables

Seared Beef Fillet with Café de Paris butter, roasted kippfler potatoes, baby carrot and asparagus

Feta and Rocket Stuffed Chkcien Breast on Potato and Herb Galette, fennel, silver beet and pan-fried squash

Palak Paneer, dhal masala, mushrooms, and peas, turmeric basmatic Rice


Cheese and Dessert
Maffra Sage Derby, Jindi Blue, Tasmanian Heritage Brie

Fresh Seasonal Fruit

Apple Tart with Raspberry Coulis

Tea and Coffee

Pralines


Starter Drink


Appetizer Tray


Salad, Mixed Salad with feta, dried cranberries, and Italian Dressing


Appetizer, Lime Prawn, Seared Sesame Tuna and Gravlax Salmon


Main Course #1, Seared Beef Fillet with Café de Paris butter, roasted kippfler potatoes, baby carrot and asparagus


Main Course #2, Chinese Chicken Main

*As I had regained my appetite from the previous lounge craziness, somehow the crew found me this main, wasn’t on the menu though

Meanwhile the crew also delivered the cheese and fruit plate pre-plated for me since I miss the cart service while having the #2 main

Cheese Plate


Fruit Plate


Dessert Cart


Dessert, Apple Tart with Raspberry Coulis


Green Tea


Pralines


Overall Service took 1 hour 40 Minutes which was ok since it was a Full Service in which time we were getting close to Northern Queensland.



Part 60 Continues Below