SFO777

QF 30
HKG-MEL
continued...

IFE was only slightly better than the old LH IFE, although not very user friendly. Mine would only play one movie even when I tried to make an alternate selection.



Amuse-bouche of Tarlet of Chicken Mayonnaise with Parmesan and Seared Tuna was very good.



Dinner service began with proper linen table cloth and setting.



But the salad with king prawns was awful with no Serrano ham I could find and absolutely no dressing on the greens.



The lamb was quite good.



Nicely prepared.



But pretty fatty inside.



While not in the same category at LH or CX, the cheese course was adequate.



The pear and vanilla cake was good but a little dry.



Better with extra creme anglais.



For a crappy old F hard product, I actually slept pretty well for about 4 hours.





I was still full from dinner so I passed on any breakfast.



Our first views of MEL.






L


All in all, a disappointing introduction to Qantas. With CX no longer offering First on their HKG-Australia routes and crappy competitors to LAX, perhaps the incentive to improve First is simple not there. If I was flying to Europe from SYD/MEL though, I would certainly go with SQ, BA or EK.

SFO777

deleted

chehk

Great trip report SFO, as a HKer who studies overseas I do always enjoy the pics of home Can't wait to head back this march for the 7s. Though, as of right now CX are refusing to change my U class booking...

matthandy

Really great updates! The old F product is certainly dated but hopefully the crew helped to make up for that.

QF fly the A380 to and from London as well as LAX. They now also fly to HKG as well. It's just a shame that you ended up on a 747 flight as you were heading to MEL and not SYD.

SQ do offer F/R on their Sydney services and MEL will soon be getting an EK A380 flight as well.

BA don't fly to MEL so heading to Australia from Hong Kong limits your options unfortunately.

ma91pmh

Thanks for the update. I think your 3.5/10 may be a bit harsh - getting spoiled by that great CX product. But it sure is dated... as I had said before QF 744 F was my first ever F experience but that was in 2000. Long time ago now. But I have to say it doesn't look that bad and am sure it was comfortable

Sure beats coach

Platinum A332

Great Trip Report.

I agree with you about QF - in my opinion QF on the 747 and on the 380 are like completely different airlines with the contrasting hard products. The 747 F product is unacceptable, especially as QF is the most expensive airline with F. I think by the end of the year/2013 though only the A380 will have First Class.

Having flown (or have family who have flown) QF HKG-SYD on the A380, it is interesting that some of the meal options overlap with J-Class (my Dad had the exact same lamb dish).

I flew this route one week ago in Premium Economy, and we got a Hot Breakfast option, whereas First only got a Continental Breakfast based on your menu. How Bizarre

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

Just a couple of notes on the QF30 - I do it a few times a year. Priority boarding works fine, you just ask at the podium for them to take you onto the plane... they walk you right to the head of the secondary search and then straight on. (either say 'the queue there looks a bit long' or 'can you take me on board' - both work fine if they haven't already offered that to you once they see the F boarding pass. I think that is one of the problems of having standard boarding passes with no differentiation in colours for different classes - makes it hard for the ground staff to see in advance who qualifies for special services.)

You comment that there is only a continental breakfast choice... as you say - you were still full from dinner. I think most people are the same... I have never seen anyone eat anything on that flight for breakfast... only coffee or tea.

The hard product is dated... but if the gods are smiling and you have an empty cabin then it can be very pleasant - and nothing beats the nose of a 747 for quietness under the right circumstances.

The food is a bit so-so. Their desserts ARE dry... I have mentioned this. They changed desserts for a little while to having them in bowls... which was great because it kept the moisture in. Shame they have gone back to the open tarts. Shouldn't happen though. I think it is a combination of poor design and poor crew training. They claim Neil Perry flies from time to time to try out his food... somehow I really doubt he has set foot on a plane from hong Kong! (fatty lamb... which is not a one off in terms of poor food, and dry desserts).

If you're lucky you get a good crew who can make up for most of the shortcomings. If you luck out and get bad crew + bad everything else then arrival and priority diembarkation is the best part of the trip!

gpeso8

Great report! I can't wait for the rest.

Palmer

My OH would go into meltdown...

(Great report!)

Palmer

SFflyer123

I have 4 words for you this time:

You live very well!

Great TR! Love it!

corporateslave

Great report!
...Although you didn't end up in F on the A380 right, so maybe a thread title change is in order?

Thanks for putting it together, interesting read.

BA5E

I think SFO777 has not finished, he still has to go from MEL-SYD and then SYD-LAX, so imagine that is where hopefully he will be doing the A380, so very much look forward to that TR, he will i am sure find a complete difference to his HKG-MEL sector. Then he will be bowled over with the difference.

SFO777

Sorry for the delay in updating the report but Sydney was a whirlwind of activity...

Arrival into MEL was not nearly as pleasant as in HKG. No golf cart here, just a push wheelchair thru a crowded, older terminal with a lack of proper air conditioning. And no bypassing the C&I queue as we lined up in the priority line, which didn't look like it was moving any faster than the regular lines. Our Lyall driver was waiting for us just outside C&I and baggage claim and 45 morning rush hour minutes later we were in the middle of quite, leafy residential suburb of South Yarra, only 5 minutes from the CDB.

The Lyall Hotel and Spa
Melbourne (South Yarra)
Suite 401

I had selected The Lyall based on tripadvisor.com and other recommendations. Although we were a little skeptical as we pulled up, we wound up loving the place. Just a lovely, small boutique hotel in quiet residential area near trendy funky shops, pubs, coffee shops and restos on Toorak and Chapel Streets.

















Our Suite 401 was a corner room on the top floor. While not overly luxurious, it was very comfortable.













And the three sets of sliding doors and balconies were wonderful. The weather was a perfect sunny and 25-26 each day, and comfy 14-15 at night. With a steady breeze, we kept the doors open the entire stay.

BingBongBoy

Absolutely outstanding so far... Loving it! ^ It is making my mouth water reading all about the CX F product... Less than 8 months till I try it for myself... (not that I am counting or anything...)

I have to say, I don't like the way QF present their main courses. The main looks like it is being presented in a bowl and I prefer a flatter dish for that sort of food. And, the cutlery reminds me of what I used as an infant... Half expecting to see small pots of Apple Sauce to come out from the galley...

SFO777

Thanks ckehk. We love your home city!

Thanks Matt. It was great to finally meet you on Sunday and have a few drinks at the Shangri-la. Thanks for the note on SQ. Have corrected my earlier comment.

I think you are probably right about my rating, coming off CX and going to that old QF bird. CX's 744 is probably just as old but at least they have New First and keep the cabin spotless. And yes, I'd rather be in QF F than Y.

Thanks Platinum A332. I did read something about QF eliminating First on all the 744s. Hope they keep adding 380s.

Thanks LHR/MEL/Europe FF. Your comment on the continental breakfast makes sense especially given the short duration of the flight. Can't imagine many would want a full breakfast 5 hours after finishing a big dinner. As you noted, a good crew like we had can cover up some of the deficiencies.

Thanks gpeso8.

Thanks Palmer.

Thanks SFflyer123. Those miles sure help!

It's coming, promise. As BA5E notes, report wise, we're still in MEL.