sydunipete

Last year saw me travelling quite a bit between Sydney, Australia and Arlanda Stockholm, Sweden. It's difficult to think of a more distant city pairing. I was a loyal *A passenger for many years, always flying these legs in J and most recently several times with Air China. But I got bored and Air Berlin offered a status match so I crossed to the OW "dark side".

This is how I found myself on 2 return trips in J on Qatar Airlines, QANTAS and Cathay Pacific. An interesting point to note is that booking a return trip SYD-ARN-SYD is much more expensive than ARN-SYD-ARN something I plan to take advantage of soon. I'll use points for a one way fare then simple book my trips as returns but originating from Sweden rather than Australia.

This trips are a few months old now. A few changes have happened since then:

QF has upgraded more of their A330 fleet from the disappointing arrangement I endured to a flat bed configuration that seems to get good reviews. I was schedule on one of the upgraded aircraft but it was swapped for an old config at the last minute.

QR was flying to just Perth and Melbourne and the cheapest fares were via Perth. Now they also fly to Adelaide (with their A350) and Sydney (soon with their A380). So currently fares ae cheapest via Adelaide.

Anyway - on with the trip.

sydunipete

Departing from the always smart QANTAS domestic terminal in Sydney is a pleasure.



Most of the check-in area is devoted to kiosks but at the far end is a Service Desk marked "Business Class" in fine print. Three boarding passes, an express departure pass and a printed baggage receipt later I was on my way to a very quiet security line.

There are two lounges upstairs. I went to the QANTAS Club and the lady said I could use the Business lounge. I'm not sure what the difference is but I was pleased with the Business lounge. There was barista made coffee to go with the food selection but the bar wasn't open until noon. WiFi was good but powerpoints were really only at work desks.

In the public area there is a heritage museum, but alas, it's not open on weekends.

Boarding started a few minutes early and the flight was full. I received a friendly welcome on board and they paid attention to my (difficult) name. Status passengers travelling in Y boarded with the J passengers through the forward door and walked back to their allocated cabin. It wasn't such a great loss on this flight. The old J seats (2-2-2) were close together with very limited recline. I was just able to cross my legs. The centre seats have extra storage as the old centre seat (it was 2-3-2) is converted into a spare table. The window pairs don't have this "luxury".

A single page menu, blanket, pillow and headsets were already in place.



The seat back TV was small and close to my ageing eyes.

A welcome drink was either water or red fizzy cordial (as described by the FA) - non-alcoholic. Service as very Australian - friendly, informal, familiar.

The Bresaola entree was overly salty.



Prawn green curry was excellent:



The wine flowed well enough. Dessert was Maggie Beer ice cream or other choices and a muscat and sticky wine. Glasses of water were then handed out - but no bottles.

There was no power or USB for charging devices.

Surely they can't fly this configuration on long-haul J? But the answer is sadly, yes.

sydunipete

Perth is a small airport and the international QF lounge is rather dark and uninspiring so I spent most of my transit time in the QANTAS lounge in the domestic terminal. It had great views over the airport, WiFi was good enough for Facetime.

Those with a sweet tooth are well catered for:



There is a free bus to take you from the domestic terminal (T4) to international (T1). Are you listening Sydney? It leaves every 20 minutes during the day and 30 minutes at other times.

The international lounge is functional with a good beer selection, some wines and food but not a whole lot more.

Boarding started early and priority boarding was implemented. The cabin crew were a mixed bunch and provided a great first impression. Choice of drink was offered - champagne or sparking rose. The sparkling rose really is very good. Leather clad menu (they've since done away with the leather folder), hot OR cold towel, newspapers listed, flying time was explained to each J passenger.

Pillow, blanket, water, menu and headset were already in the seat. There is good storage and lighting. Food and drink orders were taken for all courses and we were asked what time we wanted the service.

J about 50% full.

A great meal was finished within an hour of taking off. Perfect for this late evening flight.









Bed with mattress was very comfortable and I slept better than I expected. The bathrooms were well stocked with razors and toothbrushes. FA's were really proactive.

I chose breakfast about 90 mins before landing. Fruit and hot options were offered and it was one of the most interesting breakfasts I've had on a plane.







Excellent quality towlettes. The whole cabin looked very smart with timber finishes and chrome and their logo treatment at the entry was very impressive. There was plenty of good flight information available and only minimal announcements. We landed 40 minutes early.

The purser personally thanked each customer and asked if everything was ok.

This was a great first impression of Qatar airways and I hadn't even flown the 787 yet!

sydunipete

The upstairs Business Class lounge really was impressive. Great showers, great Krug (although I believe this has now changed), good attentive table service in the dining room and more hot options available than even SQ in Singapore.

The showers aren't well stocked and you had to ask for comb and toothbrush. On this time they didn't have any so my advice is bring your own (which I did anyway).

WiFi in the lounge was restricted to basic tasks. VPN didn't work. Outside it was 37 degrees at 5am. I walked around the massive terminal and noticed the alcohol section was "fenced off":



The TV screens were labelled just in case you didn't know what they were:



And there were baby change rooms in case you didn't like the baby you brought with you:



The was a bus to gate providing a sense for the hot weather (by now at 8am it was 45 degrees), the incredible flatness of the place and impressive views of the 787 up close.



Upon boarding service as the same friendly style with a personal welcome explaining everything you need to know. A hot or cold towel and Orange juice or a refreshing lime and mint (like TK).



The meal was delicious again. I'm stuffed by this stage.









The hot course was spectacular!



About an hour before landing a snack was served. The pasta was pretty good:



All in all I'd say this was some of the best food I've eaten on a plane. Wine was pretty good and service was great. There were lots of FAs and all very attentive.

I got surveyed both QR flights. We landed on time and luggage was ready within 10 minutes.

sydunipete

I arrived to the pleasant surprise of no queue at the business class check-in. Luggage tags were a bit of a battle and the agent didn't know about the OW Sapphire extra baggage benefits but by asking a colleague it was soon sorted. I left with 3 BPs in a nice wallet with luggage stubs and an invitation to the lounge. QR don't use the SAS lounge but a smaller quieter lounge after security and immigration.

It doesn't have a wide selection of offerings but after my previous flights I expected to eat well on the plane. WiFi was limited and restricted certain apps.

Typical for Arlanda boarding commenced exactly on time and indicator boards changed from Go To Gate to Final Call causing a number of stressed passengers to run. The priority lane to the gate was not implemented and the one jetway makes for a long queue.

Onboard everything was nice, clean and modern. All was the same as before except the leather binders had gone missing from the menus. Also no newspapers were loaded this trip. The welcome was extra friendly and after a long wait the doors were closed and drink orders taken.

Push back was delayed - something about air traffic control and an unrecognised bag. The recorded safety briefing starts with a prayer in arabic.

Appetiser, entree and main all excellent:



The IFE screen is large, well position and high resolution.





They even had the butter stamped in Swedish:









They ran out of a very good German Riesling - I may have been partly to blame so I switched to a French Chardonnay. Hot nuts and chocolates were distributed as we flew over Moscow.

No second meal service and we landed just after sunset. Personal thank you from the purser again.

Here's a shot of the cabin:



Once again through the fairly slack security check at DOH and into my new favourite lounge. I tested out the Krug theory and can happily report it flowed like water.







Somehow I managed to remain alert enough after a few hours of this to report to my gate for the next flight.

sydunipete

I arrived at the gate at the time of scheduled boarding and the flight crew were only just arriving. There was a separate seating are in the gate for Business Class which made it easier to do priority boarding.

The CX layout isn't too different to the QR one but obviously more dated. The windows and overhead bins were smaller and there was less storage space overall. Headphones were in a hidden compartment, there was a blanket on the seat but that was about it.

A pre-flight drink was OJ, water or apple juice. An amenity kit was provided which had useless re-use value and landing cards were provided. Menus for supper service and quick breakfast were handed out.

On the IFE each movie started with lots of ads. Damn annoying.

A single tray meal was provided (hence the title supper service - it was after midnight after-all):



It was simple, but good. A bottle of water was provided.

Breakfast was also simple. Maybe I've been spoilt by QR. It was available on request when you woke:



Service and soft product was not as good as SQ. Same for the hard product. I like the 1-2-1 configuration which is way better than CA or TK but not as good as QR.

J was about 2/3rds full. A hot towel was provided about 30 mins out.

sydunipete

I enjoy HKG airport - as much as one can enjoy airports. The variety of food in the lounges is excellent. Even if you have a sweet tooth:



A sunset through the pollution was a joy:



and this must be QANTAS's second home:



Priority boarding started about on time. Champagne was offered and like the previous CX flight the captain was Australian.

Immigration card and ebola form (which are now redundant) were provided in a nice little envelope which doubled as a customs express path card. Same useless amenity kit and bottles of water handed out.

A cloud nine signature cocktail was quite good:



The entree was good - if uninspirational:



The green curry was "different" but tasty:



Cheese platter with a tart were ok but there was no dessert wine - just port.





Breakfast was served about 2 hours before landing and the chinese option was pretty good:



I was through customs and on a bus 30 minutes after landing.

sydunipete

Here I go again SYD-PER-DOH-ARN//ARN-DOH-HKG-SYD.

After a very brief trip back to Sydney this time my baggage weight just 10Kg, half of it being whiskey.

Same deal at Check-in except I was asked if I live in Sweden.

This time onboard the IFE was iPad minis that fitted into the seat back in front.



The view out the window of the magnificent Sydney coastline was definitely much better.

My seat was broken and kept reclining and the whole iPad thing with cables that didn't fit then got in the way was a real negative. No flight info was available on the iPad.

Lunch menu:









There was an extended personalised farewell to all before landing. But the hard product on these old aircraft is not good at all.

sydunipete

Just a few days before my flight QF opened a new domestic lounge in Perth and it's really very good.



Great food selection:







Good fast WiFi and the lounge was very quiet. The outlook was probably not as good as the old lounge but still streets ahead of the international lounge. It was a very short walk to exit the domestic terminal then the free bus to T1 (International).

Same drab lounge, WiFi slow, food and drink selection limited.

Boarding was on-time and prioritised. Hot towels and the same personalised greeting as before. 2-2-2 seat configuration is not as good as the B787. Pyjamas offered.

Food and wine service was not as good as before and was a little disjointed. But the food was great. They ran out of the wine I was drinking. Why does this seem to happen to me? No smart answers thanks.









The seat is very slightly sloping with a small bump at the shoulders and an old fashion foot stop but still comfortable. Well equipped toilets as before.

Slept well and was so sick of flying by now I didn't take photos of breakfast.

sydunipete

The showers in the lounge were better equipped this time with razor and toothbrush etc.

Boarding started 25 mins late and there were lots of queue jumpers.

Drinks including champagne and my now firm favourite sparking rose were offered. After take-off warm nuts and pre-dinner drink for this 5 1/2 hour flight.

Massive amount of food and very good.









Then a light snack an hour before landing - as if I needed anything more.



After landing my bag was one of the first off and I was away less than 25 minutes after landing.

sydunipete

My last set of flights for a while. Long slow check-in with queues for both Y and J. The screens did the same jump from Go To Gate to Final Call.



We had to be de-iced which was a first for me.



You know the drill by now:



I enjoyed my drink not letting the DYKWIA next to me put me off. I've never met such an offensive brute on a plane before. He looked a bit like Liam Nielson. I do remember him telling the FA he chooses who he flies with ... blah blah blah.



Food was the usual excellent standard I've come to expect from QR but they ran out of my chosen wine again.









After lunch they progressively ran out of whiskey (minature bottles) then port then red wine. What's going on. This was really a hardship flight. There was only a sticky white wine left to keep me amused. But not long before landing they ran out of that too. I don't want you to get the wrong idea about me or anything. Does QR just stock one bottle of each wine?

The movie selection wasn't that great but after so many flights I'd probably seen everything that interested me.

sydunipete

Great food in the lounge with good table service:



How many different ways can one drink Krug?





There is a saying that champagne goes with everything and I can vouch for that ...



Great glassware too.





Priority seating and priority boarding at the gate. Average trolley service meal which just doesn't compare with QR:





After all that QR wine I slept like a log and woke to the smell of coffee 2 hours before landing. No photos of breakfast.

There was another Australian captain - that's three out of three on CX.

sydunipete

I did some research and chose the QANTAS lounge for shower and first snacks.

It was quieter than the other lounges, modern and well equipped with great wines and western food. The CX lounge near check-in was crowded and ran out of food. The Bridge has great cakes and is only a short walk to the gates:



Another great sunset:



On the jetway there was a final liquid inspection check. Australian newspapers were a sight for sore eyes and available just outside the aircraft door.

Pre-dinner drinks were provided from trollies and included Johnnie Walker Gold. Warm cashew nuts.

The meal was good and the rice was dry.





I was looked after by the same Thai FA as last flight on this leg.

Breakfast service started 2 hours out from Sydney - all from the trolley:





It only took 34 minutes from landing to be land-side and all these flights were at an end.

Tootall33

Great report(s) sydunipete, I am a big fan of QR also - never had an issue of them running out of wine and I do enjoy a glass or 6 onboard so I think you were just unlucky - unless it had something to do with you flying during Ramadan - which it looks like you did with the alcohol being cordoned off at the airport.

sydunipete

After all these flights and my previous experience across much of *A I was really impressed with QR. Their soft product was close to, but not as good as SQ first class. Their modern 787 (and I presume A350) have a fantastic hard product.

I thin flying in J I would prefer them over SQ. But that superwide SQ J seat does take some beating.

CX is someway down the list.

I'm glad the old QF business product is being upgraded.

Given all this - it will be hard to go back to Air China for my next trip - but a stopover in Beijing where you can go into town is more interesting that Doha stuck in the airport.