Transit in Sydney
Arriving at the non-oneworld pier means a long walk to the transfer bus at the far other end of the terminal. There were no queues and since I already had my boarding pass no need to stop at the check in counter. I was pleased to see a business class line had been slightly extended since I was last here, although it could still do with being longer in peak periods. I personally would also value a special line for those who have no bags to check and have already checked in - it is annoying to wait in a long snake just to reach the bit where you can go left for security instead of remaining in the check in line.
I was lucky with timing as the next bus left 5 minutes after I arrive. The schedule is every 20 minutes after 1220 (and before 0700).
Then a tiki tour of the airport to reach domestic terminal. I was surprised how many 747s Qantas had parked up on the apron and in hangars at the moment. Inside it was my first opportunity to visit the new business class lounge. Yes it has been a while since I've flown domestically from Sydney and there are now 2 lounges - one for Qantas Club and OW sapphire, and one for business class and OW emerald - where previously there was one big lounge.
It wasn't too busy. I grabbed a shower to freshen up (get towels from reception and dump the used ones in the bin in the corridor). It felt refreshed for all of 2 minutes. Why oh why does Qantas have the temperature up so high in the shower rooms? Together with all the water it makes for a horrible humid environment. I'd forgotten that this is normal but it didn't take me long to remember.
A couple of the computers were inoperable but I found one to surf FT while I drank and nibbled a bit more. The sparkling wine, for those who may wish to know, was a Chardonnay from Blue Pyrenees, NV. As well as sparkling there were a couple of reds and whites on offer, some juice and a coffee machine (actually there are 3 in the lounge but 2 were out of order). Food changed while I was there. Some fruit. Some goulash and bread. Some salady bits and pieces. Cheese. Something that looked like it might be a Christmas mince pie, but covered in sugar on top. Later some sausage rolls, mini pies and pizza.
Apparently there was another FTer in the lounge at the time, but I missed them only finding out they were there after I had arrived, by which time they were offline.