The Photos
I left the hotel way too early as usual and grabbed a cab to the QF domestic terminal at Sydney airport. There were long queues of cars leading to the drop off area. However I had left my suitcase at the hotel and was only travelling with hand baggage only and was able to jump out and walk rather than wait.
Inside the terminal building I made my way to the Business class check-in desk located to the far right. There was one agent who was dealing with a group of three people and there was obviously some problem. Another agent showed up a few minutes later and attended to the gent who was in line in front of me. The other agent finally dispensed with the group and called me over. She asked where I was heading and said Perth and handed over my Passport. She said ‘and you are travelling on to Adelaide’? I said yes. She said do you want to go direct? No thanks.
She printed both boarding passes and sent me on my way through security. The lines were very short and there was no need for any fast track here. No baggie problems for domestic travel, my laptop was at the hotel so I was through in no time.
I turned left and headed for the Qantas business class lounge which was a short walk away and up the escalators.
The business lounge angel saw the word Business printed on my BP and welcomed me inside. The business lounges are only available to business class passengers and OW Emeralds. OW Silver and Qantas Club members could use the Qantas Club which was located further down the hall.
The lounge was quite spacious and had various seating areas, Mac and PC computers, printers etc, several coffee stations with automatic espresso machines and tea, biscuits available. There was also a main eating area with a buffet with various breakfast pastries, fruit, cereal, toast, juices etc. A barista was on hand to make coffee to order as well.
I spent some time reading and having a lovely coffee and some toast and vegemite.
It was soon time to head down to the gate for my flight to Perth. At the gate a boarding announcement was soon made for those with children and those needing extra time to board.
After this boarding was announced for Business, and OW elites at which time I walked up and had my BP scanned and went on down to the plane.
Flight QF575 SYD-PER Seat 4A
Aircraft: 330
Departure time: 08:10
On board I was directed to my seat where I extracted my book and iPod from my bag and placed it in the locker overhead and took my seat.
The plane quickly filled up with all but two of the business class seats occupied by the time we pushed back. The captain announced a flight time of 4 hours and 40 minutes.
On the ground a pre-take off juice or water was offered as the cabin was made ready for take off.
We pushed back at 08:20 and the crew did the safety demonstration both manually as well as it being shown on the IFE.
We took off at 08:35 and the CSM announced that once we were stable lunch would be served. Hmm bit early for lunch bucko.
Once the belt sign was switched off the crew went about the business of serving the meal. A hot towel was given out before the meal.
On offer for ‘lunch’ this morning was Muesli or Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, Roasted Tomatoes and Mushrooms. We were offered Orange Juice, Apple Juice or Water and were told coffee and tea would make the rounds soon.
The eggs and bacon were served on a tray with a bowl of fresh fruit. I was offered toast or pastries to go with the meal. The meal was quite filling and tasty to boot. The plunger coffee that came long next was also very nice considering the muck some airlines serve on their domestic / intra-Europe flights.
I spent the time reading, staring out the window and listening to music and the crew did a couple of drinks rounds with trays of water. At around 1.5 hours out of Perth the crew came out with some biscuits and more tea and coffee were offered.
The flight was quite smooth, the crew were cheerful and I was not left wanting so I suppose you could say it was a good flight.
We touched down in Perth at 11:18 local time and I was quickly on my way out and up to the Qantas Club.
There is no Business Lounge in Perth although there needs to be. The joint was heaving. It was standing room only up there.
The lounge is upstairs from the main concourse and looks out over the tarmac, if you can get near the windows that is. The bar doesn’t open until 14:00 which meant no drinkies for me at this watering hole. There was a food bar with soup, salads, breads and sweet treats but I abstained.
I managed to find a seat in a relatively quiet area and sat and read until it was time for the next instalment.
I went down to the gate early, as usual and heard an announcement that a delayed Melbourne flight was now ready for boarding. This elicited a cheer from the crowded departure hall.
The gate number assigned to my next flight led me to believe that it would not be an air bridge gate. I was correct in this assumption as when my flight was finally called at 13:15 I had my BP checked and walked down a corridor and out into the lovely warm Perth air. I strolled across the tarmac and boarded the plane through a set of stairs at door 1L
Flight QF595 PER-ADL Seat 1F
Aircraft: 737-400
Departure time: 13:25
Once on board I grabbed my essentials again and put my bag in the overhead locker.
There was already someone in my seat and I explained I was the window and he moved to the aisle seat for me.
My neighbour was a real ocker bloke dressed in shorts, t-shirt and flip-flops and his feet stank!
The crew came around with juice or water and the captain announced a flight time of 2 hours and 30 minutes and the tug pushed us back at 13:43. The crew did the safety demonstration and we were quickly making our way into the glorious blue Perth sky. I could see Perth off to the starboard side and the Burswood dome not far from the airport. There were some great views to be had out my window on the way over to Adelaide, well before we started to fly over the bight that is.
A hot towel was given out before the meal.
Then the crew came around offering lunch after the belt sign was switched off. On offer today were Ham Salad, Chicken with Mashed Squash and Beans and Lamb Cutlets.
I opted for the chicken dish which was served on the tray with a Greek salad on the side. My seat mate wanted the Lamb Chops thanks Mate.
I was offered wine with the meal and there was a choice of Leconfield Cabernet Sauvignon or Mad Fish Sauvignon Blanc. I opted for the Cabernet; my seat mate asked ‘Have ya got any spirits? Can I have a Bourbon and Coke?’ I know I am a snob.
The meal was served with a choice of bread or rolls and more bread and wine were offered during the meal. Just after my glass was filled again my seat mate downed the rest of his drink and asked for another Bourbon and Coke. I think he was afraid he was going to miss out on the re-fill.
The chicken was tender and the vegetables were al dente and it had some flavour to it so no complaints from me on that score.
After the main was cleared there was an offer of ice cream or cheese and fruit. My seat mate wanted both but was politely refused as they only cater for those on board. He chose the ice cream and I noticed the cart head back to the galley with some cheese still on there and had a giggle to myself.
More wine was offered with the cheese course along with tea and coffee oh and another Bourbon for my mate.
After the meal I sat and supped and watched the water go by noticing how rough it was down below. The weather on approach to Adelaide was nowhere near as serene as that in Perth.
A couple of more Bourbon’s later it was time to land which we did at 18:05 some 25 minutes late.
I am not even going to tell you how much I drank over the weekend I spent with my friends in Adelaide so we will move on to the next chapter in this little snippet.
My friends dropped me off at the airport and I joined the business queue. I was quickly processed and then went through security in a jiffie. I made my way to the lounge and found a seat in the no mobile phone section of the lounge. I grabbed a glass of wine and some nuts and sat and read for a while. The lounge has a manned bar with self serve wines off to the side, food in the form of nibbles and a more substantial offering down the other end where there was soup, salads, breads etc.
There were many, computers available in the lounge as well with printing facilities.
A woman proceeded to have a conversation without a handset over skype or the like in the lounge just behind me. Ah so no mobile phones means you can still annoy people by having a VOIP conversation that the whole place can hear. Nice.
I moved on to check some emails etc in the computer area before heading down to the gate. Boarding had just started and I joined the shorter queue and had my BP swiped in no time.
Flight QF766 ADL-SYD Seat 1F
Aircraft: 330
Departure time: 08:10
On board juice was offered again prior to take-off and by the time we pushed back I realised I had no seat mate this time.
We pushed back at 17:50 and take off was a quick 8 minutes later. Don’t you just love these compact airports.
After take off dinner was served; this was a choice of Beef Salad with balsamic dressing or chicken with polenta, beans and carrots.
A hot towel was given out before the meal.
I chose the chicken again and it was served on a tray with some salad leaves in a bowl and balsamic dressing. Bread was offered and wines which were the Leconfield Cabernet Sauvignon or the Mad Fish Semillon. I opted for the red again and there were plenty of re-fills and more bread offered during the meal. The chicken was served with a tomato and olive sauce which was very tasty indeed.
Coffee and tea were offered after the meal but there was no dessert or cheese course on this flight.
After the meal I asked if they had any single malt and was told unfortunately not. I opted for a scotch and dry ginger ale instead. This was served with some nuts in a foil bag.
I went to the loo and the CSM asked if I wanted another scotch and dry. I said yes and remembered I had gotten out of the habit of ordering scotch and dry as most people in the rest of the world stare blankly at me if I don’t say dry ginger ale.
We landed at 20:33 and taxied to the gate. I thanked the crew and made my way out to the taxi rank and had a short wait before cabbing it to the Westin again. I was reunited with my suitcase and I went up to my, non-suite this time, room.
After a night in a heavenly bed I made my way up the lounge for the first time in these two stays and had a lovely breakfast of bacon, eggs, and roasted tomatoes and a lovely cappuccino. It was back to the room to pack my case and down to yet another cab to Sydney airport.
A similar story to the last time I there with a quick check-in and security and venturing up to the business lounge. The lounge was not as crowded as the previous Friday and I arrived just as the food was switching over to the lunch menu that consisted of soup, salads, mini pizza slices and meat pies. I couldn’t resist having a pie and a glass of wine for my lunch and some biscuits and coffee to finish with.
It was soon time to go down to the gate where the usual children and extra time passengers were invited to board first then a general boarding was made.
I had my BP swiped and was on my way down to the plane in no time.
Flight QF435 SYD-MEL Seat 4A
Aircraft: 767-300
Departure time: 13:00
I must tell you that this flight is not part of the RTW as it is now parked in Sydney awaiting my return sometime next year.
Anyway, back on board I was offered juice or water whilst on the ground and the cabin quickly filled up with a full house in Business again.
We pushed back at 13:04 and the captain announced a flight time of 1 hour and 5 minutes. A hot towel was given out before the meal.
The meal options for lunch were Malaysian Lamb with Rice and Vegetables or a Chicken, Spinach and Feta Salad. The wines were Leconfield Cabernet Sauvignon or a Mad Fish Riesling.
My lamb was served on a tray with a side salad and balsamic dressing. The chicken salad was served on a tray with a small chocolate dessert.
I really enjoyed the lamb but was hankering for that choccie dessert though. Oh well you can’t have everything can you.
I got to watch some spectacular scenery below as we skirted the NSW coast for a while before cutting in over the Great Dividing Range. There was snow to be seen in them there mountains and I got a glimpse of my home town as we pulled in for the final approach from the North.
We touched down at 14:23 and taxied to a gate closest to the terminal entrance. Once off the aircraft I made my way down to the baggage hall and only had to wait 5 minutes or so for my priority tagged bag to arrive.
That is it for now my friends. I will return soon when I have the energy to type up my trip back to the UK.
The Photos