Qantas Flight 9
Dubai to London Heathrow
Airbus A380-800
April 29, 2014
Scheduled: 01:10-05:40
Actual: 01:43-05:52
Seat: 2A (First Class)
Load: 12/14
This time, I was the first to board in the First cabin (though I had a few passengers immediately behind me in the 1L door.) The boarding process here was a lot more civilized than MEL.
As I stepped on board, both the crew members who were working the F cabin gave me a very warm and cheerful greeting and escorted me to my seat this time. From that moment, I knew this crew was leaps and bounds above the crew on the last sector, exuding warmth, professionalism and true enthusiasm which the last crew lacked.
Turns out that this crew was London based, and consisted of an older, cheery chap and a younger lady named Chi (who would be my main attendant for the rest of the flight.)
I was immediately offered my choice of a PDB, which I asked for water. Chi had a slight look of disappointment on her face. "Are you sure you don't want champagne?", to which I politely declined. As she was bringing the bottle around the cabin, I changed my mind, to which she grinned and happily obliged.
2014-04-29 07.22.42 by
jurastudent, on Flickr
She also offered me an amenity kit and pyjamas, both of which I declined as I still had both from the sector from Melbourne. She also presented me with the menu and asked whether I would be dining, or would I prefer turndown service. I opted to have my seat turned down immediately after take off, and to be woken 2 hours before arriving at LHR for breakfast.
Here's the supper menu for reference anyways. It was more like the mid-flight snack menu from the last flight than the full-course dinner offered departing Melbourne, which made sense as it seemed only 2 people in the entire cabin were eating after takeoff.
2014-04-29 03.47.44 by
jurastudent, on Flickr
The purser came by and introduced himself, noting my connection to DME and the need to transfer from T3 to T5, asking if I needed any assistance on arrival (which I declined.) He also handed me a fast track pass for use at LHR.
Our flight time to London was just going to be under 7 hours, so it was the time to catch some sleep to avoid jet lag. IMO, the timing and routing through Dubai is not the most conducive to adjusting one's clock on the Melbourne-London route. The first flight at 14 hours long, and the second one being shorter at 7 hours makes it impossible to have a longer uninterrupted sleep before arriving in London. I'd much rather have a 7/8 hour flight to Singapore/Hong Kong and have a leisurely lunch/dinner onboard, get on the second flight, watch a movie or two and sleep for a longer time before arriving.
In under 20 minutes, the entire A380 was boarded and we were quickly on our way.
F departed 12/14. To my surprise, there were only 2 other familiar faces from the Melbourne to Dubai flight. 9 of the passengers had either originated in Dubai, or connected from another EK flight. J and Y were completely full (we had a slight delay from a passenger who had a malfunctioning seat in J - and I overheard they were considering moving him to F as there were no free seats in J. Eventually the problem was solved and that passenger stayed in J.)
Takeoff at DXB
Once the seatbelt signs were turned off, Chi wasted no time in having my bed made. Once that was done, she handed me a bottle of water and wished me a good night.
4 hours or so later, I started tossing a bit and got up to use the washroom. When I came back, my bed was made up again. It feels as if I had changed airlines even though the seat was the same! ^
The other attendant came by to check up on me when I returned and asked if I wanted anything. I went for the drinking chocolate which was promptly brought to my seat (which wasn't very good - it was definitely powdered.)
2014-04-29 03.28.36 by
jurastudent, on Flickr
About 45 minutes later, Chi came by and took my breakfast order from the following menu:
2014-04-29 03.47.32 by
jurastudent, on Flickr
I started off with the bircher muesli and some orange juice. The muesli hit the spot - and notably, the honey was heated up to make it easier to pour on the cereal and yogurt. Loved that little attention to detail. ^
2014-04-29 03.49.30 by
jurastudent, on Flickr
Main of French Toast with Apple and Cinnamon Compote and Vanilla Yoghurt. It was a small portion, but it hit the spot perfectly after all the food in the last 24 hours. Very tasty - the best breakfast item I've had on a plane so far. ^
2014-04-29 03.59.47 by
jurastudent, on Flickr
And to finish off, some fresh fruit (not very fresh and a stingy portion compared to the one offered on MEL-DXB.)
2014-04-29 04.00.40 by
jurastudent, on Flickr
About half an hour out of London, the window shades were raised to a beautiful sunrise.
2014-04-29 05.02.53 by
jurastudent, on Flickr
The purser came back and asked for my thoughts on the flight, and to wish me a safe journey to Moscow. Chi had also come by to make some small talk and to wish me a pleasant journey. Soon after, we were touching ground at LHR.
Touchdown at LHR
All 3 airbridges were attached, but Door 1L was opened first to give F passengers a slight advantage. With that, I began the trek over to T5, blissfully unaware of what a PITA that would turn out to be.
Final Thoughts:
Qantas had redeemed itself service-wise with the service on this particular segment. Both segments were full, and I had chalked up the perfunctory service on the last flight to the full cabin. This crew was able to handle the full cabin like clockwork, and did it with a smile. Typically, I don't need to be doted over and like a passive, but responsive and efficient crew that delivers, which was seriously lacking on the last flight. The little touches do really make all the difference and what make flying First so special (I've learned not to take that for granted.)
If I ever had to do the kangaroo route again, although SQ would be my first choice, I'd still gladly do it with QF again as even though the service was inconsistent, the cabin comfort and dining were above CX and just about equivalent to that of SQ.