FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Christmas in the UK – Qantas and BA Business Class from Sydney via HKG

Jan 10, 2016, 5:05 am

#154

matthandy

Join Date: Jul 2008

Location: Kent, UK

Programs: BA Gold, SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond

Posts: 3,809

Whoops, three years later and I realised that I didn't ever finish this report. Better late than never…

Qantas Business – A380 – Hong Kong to Sydney

I made my way towards the transit area which is actually very close to immigration. After going through security I was up and out into the terminal area. I made my way directly to the Wing. My plan was to linger at the Wing for as long as possible before heading over to the gate. I only had a three hour connection this time which would be long enough to freshen up, grab something to eat and then get ready for the flight down to Sydney. I didn't plan on spending any time in the QF/BA lounge near to the gate.

I made my way towards the Wing located near gates 1-4, showed my boarding pass and then immediately went along the corridor to secure a shower. Luckily, I didn't have to wait. I took my time in the shower, I was in no rush.

After, I made my way upstairs to the noodle bar to get something to eat. I chose a soup and some steamed pork buns. These are pretty much a staple of mine anytime I pass through Hong Kong. After enjoying the food I found a seat in the corner in the smaller rear section of the lounge. In fact, exactly the same place as I sat in when I passed through the lounge on my outbound journey. Feeling refreshed I knew that it was the right time for some Champagne so I made my way to the bar and ordered some, along with a nice tube of ice cream.

Soup and steam buns from the Noodle Bar

Champagne and ice cream

I whiled away the time by watching a film on my trusty iPad before heading straight to the gate close to boarding time.

On arrival, I joined the priority queue and was soon heading up the ramp which was attached to the upper deck on this A380.

London Heathrow to Hong Kong – British Airways Club World

Flight: QF128
Carrier: Qantas (QF)
Aircraft: Airbus A380-800 – VH-OQJ
Scheduled Departure Time: 19:55
Scheduled Duration: 9h 25m
Scheduled Arrival Time: 08:20
Travel Class: Business
Seat: 13K (seat plan)

I was welcomed on-board and directed to my seat. I'd been lucky enough to secure a seat in the forward business cabin, the last row, 13. This was close to the galley but I'd hoped that it wouldn't be noisy.

I settled in, unpacked my things and then took a few photos of the cabin. As I've said before, I do really like the styling of the Qantas A380. It's nice to see an airline do something a little different, rather than the plain old beige.

On my seat were a thick blanket (the same provided in premium economy) and pillow. Noise cancelling headphones were tucked into one of the storage pockets to the side of the seat.

Looking forward, from row 13

My seat, 13K

Looking across the cabin

Close up of my seat

As I sat down I was approached by one of the crew (it looked like it would be an all-male crew in this cabin) and offered a pre-departure drink. I chose an orange juice. The menu looked good but I wasn't particularly hungry. Dinner was to be served first, followed by breakfast in the morning.

The other passengers continued to board and I explored the seat. This is the second generation SkyBed and is similar in design to the first except that it lays fully flat. As there is no cut out in the seat in front for your feet it means that the pitch is huge and it's impossible to reach the seat in front when seated.

All of the seat controls are located to the right, next to the windows where there are actually four bins available for use. These were useful for storing the blanket and pillow until needed.

Once my orange juice was provided another crew member came along to offer an amenity kit and pyjamas. This is really a great option offered by Qantas. BA for example, only offer pyjamas in First. Qantas pyjamas are always gratefully received!

Orange juice

Settled in

Seat controls

Soon everyone was boarded and the Captain announced that we were expecting to push back shortly. He also announced the flying time, but I didn't make a note of this.

During boarding I was joined by my seat mate who seemed to be travelling with a partner in the aisle seat opposite. This meant that there was quite a lot of conversation going back and forth between them. Both changed into their pyjamas straight away, and had dinner in them. This is a bit of a trend on Qantas flights!

Take off was quiet as per usual for the A380 and we were then on our way to Sydney. The seat belt sign was off after a short while and the crew came around to start the service. As they did so, I reclined the seat and started watching a film. The IFE on the A380 is great with a huge selection of television programmes and films. I chose to watch Taken 2 which was somewhat disappointing.

When the crew came to take my order I chose the tomato soup to start followed by the chicken. I decided to have a glass of red to go with it but I don't remember what the selection was, since it changes regularly and there is no printed wine list available.

Here is the menu:

It took a while for dinner to arrive, with an hour or so after take-off to get the soup. However, when it did arrive it was delicious. I've had a good record of soups on Qantas flights, they seem to do them very well!

The service between courses continued to be slow. My chicken arrived a full two hours after take-off. Perhaps the crew were inexperienced. Again, the chicken was really good and full of flavour although it wasn't well presented on the plate.

I followed my main course with cheese and biscuits since the dessert option was a mocha tart and I don't like coffee. This was accompanied by a delicious glass of Noble One dessert wine. Then, with everything cleared away I made my way to the toilet to change into the provided pyjamas. A bottle of water was provided as the dinner service was cleared away, for refreshed during the evening, should I want it.

With the eye mask on and ear plugs in I slept and dozed for a good four hours or so.

Watching a film

Tomato soup

Reflections

Lemon chicken

Cheese and biscuits with dessert wine

I woke up with a couple of hours to go before landing into Sydney so decided to get dressed and watch some more content on the IFE before the breakfast service started. Despite eating well the night before I was quite hungry.

Glancing at the menu it looked as though the breakfast offerings were very limited. Qantas described the second meal service as a 'café breakfast' which basically seemed to mean that passengers could choose from a very limited selection of cold offerings.

As the cabin started to wake up the crew came around to take orders for breakfast. I went for the croissant and a glass of orange juice. That was it. A selection of cereals, some yoghurt or warm breads might have been a nice accompaniment too, but these weren't available. Pretty poor actually since Qantas is famed for it's room service style breakfast service on other flights.

Breakfast was swiftly cleared away and I spent the remainder of the flight browsing the Sydney Morning Herald and taking in the views of New South Wales out of the window.

Breakfast service

The view

The cabin wakes up

My seat, before clearing everything away

My view as we descend

Sydney

Taxiing to stand

We had a smooth landing, slightly ahead of schedule which is always welcome. I was quickly off the aircraft and through immigration. My bags arrived fairly quickly, with priority baggage working as it should. I was through customs and quarantine quickly and then into a taxi to take me home to Milsons Point.

Verdict

This was an average flight with Qantas on the A380. The seat as always was great, comfortable enough to get a few hours sleep. The food was good but the service was very slow. The breakfast offer was poor. All in all, more of a functional than memorable flight.

Final Thoughts

This was my first Christmas in the UK since deciding to move over to Australia in 2010. It was also my niece's first Christmas, so I knew that I had to be there. I had a great time with her and my family.

The flights were pretty straight forward. The service and quality of the overall product offered by Qantas easily trumps BA's offering in every way. Going via Hong Kong provided me with a decent lay over, enough time to refresh and relax before the next leg. It also gave me the opportunity to again experience the excellent Cathay Pacific lounges.

All in all, a great trip.

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