I am travelling on a DONE5 ticket and will be travelling from SYD-AKL at the end of January. I have recently flown in J on QF from HKG-BNE and SYD-PER. I was very impressed with the service and equipment on the HKG-BNE segment. (Enthusiastic flight attendants, great meals, the open bar idea is a novel concept.) I realize that the domestic SYD-PER flight would not be as memorable as the long haul international flight, but honestly, I felt like I was sitting in economy, only with a bigger seat (non-enthusiastic flight attendants, no seat back videos, no in-seat power, lackluster meal, tired seats). Compared to CX's regional flights in J, QF's domestic J leaves a lot to be desired.

What will the service and equipment be like flying internationally between SYD-AKL? I see that most if not all of the SYD-AKL flights are on a 767-ER. Will it be more like the domestic J or the long haul international J?

If I can, should I take the LAN flight from SYD-AKL? I realize that it might be impossible to get a seat on the SYD-AKL portion, but if it's available, should I take it over the QF flight?

Thanks,

BdaDiver

Trans-tasman business on QF is slightly better than QF domestic business but not as good as longhaul. Its not bad for the flight time.

I've flown LAN a couple of times and enjoyed it as a change from NZ/QF. Some points to note though. Quite often (it seems) the LAN flight is late - so if you have a tight schedule/connection it may not be a good idea. Secondly their food is a bit odd - some like it and some hate it. Thirdly, as a general rule, the FAs are not very fluent in english - this may be a good thing or not depending on your viewpoint. However the seats are good, as is IFE (on a limited sample it seems to be more reliable than QFs) and the service is good (better than QF but not as good as NZ).

I dont think its that hard to get a business seat on LAN (they sell business seats for NZ$299 return trans-tasman!), it is first that is hard to get - due to only having 5 seats.

The 763s used for international service have the international dream time seats ( 50" pitch in a 1-2-2 configuration ) and have an individual video screen rather than the domestic millenium seats in a 40" 2-2-2 configuration

Dave

Dave - out of interest, was there not talk that they were going to put domestic 763s on transtasman services at one time?

As KiwiFlyer posted, there should be no problem getting a seat on the LA flight as availability is usually wide open. It always seems to be full in Y, but seldom in J.

As for LA's catering on the SYD-AKL, I was not impressed at all. It consisted of a toasted sandwich, which, for a 3 hour flight was not really enough. Given the flight departs around 10.30am and arrives around 3.30pm, I expected a decent lunch service and found the toasted sandwich sorely lacking. I've not flown QF J on this route, but understand that it would be more substantial.

However that was the only thing I was disappointed with. The A340 is a lovely bird to be aboard, the cabin felt a lot more spacious than QF's 767 and the seat was fine. AVOD is good, and the selection of movies is fairly current. Cabin crew were efficient, but not overwhelming. Didn't indulge in a huge conversation with them, but had no language difficulties.

Overall it was a pleasant change from the alternative (QF).

Not that I am aware of. They have Jetstarified SYD-CHC tho

Dave

MEL-CHC has been Jetstarified. SYD-CHC still has QF 767's. I did SYD-CHC-SYD in business over Xmas - New Year on a QF 767

SYD-CHC has 1 genuine Qf flight, the other 2 services are jetstarified

Dave

I'm on the fully fledged QF SYD-CHC flight in the not too distant future - i take that it'll be domestic business class rather than intl? How does it compare to the likes of BA's Club Europe?

Thanks for the comments everyone. I will keep the flight as it currently stands, flying QF. We'll have a chance to test out LA on our way to SCL at the end of Feb.

Cheers,

BdaDiver

It will be international business class dreamtime seating in a 1-2-2 configuration; not comparable to Club Europe at all; more like the pre-bed Club World

From http://www.qantas.com.au/info/flying...nessText#jump4

Your 'Dreamtime Seat'

Selected flights offer our 'Dreamtime Seat', offering five-way electronic adjustment. You can adjust your position for maximum comfort using the touch controls that are in your armrest.

For your comfort, the pitch of the seat is 122cm-127cm (48-50in). The headrest has adjustable ears for lateral support and the height can be varied.

Trans-Tasman Changes
Between Australia and New Zealand, we offer a fresh style of service and product. Features include:

An entree and main course options, including a healthier choice, followed by a selection of two desserts.
Express meal option consisting of a cold main meal, salad and cheese plate.
Lunch will consist of lighter meal choices that are more appropriate for the time of day. For example, focaccia, pasta or chicken.
Greater choice of red, white and dessert wines, including a New Zealand white.
Energiser drink - an energising dairy-based health drink.
Plunger coffee.
Refreshing mints before landing.


Dave

Last time (April 2004) I flew SYD-AKL, we had the 2+2+2 configuration. So perhaps sometimes they have some last minute configuration changes?

It can happen that a domestic aeroplane gets substituted, but normally it will be an international one. ( exception is the 737s across the Tasman since there is no international layout 737s ). Even a domestic configuration 763 is streets ahead of BA CE

Dave