Qantas upgrades Business Class sleep experience
 

Link here: http://www.voxy.co.nz/business/qanta...ience/5/137642

Modest, but decent improvements (not enhancements :p) - I hope these are all available when I fly mid November!

Key Improvements
New Amenity Kits <--- not a big deal
- New Qantas Business Amenity Kits (designed by Kate Spade New York and Jack Spade) Kate Spade New York and Jack Spade have teamed with Qantas to develop an exclusive new amenity kit for the Qantas Business traveller. The Ladies kit features a slim line travel pouch with an exclusive City Lights print by Kate Spade New York. The Male kit features a distinctive, modern travel pouch design by Jack Spade. Each kit also includes a selection of luxury Malin+Goetz skin care products as well as comfort items, including an eyemask, ear plugs, socks and an environmentally friendly biodegradable toothbrush with toothpaste.
Duvet, Mattress and T2 Tea <--- This is a plus
- Duvet Sleep Service Qantas’ new sleep service will offer customers a mattress, duvet, and a special T2 wellbeing tea blend designed to encourage sleep. On shorter night flights Qantas will introduce an express breakfast service to give customers even more sleep time.
Select on Q <--- Expanded beyond the LAX trial
- Qantas Select on Q - Eat Qantas’ Select on Q - Eat allows Business customers to select their preferred meal service online 72 to 24 hours prior to departure. By pre-ordering their meal, customers are given access to a wider range of supper choices. Customers can also advise via Select on Q - Eat if they would like to skip the supper service, so cabin crew know they want to go to sleep straightaway.

After reading the "disgusting things" thread, I sincerely hope these mattresses and duvets get fully sanitized between each use....

Select on Q sounds like a cost saving for them.

Yes it can be that but I look at it as an enhancement to the experience.
Why do people see the negative with QF changes while airlines like SQ get rave reviews for doing things like "Book the Cook"?

AusBT with photos of duvet and amenity kit

http://www.ausbt.com.au/qantas-tweak...w-amenity-kits

Because people are sick and tired of QF beating them on the head with disruptions, inconsistencies and a FF program seen as poor value for money. Lots of good things are easily forgotten when one bad thing irritates.

Where in the world is QF finding the space to hold all those mattress pads and duvets? The much fewer F pads/duvets take up a huge amount of closet space. Maybe this is why QF removed the J lavs, to create duvet storage areas?

A good question. Perhaps just in the overhead lockers?

These improvements sound good. I'll be looking forward to be able to sleep more comfortably when I travel back to the UK in December.

It means slower bar & cabin service with the stuffing around to make up the beds - and probably chaos as everyone prepares for landing. But then again with the enhanced toilet experience, there will be plenty of time to put it all away because of the now longer wait for the toilets.

og you have a knack for finding a positive spin to something you see as negative. You should work in marketing. :D

Experience.

Personally I think one of the minor pleasures of a long flight is getting on the plane, perusing the menu, and deciding what you want to eat. Given a long time with not much to do, the brief distraction of puzzling my altitude-addled brain over whether it wants the chicken or the beef is a couple of minutes I'd be loath to shift to spend on the ground 72 hours ahead of time.

I haven't looked at the SQ Book The Cook option but I've looked at it on Thai Airways. Seeing the options on the ground made me realise that the food in Thai Royal First is depressingly similar to the seven-buck Thai restaurant near my office...

It's not at all about the decision/distraction, it's mainly about the expanded choice, and more importantly ensuring you don't end up with something you don't want, because all the other choices are taken (I don't know about on QF, but on SQ high tiers get first dibs, so it's not a problem for them, but a nobody sitting up the back of J may miss out on their first choice).

Looking forward to the provision of bedpans with the duvets following the toilet "enhancement". Those DJ miles on Air NZ are looking good....

It sounds great - Especially the Jack Spade bags!!

They could always introduce the Skybed Mk III with built in commode ;)

I'm annoyed about the reduction in lavs for J class. QF has told me "feedback on the whole has been positive"- from whom I ask..the Y class pax who now get to sit upstairs???

Secondly, why are we going to the USA, with all due respect, to have our amenity kits made? Whats wrong with an Australian designer using Australian products? Reeks of the John Travolta safety video.

I have traveled Royal Brunei who offer full duvet and full sized pillows (besides the small pillow on yr seat as you board as well as standard J class thin blanket). They stowed them away nicely and were very efficient in their service regardless. Further, Virgin craplantic also provide same thing and do it well thus I wouldn't panic too much.

The jury is out as far as I'm concerned until I try the service and note the attitude of the crew who now have another service item to provide.


CJ

Interesting how some are complaining about an F product standard being brought into J class.

When on BA or EK F, or even VA J Class, I ask the FA to make up my bed, and I use the bathroom. The same when I want the duvet and sheets removed.

Any word on when these changes will roll out? Was on QF94 the other day and there wasn't anything different. Have another flight coming up in a week and am curious if I'll see it then

Started yesterday: http://www.ausbt.com.au/qantas-sleep...n=home-flipper

Around 1st Dec is when QF93/94 will be getting it apparently.

Bummer - have a round trip next week on those. Will see how it goes in December, I guess.

I just received a QFF email highlighting the business class sleep service on the London-Sydney route.

But this route is now via DXB, right? It leaves LHR around 1030 at night and its less than 7 hours to DXB, arriving before 530am according to a UK-oriented body clock. So that's less than 4 hours sleep allowing for takeoff/meal service/landing procedures. Maybe its just me but I find it hard to get excited about having a duvet and my bed made for this sector.

Come to think of it....not excited about doing this sector at all ! I fly direct to Sydney 1-2 times a year.... in either direction, the LHR-DXB leg is relatively short but it is at a time you want to be sleeping if your body is coming off, or going onto, UK time. I guess if I was still a young and exciteable backpacker I wouldnt care... (but then, I couldnt afford J as a backpacker either !)

No sign of this service on the 128 yesterday. Bit disappointed to be honest. How many months does it take to load up some duvets? Not that I would have used it because the cabin was so damn hot. Also the meal service took almost three hours to complete from take off, not great on a 9 hour night flight.

Why would you be disappointed? At present it's only QF107/108 then 'will then be extended to other overnight runs including Melbourne-Los Angeles flights as well as the long haul to London.' as per the AusBT article.

It is not offered, nor advertised to be offered on QF128.

Sorry, I didn't read all of the finer details of the article :rolleyes:

If that is the case then I don't understand why it is only selected night flights.

I can relate to that (the 3 hr meal service). I'm on CX next month specifically because of QF's delays in getting the evening meal service underway and their insistence on 2 hr start to breakfast before landing. Oh, and as for heavy duvet, well, that'd be good for sleeping on with a nice light blanket over me - given the QF cabin temperatures seem set to "simmer".

Actually, the article does not specifically exclude other services:

"The programme, which includes duvets and a special doze-inducing tea in an effort to help travellers sleep better, will then be extended to other overnight runs including Melbourne-Los Angeles flights as well as the long haul to London."

It then goes on further to say:

"Qantas says that on shorter night flights, an express breakfast service will 'give customers even more sleep time.'"

I don't believe that I'm wrong in making the assumption that this service is expected to be rolled out on all night flights.

What about the amenity kits? Different on different flights? That does not make sense to me.

:D My LHR to HKG BA flight had the perfect cabin temp, slightly cool. We did have an extremely experienced crew though so maybe that had something to do with it.

Right, from the Qantas website:

"Get sleepy in Business. Our new sleep service, including a new mattress, duvet and turndown service, is now rolling out in International Business cabins across the network. Enjoy the service on flights QF107 and 108 to LA now, soon to be followed by more flights to LA from 17 December; Dallas, Johannesburg and New York from 7 January; Singapore, London and Frankfurt from 14 January; and Hong Kong, Narita, Bangkok, Jakarta, Shanghai and Manila from 28 January 2013."

m0hamed, I'm afraid that it's not me making the wrong assumptions at all.

Unless I'm not mistaken today is 13 January 2013. It states that it will be offered on QF128 from 28 January 2013.

I regularly find the J cabins hot (mostly with QF, but others too). I made some enquiries and it appears that the most likely reason is that the crew areas tend to be cold (often due to door proximity) so they put up the cabin temp a bit to warm up, or if the temp rises a bit by itself (maybe a lot of laptops etc in operation), they don't notice the anomalous warmth and don't do anything about it.

I'm always reluctant to say anything, as you don't know if its OK with everyone else. But the one or 2 times I have noted a hot cabin, they've checked and said 'yes, it is a bit high, we'll turn it down'.

Bloody full meal services on late night departure times is a curse. When they drag on for 2-3 hours its the pits if you want to sleep.

Indeed, however your first post states that it will never be offered on the 128, which is wrong.
Why exactly are you being so difficult? :rolleyes:

So does that include QF72 Sin Per as well as qf2 from LHR from 14th. Look forward to reading a report, I can see several positives in this service

Does QF still offer "room service" breakfast where they take your order before sleeping? I always thought this was a good idea to maximise sleep time.

The crew apparently like to start serving the breakfast trays 2 hrs before arrival. This works well for the crew but passengers are left to go back to sleep for the next hour and a half after the breakfast run. Not so good for maximising sleep time.

It used to be that if you ordered the simpler continental breakfast you would get it last. Too bad this innovation has been "enhanced".

Have QF22 zone A early Feb, any enhancement would be nice.

this is true, decidedly un-premium to be woken at 4am HK time on the 128 to be fed (considering it takes forever for them to serve dinner also). contrast to CX who were more than happy to serve brekky an hour before landing after a good lie-in

Can I still ask not to be woken at all (ie no breakfast) until just before landing (ie the time they need us to start getting everything stowed away - roughly 30 mins out on BA by comparison