perthite

Some talk today that it may be as late as the 31st for the first flight.

serfty

Hah!

It's currently now scheduled QF575 on the 31st - The QF6111 tomorrow has been deferred to the 30th and re-timed to 6pm - I suspect that'll be a media scrum.

perthite

There was a media contingent on the christmas day flight. Obviously they are now on the 31st. Although the reason for the shift in date has to do with something that didn't arrive on schedule...

djsflynn

Back from first flight on the A330 Business Suite - very impressive product.

Will share here a few pics from my review.

First up: take note of the seatmap


Three-point seatbelt due to reclined taxi, take-off and landing position:


How flat? Fully flat.



Like the 'Do Not Disturb' indicator:


So much more stowage space for your carry-on kit than the Skybed II!


... and more space on the shelf.


Handy mirror located under the armrest lid for the IFE controller


Great-looking touchscreen IFE interface is much more responsive than on earlier screens


Large tray table is also a very stable table, no sign of bounce as I hammered away on the keyboard.


Best legroom is in the bulkhead rows (1 and 7), as there's no need for the footwell of your seat to neatly fit into the console of the seat in front of you. Here's legroom from my seat 1A on the inaugural:



It's a bit of a tighter fit in any seat in rows 2-5 and 8:


Detailed review and more pics at http://www.ausbt.com.au/qantas-busin...irbus-a330-200 – enjoy!

og

Nice report, but there's a bit of personal info - just saying..

Edited on 9 JAN 2015: the above comment was made in ignorance of the identity of djsflynn - but this has been beaten to death in subsequent posts...

sxc

I don't see anything apart from the boarding pass which reveals the name of the author that we knew anyway?

I think it's ironic that QF now has better seats on its domestic routes than on their long haul planes.

It would be good to know what AusBT thinks of these seats compared to international competitors.

djsflynn

Hi SXC - that article's on my to-do list

bensyd

Ironic is one word for it, I'd choose something a little stronger.

moa999

Agree somewhat pointless hiding the Service Information

Kiwi Flyer

Qantas are not the only airline like this. Since Air NZ went 10 across on 777 and 9 across on 787, the space plus zone seating on domestic A320s is far better than any of their longhaul (or shorthaul for that matter) international economy seats.

m0hamed

The seats looks great, however internationally I'll still take CX J over QF to and from Asia.

Grogg

I'm flying SYD-SIN in J middle of February, what are my chances of getting a refurbished A330?

Is it just me, but don't the seats look more like those found in a sports car (apart from the fact that they recline)? Recaro are better known in Europe for producing seats for sports cars with an emphasis on style and safety and much less on comfort. So easy on the eye, firm on the butt. Hope I'm wrong.

m0hamed

Recaro manufacture seats. Airline, sports car and even child seats.

Sports car seats are generally harder. This has no bearing on their aircraft seats.

http://www.recaro.com

Grogg

The pics of QF's new Recaro seats look remarkably similar to the ones they've made for my sports car and I wouldn't want to spend hours sitting in it. Hope you're right that their aircraft seats are very different... but they do look the same...

og

LH J seats (those in the 744 and 380) have "Recaro" on them (IIRC). OK for day use, but miserable for sleeping in. I assume the QF seats are better. I'd not be inclined to label every seat by the same manufacturer as the same.