og

I have seen the new QF ads on TV for the 330 flat beds - and making a big point out of:

1. Eat your "brilliant" Neil Perry meal in the lounge, then
2. Fly in the 330 and spend the whole flight sleeping in the new J bed.

The message is clear - and this has been evident from many threads in the last year. Reduced in-flight meals, more emphasis on lounge catering. Too bad if you are late in getting to the airport.

But to give QF some credit, flying HKG-SYD the other night, this was the first time I have not gone into the F WING. I appreciated the good views from the new QF lounge, enjoyed the meal offerings and accepted the drink offerings (the F WING still has far better drinks). Yes there were about 6 different snacks available after take-off and the flight breakfast was one of the best I have had, but if I had not have eaten on the ground, I'd be cranky and pissed off with the reduced catering.

Please QF, make this change more obvious than mixing it up with the inference that ALL 330 flights have the new J bed. Two things that really need attention. It is misleading at the moment.

seat_4D

Is it that good? I am heading north Thursday, will either drop by the QF lounge on the way to Beijing or the way home if it is on par with the F Wing

747-444

This is brilliant.

Who cares about being served a 90-120 minute meal on an aircraft that was cooked 6 hours ago and reheated onboard. I'd prefer to eat in the lounge and have as much rest as possible on board; I am not interested in being wined and dined on 'rubbish' food when I have to get to work the next day. What would really top off the service is when I am running late and unable to eat in the lounge - they give me a reasonable doggy bag which I can eat in the que to board or during taxi and take off and I'll keep flying Qantas.

m0hamed

I'm sure pax still have a choice. I can't speak on the QF HKG lounge but certainly the catering in the CX lounges at HKG and QF SIN lounge is good enough that I will gladly eat in the lounge, get on board and sleep as much as I can.

og

The other night ( HKG-SYD ) it took 1 hr from take-off to lights out. This covered taking dinner orders, breakfast card completion and collection, immigration cards, tray service with drink and "small plate", more drinks, PJs, water bottle, amenity kit and bed making. But it was in the F cabin of the 380 with J service. No idea about what happened upstairs. Impressive speed. Breakfast wake-up was 90 min prior with the stragglers served at 60 min prior. Good sleep time. Would have been hard to sleep earlier with the cabin activity. QF may just be on a winner - at long last.

thadocta

The ideal would be what BA does with the Sleeper Service. Identify the passengers who will require a bit more service after take-pff - and for the rest, do all of the pro-forma stuff before take-off. Collect breakfast card orders, distribute immigration cards, et al, do everything they possibly can to ensure that the passenger is woken as late as possible.

Of course, BA do actually advertise this as the way they will operate these services, QF haven't done this, so it is still reasonable for a QF J passenger to expect something substantial, and to then be disappointed.

QF should perhaps adopt the BA marketing approach, of offering a "sleeper Service".

Dave

og

Exactly. But out of sheer pig-headedness, I can't see QF calling it a "sleeper service" or anything like that. Sounds too much like they copied someone else's idea.

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

There is another way.

CX serves a complete 4 course meal in under 60 minutes to a full J cabin. SQ will give an option for a full meal to those who want it, in a cabin with dimmed lights, and allow those who want to sleep to sleep.

It doesn't have to be an 'all or nothing' service concept. Should it not be about choice for the passenger?

m0hamed

and I will state again that EY and EK will prepare my breakfast (and I mean that in the proper sense not QF's pathetic excuse) within 5 mins and serve me very close to descent (maybe 10 mins before) as a F pax and clear very soon after.

worldtraveller73

It's still nice to have the option to eat on the ground. Given time, I'd rather eat in a lounge if the environment is right, rather than waiting to eat on the plane when it suits the cabin crew and the flight plan.

I've been in many lounges without proper food. I think that a proper meal in a lounge provides additional options.

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

Agree... but... part of eating a meal on a premium (top tier) carrier should be a significant piece of protein. Be that a steak, fillet of fish, piece of chicken.

I have yet to see catering of that standard in a lounge which caters to a large majority of coach/economy passengers (in fact I've seen that in very few dedicated business class lounges).

It's fine to offer stews, or stir fries or other dishes with lots of carbs when you have bulk catering. But shouldn't premium dining be exactly that? And it's included in the fare.

Why should first and business passengers have to put up with shreds of meat when they could have something nicer on the plane?

Kiwi Flyer

It isn't just an issue if running late. Connecting passengers sometimes have no option to visit a lounge (or visit for long enough to eat). Okay if just fed on the previous flight, but if not then can be a long time between meals.

sxc

In the HKG lounge, when entering as a J pax, I was asked if I wanted to go to sleep onboard straight away. Don't know if they are still doing this. So at least they are advertising the sleep service to actual travellers.

og

Not as of three days ago - but the desk staff were getting an earfull from a disgruntled BA pax. But I was told in extremely great detail about the food items - and the drink items by a wandering QF staffer.

SeriouslyLost

Ooooo, now you've done it....