mrtraveller

The Qantas 767-300s were GE powered as are the A330 and 747-400ER fleet.

og

Himeno

Even if they had RR for the 787s, it's not like they can swap out a Trent 900 (A380) for a Trent 1000 (787).

Qantas doesn't own the RR engines on their A380s. RR owns and maintains them and leases them to QF on a per hour use basis.

aztimm

Hi everyone--

I skimmed the QF forum but couldn't find anything about this.

The Points Guy story:

Seatguru link to the QF 787-900
________

I'll be on the SFO-MEL leg in late September in business. From seatguru it looks like the odd rows are preferred. Right now we're in 3K and 7k (someone else is in 5K). Any suggestions? I'm thinking if we want to chat, we'd at least be on the same side. Unless you think 3A and 3K would be a better match? We both want windows.

Mwenenzi

You did not skim very hard

New 787 Route MEL-SFO

serfty

Given you both want windows it's going to be hard to chat in any case. Even a 3K/5K combination means distinct separation.

At least with your current selections you are both in the same aisle.

DownUnderFlyer

[mod hat] Merging with the existing thread [/mod hat]

Catweazle

Suits me because I'd much rather go to SFO than LAX, and the QF product is usually (so far) better than stateside airlines. But then I fly for leisure. Had I work that called for me to visit LAX then I'd succumb to something else or, better yet, hop this flight to SFO and rent a Mustang south to LAX. Yes, that sounds a nice idea. Or a Corvette... Perchance to dream awhile!

But still, the A380 has more space in which to stretch one's legs compared to a 787.

docbert

Flying out of SFO a few days ago, and there are signs up through the International terminal advertising the start of this route on September 1st.

aztimm

Has anyone flown this route yet? Any thoughts?

I'll be on it in a few weeks.

aztimm

I was on this flight, leaving SFO on Sunday 30 Sep. Some general thoughts:
* The flight on Saturday was canceled, so my flight was much busier than expected, sounded like it was full. Evidently some folks got bumped from business, some were put on the QF flights through SYD,, LAX, and on other carriers. While checking in, there was a woman next to us in tears (we didn't yet know why).
* Check-in wasn't bad. They have a dedicated line for business. It probably took 2-3 minutes tops. Security at SFO wasn't horrible, but it would be nice if QF participated in TSA PreCheck.
* QF uses the CX lounge at SFO. No it isn't anywhere near the quality of The Pier at HKG, but it was decent, similar to an AA domestic lounge. They had many food and drink options, there were showers, etc. Due to our flight being full, and the SYD flight leaving 45 min later, the lounge got quite full.
* Boarding: every airline seems to have problems getting people to board when they're supposed to (or not board early). The agents were good with not allowing coach pax to board during business.
* Aircraft/seats: we both had windows on the right side in the front business cabin. I was really glad we picked seats with the larger armrest on the left, as it really added more privacy. I'm also glad I wasn't in the last row, as there was a bit of traffic going to/from the lav and galley during the flight.
* Food: this was by far the worst premium cabin food I've ever been served. We flew AA DFW-SFO before and that domestic meal was far better. I think the QF chefs are trying to be cutting edge or something, which is fine. But there should still be some simple options, like pasta or chicken. Arrival breakfast was slightly better (but portions were way too small). I've had better food in long-haul coach.
* Service: the QF FA's were great. Mostly a younger crew. I got up a few times during the flight, and was always approached to see if I needed something. When I asked for a drink once, the FA also brought a few snacks. They handed out pajamas before we took off and I changed shortly. The bedding was also great. Neither of us were given hot towels before, after, or otherwise on the entire flight (and we were on our domestic AA flight).
* This has to do with the scheduling/timing, not aircraft or crew, but it is rather depressing to be on a flight in darkness for 14 hours. When the sun rose shortly before landing everyone seemed to get a bit brighter.
* With the number of flights arriving at an early hour, it would really be nice if QF had an arrivals lounge.

Had I actually spent money for the flight, I'd have been extremely upset. Since I used AA miles, I'm still not totally happy, but I'm certain the experience was better than coach.

As for comparison, this wasn't nearly as nice as flying AA biz between the US and Asia, and a bit below my biz experiences with CX and BA. Perhaps similar to my TA flights on AY.
I'm sure hoping the return in F on the A380 is better.

og

I was also on QF50 a couple of days earlier. I chose the 789 as opposed to the 744 to SYD to try the 789 seats. The flight was completely full. I was not happy that the crew blacked out the windows until just before landing - even though it was night the whole way. No hot towels at all. Paper towels were in the toilets whereas cloth towels have been used for years previously.

Meal orders were taken after takeoff - mine was salmon - it was quite nice. I was told that drinks would be served with dinner but told "if I really wanted one before that, what do you want"? This drink appeared 1 hour later (no nuts / pretzels) and the meal appeared over half an hour later. The crew seemed rushed and hassled even though the CSM slowly glided through the cabin smiling and greeting everyone.

Breakfast was haphazardly served over an interval of an hour - no general wake-up drinks (juice or coffee etc) prior to the tray service. People were waiting and waiting and waiting while others had finished and had their trays removed. IMO, a trolley based breakfast service would be better so everyone can be served quickly. No FANCY Perry designed offerings please - just solid food please! One side of the cabin had repeated coffee / tea top ups, the other side had no top ups.

The smiling CSO was nowhere to be seen after the breakfast service - so complaints were not possible.

Having done a similar flight with UA a couple of months earlier, both in Biz and both in the 789, I'd take the UA service and catering rather than QF's.

wheresmybagba

Lucky you...I was booked on QF50 on Saturday in J. We ended up being downgraded and sent in UA Y, SFO-SYD-MEL. This is probably the worst possible outcome, anything that did not involve clearing customs prior to MEL would've been better - immigration at SYD was just horrible yesterday morning, never seen anything so disorganised. The way Qantas have handled all of this has just been awful, the people on the phone are to be frank, useless and there is zero customer care in evidence. Now that I had a chance to calm down, it dawned on me, when downgrading us two cabins, the least they could've done was paid for UA economy plus, nope, we were stuck in 2 middle seats in the rear Y cabin. QF don't even think to supply the UA PNR to at least give you some chance of checking in and improving seat selection. On a side note UA Y was absolutely fine!

aztimm

Wow that really is horrible. Was it a paid J fare? I'd certainly work on at a minimum getting the difference in fare (and don't let them use the rate on the day the rebooked). For what you pay for J fares between the US and Australia (usually $5-6k), they really should have treated you better. I've flown UA in coach long haul a few times (EWR-HKG and SFO-FRA), and it isn't horrible (business is always better though ). I think it still depends if you get a CO or UA crew, and the type of aircraft.

When we were checking in, the agent did say something about checking with someone, and some sort of supervisor stopped by briefly. Since we were redeeming miles, we'd probably be higher for a downgrade, but maybe my AA status saved us? Who knows.

Clearing customs and immigration at MEL was a breeze. The FA's handed out some sort of express cards and that area had almost no line. We probably got to the gate at 06:45. We were through immigration and customs, and at our hotel downtown near Flinders Station shortly after 08:00 (we took an Uber from the airport).

docbert

In fairness to QF, they likely can't. E+ isn't a separate fare class - there's no way to "book" it as such. Either you get it via status, or you pay UA for it (either as a subscription or a per-flight basis).