Darwin/Sydney Redeye
 

I have just been confronted with the total lack of options for flights from Darwin to Sydney. There is only the redeye 0130/0625. Surely there must be enough passengers to justify a day flight. Has anyne done this miserable flight? What can be expected for a meal in business? I already know how uncomfortable the seat will be on a 737-400....so no sleep will be expected.

Direct is not the only option
 

There is always QF825 bia BNE. It departs Darwin at 13:40 and should make reasonable connections to SYD.

Or you could take the international extension of QF82 departing Darwin at 05:30 (it comes from SIN overnight) on a 767-300 to Adelaide and connect to SYD from there. Other flights via Adelaide at 07:30 (Thur, Sat) and 13:00 daily.

Besides, you get more SC's and points by going via BNE or ADL ;) .

Thanks for the info.....

Sorry I should have mentioned that I was using Darwin as a mileage run (plus first time visit to see Kakadu) to fully utilise the 20 segments of a DONE4. So need to fly using a direct service. Unfortunately the one flight via Adelaide also operates at the ungodly departure time of 0530/

Fully sympathise with you, recently came back from DRW-SYD-MEL on that flight. Chose it over the MEL flight because there was U availability & it was a 767. Unfortunately got downgraded to a 734 and the J seats were awful (might as well have been in WHY given the loadings on the flight). A consolation was using QF2 between SYD-MEL so got to use the F lounge at SYD and skybeds for the first time on the 1 hr sector. Meal on DRW-SYD was a choice - salmon or beef stew + salad, bread roll & chocolate. Only good thing was exemplary service - everytime I woke, my glass of water was full again (when flew in J to LAX & BKK last year on all four flights had to buzz for water)

Are you implying that you got bugger all sleep and woke many times and each time the glass has been filled or that you slept really well on this terrible flight? :D

Re the OP if you only have one sector - take the 05:30 it will only be one sector even though it is a stopping service - by the time it becomes ADL-SYD it must be getting pretty empty.

miserable flight
 

i took that DRW-SYD flight three years ago in coach. the meal service in coach was actually pretty good... but it was on a 734, was probably the MOST uncomfortable flight of my life, and i had an 8 hour layover in Sydney to look forward to prior to my flight to LAX. no fun...

You could fly to BNE by day and purchase a BNE-SYD ticket for not very much

Dave

A SERIOUS warning here - the QP only opens around an hour prior to departure, so don't show up at the airport late afternoon (as I once did), expecting to while away the time in the Qpub.

Not fun.

The flight itself was a killer - and I did it in J on a 767. Can't say I'd envy you doing it on a 73. Urgh.

Imagine when DeathStar starts doing this? Bwahahahahahahahahahaha!

Yep, QP opens @ 10:30pm, check in also only opens around 10:15 or so!

[old timer mode]

When I was a lad ...

Living in Darwin and attending uni in Canberra meant that I took the red-eye a few times a year. Various routings: DRW-(sometimes Mt Isa)-BNE-SYD-CBR or DRW-(sometimes ASP)-ADL-SYD-CBR, etc. on 727, DC 9, Fokker F27 combinations. No direct DRW-SYD flights at the time. Oddest ever route was a little later: DRW-Gove-TSV-CNS-SYD-CBR all on 737. I think it was a 737-200 which I think would mean it was AN rather than QF. (Actually obviously it wouldn't have been QF. What I mean is that it wasn't TN.)

Worst part was all the drunks, who would go to the airport bar after dinner and drink till the 0130 departure.

No QP and no FF scheme at the time, so it wasn't even a good mileage, SC or QP run.

737-400 in J after relaxing in the QP? Luxury!

[/old timer mode]

But you are right, DRW has always been poorly served by the airlines. The combination of low population and large distance from other capitals is its downfall.

(Edited for grammar.)

At DRW just go over to the Aviation Club (unless it's changed over the last couple of years) - less that 500 m infront of the terminal. Stacks of parking. Nice open air drinking and eating with fans in the roof. Now if only the QPs were like this.

Wow, seems that must have been a recent change, as I was booked for QF837 from DRW-SYD in July originally, and it was a very reasonable 14:25 departure - but looking at the schedule now that's a long gone flight. Good thing I already changed it I guess, otherwise Qantas would have done the honours for me.

Whilst on topic of DRW, note Qantas Boosts Domestic Capacity

where 12 weeklies between DRW-MEL were promised back in January, but have never eventuated. Maybe we should start a thread for the other PR statements that QF have put out over time but have not eventuated!

lokijuh, we could start such a thread, but it would quickly run to several pages, such has been the huge number of such announcements. :(

Dave

You've got to be fair through, Dave. Given that it is SOP at QF to make an announcement approximately 19.4 years prior to the real implementation of the programme, you can only hold them accountably for unfulfiled promises dating prior to 1983.