david870mdg

Well QF must have had these on QF321/322 LA800/801.
Blocked on LA but avail on QF. Had to settle for 1D.

turtlemichael

Thanks. Interesting. Can't check for my date as the LA codeshare is not yet available but on earlier dates those seats exist on the LA seat plan but not the QF. Further, they aren't blocked like QF would do. Other seats are listed on both flights but blocked on QF.

The absence of award availability though must be a pain for most people.

3544quebec

Qantas is continuing playing their game with SYD-EZE-SYD availability, yo-yoing between feast and famine.

Last week there was not a single award seat available for the enire last 6 months of this year. Now it is hard to find one of their 3 flights a week between August and Jan 1 that doesn't have award availability in Business or Premium Economy. Nothing in 1st although it was reported in another thread that 1st was being reinstated from mid-June (strange if it is slated for elimination with the proposed reconfiguration.) I didn't check economy availability.

Grab em while they're hot as I've seen this availability completely disappear overnight twice in the last few months.

abcedaria

Any up to date info on what bird is flying this these days? Just booked a return Y award, however been given 35b/37j as my seats. My preference is arse end/aisle and as a plat I usually get that. at least on planes. I'm assuming this is a 4 class creature and I've been given a late cinco de mayo preso? ANd just as an aside, does the 2 class actually have the bollix to make the the flight without a KC135 to the rescue?

og

I thought an earlier post (and from personal experience), this is a job for the ERs. Not may alternatives, so the extra range is probably appreciated by those in the hot seat(s).

kpc

Not many airports around here for an emergency landing

og

There is: http://www.gcmap.com/airport/NZIR

>3 km of nice welcoming runway that handles C5s on a daily basis from CHC.

I'm sure a 744 with a red tail (and red face ) would make an interesting sight down there.

I've seen the C5s landing there and they suddenly make the isolation seem very unisolated - especially when CHC is only 4 - 5 hrs away (or a couple of weeks sailing time away including ice navigation time).

babs

According to this site
http://www.acarsd.org/flsearch.html?reg=&flight=qf0017

Always an ER bird and guess it makes sense as it is quite a remote route and the only other route with guaranteed ER is QF94/93 it seems as QF11 and QF107 are sometimes ER and sometimes not.

ChrisG

I was lucky enough to be QF18 EZE-SYD on transit back to SYD on my way out of the various delays that were happening over the previous week in and around Europe. The aircraft operating the services 744-438ER VH-OEJ (Wunala Dreaming). Flight time was scheduled as reasonably lengthy 14hrs40mins and under the command of Captain Tony ****** doing his last 744 flight for Qantas after 27 yrs of flying the 747. He was transferring to the A380.

Our flight was delayed leaving EZE by about 65 minutes due to some issues with the APU and also some passengers being off-loaded due to a missing passport.

The flight was "day time" with the exception of our approach into Sydney. The track south from EZE was on the Great Circle route at an initial cruising altitude of FL280. We got a great view of the Andes as we tracked across the West Coast of South America. Further into the flight we tracked over parts of the Antartic with great views of the polar ice flows.

I was fortunate enough to be booked in PE and was seated in J Class seating with PE service. The meal and wine service was excellent.

We arrived into SYD about 75 minutes late with a reasonably "heavy" landing on 34L. The Captain explained that being an ex Navy carrier pilot (A4-Skyhawk I presume) he could now log another carrier landing to his carrier landing total of 106

All in all a great flight with excellent crew and service. After being on the road for 100hrs+ travel time from London via Paris, Madrid and Beunos Aires arriving back in SYD was an extremely welcomed sight.

thadocta

He was flying it before it first flew?

Dave

3544quebec

First Class award availability has been reinstated on the booking engine for what looks like every flight from June 7 - Oct 25. Well, its there today at least!

ChrisG

Your right. The 1st QF 744 landed in SYD on 17 August 1989. I should have said 27 years on the 747.... Apologies for the mis-quote.

Thanks

NM

How long ago was this? JB747 has moved from 744 to A380 now. I wonder how many carrier landings he lays claim to? But if last month, then twas not him.