Having just arrived at LAX from Sydney, we had little time to make our connecting flight to New York.  We followed the signs to International Transfers and made our way to Immigration.

Airline and Flight #

Qantas QF11

Aircraft

Boeing 747-400

Airport and Terminal

LAX Los Angeles Tom Bradley International Terminal (Terminal B)

Scheduled Departure Date and Time

Saturday 9th September 2017 | 8:20 am

Flying Time

5 hours 19 minutes

Luggage Allowance

Carry-on: 1 x 185cm (45in) bag or 1 x 185cm (73in) non rigid garment bag up to 7kg

Checked baggage: 2 pieces up to 23kg (50lbs) each

If you are a Qantas club member or have silver or gold frequent flyer membership you are allowed an extra piece of checked baggage.  Business and First Class passengers are also allowed 3 to 4 pieces.

Fun Facts

• Qantas is the third oldest airline in the world and Australia’s largest airline
• Qantas is an acronym for Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services
• Qantas is the founding member of the Oneworld airline alliance
• Qantas’ main hub is in Sydney, Australia

Website

The Qantas website is easy to use and provides plenty of details when booking flights including type of aircraft, flight duration, any meals and snacks, stopovers and even how many frequent flyer points and status credits you will accrue on your chosen flight.  If you pay by BPay there are no extra costs incurred.  Unfortunately for international flights, you can’t book seats without incurring a fee of $35 if you’re travelling on a sale fare unless you wait up to 48 hours before departure.  Extra legroom seats cost an extra $20 per person on top of the $35.

Check-in and Security/Immigration and Customs

As this was a connecting flight for us we had already checked in at the airport in Canberra, Australia, where we left from.  We were travelling carry on only but for those with checked luggage, bags needed to be collected from the carousel after passing through immigration.  Once out of the aircraft in LA we were issued with an orange piece of paper so that ground staff could recognise us as connecting passengers and assist us to where we needed to go.  There were also signs to International Transfers and announcements for connecting QF11 passengers to New York.  At Immigration, officers took our finger prints where we then made our way to the lounge after passing through yet another security check point.  For passengers with luggage there was a drop off point for leaving your bags so they could be loaded onto the aircraft.  Despite  boarding scheduled to have commenced half an hour earlier, boarding time had been delayed due to our plane and another flight coming in late.  All Qantas customers arriving from Australia must clear customs and immigration in LA.

Seating

• We were seated in row 61 of 75.  The Qantas B747-400 is a wide bodied jet with a 3-4-3 configuration in Economy.  The aircraft has 371 seats divided into 58 Business class seats, 36 Premium Economy seats and 270 Economy seats.
• Each seat had foot rest and winged head rests that you could adjust to support your neck better whilst sleeping.
• On our seats were a blanket sealed in plastic, a set of headphones also sealed in plastic and a pillow.
• Seat pitch 31 inches (78.7 cm), seat width 17.5 inches (44.5 cm), seat recline 6 inches (15.2 cm)

 Cabin Comfort

The plane had I think been refitted to look and feel like Qantas’ A380’s so the seats had the same winged headrests to provide a more comfortable sleep and netted foot rests which are supposed to be more comfortable and ergonomic than the traditional type.  I also noticed the striped pattern on the back of the seat in front was the same as on our last flight with the A380-800.  Despite this, the plane was showing its age and felt quite dated.  There was not as much room to move around in the cabin compared with the larger A380’s however this was also only an domestic flight.

In-flight Entertainment

Electronic devices

• Electronic devices can be used whilst boarding using the aerobridge but not if you’re using the tarmac to board.
• Once doors on the plane have closed you need to then switch your device to flight mode
• The in-flight telecommunication service will allow you to send and receive texts and calls.  Prices are $1.90 USD for texts up to 160 characters and $5 USD per minute for calls.  Texts and calls are made from the plane’s own inflight entertainment phone handset.

 Power

• Shared PC power is available in Economy class
• Power is provided at a maximum of 75 watts which if exceeded needs to be reset on the ground

Reading material

• Qantas Spirit of Australia is the inflight magazine found in the pocket of your seat.

WiFi

• WiFi is not available on this flight.  Qantas has decided not to offer inflight internet as a result of a trial it conducted back in 2012 where less than five percent of passengers took up the service.  The demand for internet on international flights is a lot lower than domestic flights given the majority of international flights are overnight and most passengers prefer to sleep.

Entertainment System

• Each seat has a Panasonic eX2 inflight entertainment system with a large personal touch screen.  There are over 100 on demand movies to watch and over 500 TV shows.  There is up 1500 audio CD’s as well as a selection of audio books, language tutorials, destination information, business education and radio channels.
• The screen also has a Flight Path allowing you to see details including where you are, the time and distance to your destination, air temperature and speed you are travelling at.  A camera situated outside the aircraft enables live views from outside the plane.

Catering

Menus

Not long after being seated cabin crew started handing out menus.  It’s always exciting seeing what food is on offer and deciding what you’re going to have.  Qantas now offers three meal choices for lunch or dinner with one of them being a vegetarian option.  The menu contained three choices for lunch,   There was also a list of complimentary beverages including alcohol.  The menus were a one sided A5 sheet of card with food down one side and drinks down the other.  Not the most attractive I’ve had but not the worst either.  There was a red and white geometric pattern across the top with the route listed below – in this case it was Los Angeles to New York.  On the right hand side of the menu which has been cut off was also a selection of beers, juices, soft drinks and hot beverages including Grinders coffee and Dilmah tea.

Food/Drinks

Bottled water and Orange and Hibiscus juice topped up our hydration levels until lunch was served.  As I wasn’t feeling all that hungry, I chose the Salad of roast beef, potato, horseradish, cherry tomatoes and balsamic dressing.  Hubby chose the Herb roasted chicken with mashed potato, green beans and thyme jus.  The helping of roast beef in the dish I ordered was generous and all meals were served with a garlic Ciabatta roll and a delicious Chocolate and orange cake.

Toilets

The toilets on board this aircraft were a bit tired looking.  They appeared to have been kept clean throughout the flight.

Service

The service on this flight was professional and friendly but again it felt like the staff were simply doing their job rather than enjoying what they did.  The seats and trays were clean and the toilets were also kept clean throughout the flight.

Pros

• Despite the flight being delayed due to the late arrival of passengers on other flights, the time it took to get to New York was less.
• Professional and friendly cabin crew
• Tasty food

Cons

• This flight didn’t have as extensive a self service snack bar as the Qantas A380-800 from Sydney to Los Angeles
• The plane was old despite being refitted with newer seats at some stage

Conclusion

The food and service on this flight was good but I would have liked to see a newer plane.  It was also nice to have a choice of three meals on a flight that was less than five hours.