My Husband and I were flying to Bangkok where we would spend a couple of nights before catching the sleeper train up to Chiang Mai.

Airline and Flight #

Qantas QF23

Aircraft

Airbus A330-300 (A333)

Airport and Terminal

Kingsford Smith Airport, Mascot, Sydney NSW Australia

Scheduled Departure Date and Time

Wednesday 4th October 2017 | 10:50am

Flying Time

9 hours and 50 minutes

Luggage Allowance

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

Checked baggage: 30kg (66lb)

Free Baggage allowance included is included in the fare and applies to adults, children and infants on Qantas operated services. A single piece of baggage cannot exceed 30kg (66lb), and baggage that is over 23kg (50lb) may incur a heavy charge at the airport. Qantas Frequent Flyers and Qantas Club members are entitled to their tiered allowances, for included and additional baggage, when logged in on qantas.com. For those Frequent Flyers and Qantas Club members who are not logged in tier allowances may still apply.

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

On-line check-in for Qantas is available between two and 24 hours prior to the scheduled departure time and can be used for most destinations.  You can also download your boarding passes and secure your seats at the same time.  In Sydney, airport check-in is located on level 2 (Departures) and is open from 4:30am.  Check-in kiosks and bag drop offs are located at Check-in area C.

Seating

• We were  seated in row 32 of 60.   The Qantas A330-300 is a wide bodied jet with a 2-4-2 configuration in Economy.  The aircraft has 297 seats divided into 28 business class seats and 269 economy seats.
• The aircraft had been fitted with the award winning Recaro seats as on the A380’s and refurbished B747’s with armrests that fully extend.
• Each seat had foot rest nets under the seat in front of them and multi-directional leather winged head rests that have been ergonomically designed.
• On each seat in Economy was a blanket sealed in plastic, a set of headphones also sealed in plastic and a beige pillow.
• Seat pitch 31 inches (78.7 cm), seat width 17 inches ( 43.2cm), seat recline 6 inches (15.2 cm).
• This plane had folding tray tables which allowed you to fold it out half way if you were just having a drink or a small snack.

Cabin Comfort

With the new comfortable Ricaro seats and ergonomically designed head and foot rests, it made for a very comfortable ten hour flight.  Leg room was particularly good and I liked having two seats together instead of the three that you get on the larger aeroplanes.  Another convenience is the small net under the screen for storing small items such as your phone.

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.
• Illuminated USB and double headphone sockets are on the backs of each seat in front.  You can use your own earphones without the need for an adaptor.

Reading Material

• Qantas Spirit of Australia is the inflight magazine found in the pocket of your seat
• Also in the seat pocket is a duty free magazine, safety card and air sickness bag

 WiFi

• WiFi was 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 features the latest Panasonic eX3 inflight entertainment system with a large 11.1 inch movable personal touch screen.  Thanks to its responsiveness, no remote control exists.  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 Moving Map allowing you to see details including where you are, the time and distance to your destination, air temperature and speed you are travelling etc.  A safety video is played on the screen prior to take-off.

Catering

Menus

Not long after being seated cabin crew began handing out menus.  Qantas now offers three meal choices for lunch or dinner with one of them being a vegetarian option.  The menu which changes monthly contained three choices for lunch, followed by some fresh fruit, Weiss bar and another light meal prior to arrival.  The menus were a one sided A5 sheet of card with food down one column and drinks down the other.  Not the most attractive I’ve seen 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 Sydney to Bangkok.

Food/Drinks

Early in the flight we were presented with cups of cordial and a bottle of water.  It wasn’t until a couple of hours later that lunch was served.  I had the four cheese ravioli with roast pumpkin, semi dried tomato and herb crumb.  It was delicious.  All meals were accompanied by garlic ciabatta and cheese and biscuits.  Whilst the smaller tray and the bread with the butter already inside are attempts by Qantas to save space and cut down on waste, it also means the passenger misses out on some of the items the bigger trays typically hold like salads and desserts.  Tea and coffee were served with a Lindt chocolate ball (I asked for two). Mid way through the flight Weiss bars were handed out.  Prior to arriving in Bangkok we were given Udon noodle boxes with edamame, pickled ginger and soy chive dressing.  This came with pear and raspberry cake.  Again, the meal was enjoyable.

Toilets

The toilets were adequate and were kept clean by the crew for the duration of the flight.

Service

The service was friendly and professional although I would have liked to see drinks being offered more regularly.

Pros

• The recently refurbished plane felt like new with it’s new interior and updated ex3 entertainment system.
• Good leg room on this plane
• Food was tasty
• large touchscreens with a good choice of viewing material
• I liked having two seats instead of three so we didn’t have to bother anyone if we wanted to get up from our seats.

Cons

• I miss the accompanying salads you get with other airlines
• Drinks could be offered more regularly
• plastic cutlery
• no hot face washers to freshen up before a meal

Conclusion

This was a very enjoyable flight and I wouldn’t hesitate flying Qantas again on this refurbished aircraft.  The leg room was great as was the new entertainment system with the larger touch screens.