Having just walked off our Qantas Dash 8-400 flight from Sydney to Canberra

Our third and final flight home was a short 55 minute ride in this twin propeller Qantas Dash 8.  It’s a strange looking aircraft but I like seeing it up close which you can’t do when you have to board via an air-bridge.

Airline and Flight #

Qantas QF 1473

Aircraft

Dehavilland Dash 8-400 Turboprop

Departing Airport and Terminal

Kingsford Smith Airport, Mascot, Sydney | Terminal 3 Domestic

Scheduled Departure Date and Time

Sunday 20th May 2018 | 10:50 am

Flying Time

55 minutes

Luggage Allowance

Checked Luggage

Checked baggage: 1 piece up to 23 kg (50lb).  If travelling internationally on the same ticket or day, then international baggage allowances are allowed (2 pieces 23kg (50lb) each) but only 1 piece up to 23kg can travel on the same plane  with you due to aircraft weight restrictions on the Dash 8.  Bags must be dropped off at least 30 minutes prior to departure for domestic flights.

Free Baggage allowance is included in the fare and applies to adults, children and infants on Qantas operated services.  Total dimensions on the Dash 8 must not exceed 140cm (55in). Dimensions for checked baggage are calculated by adding together the width, height and depth of the piece of baggage.

Carry-on Luggage

Carry-on: 1 x 105cm (41 in) bag ( 48cm+34cm+23cm) due to the limited room inside the Dash 8.

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
• The Dash 8 is now made by Bombardia

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.

Check-in 

Check-in for Qantas domestic flights is from 24 hours up until 30 minutes prior to departure.  This can be done on-line or at the counter inside the airport.  You can check-in three ways:

1. Mobile check-in – by downloading the Qantas app you can check-in and access your digital boarding pass without the need to print it out.  Other benefits of this method include being alerted to when check-in first opens, access to real time flight data in case of delays and the ability to view any entertainment options prior to your flight.  You can also choose your seats.
2. Desktop check-in – by logging on to the Qantas website http://Qantas.com and entering your booking reference and last name to bring up your booking.  Select the Checkin/Print Boarding Pass button and remember to take your boarding pass with you to the airport.
3. At the airport – via the self-service kiosks or at the desk in the Departures area prior to passing through security.  Here you can also select your seat, enter your frequent flyer number, upgrade your flight using Qantas points and print out your boarding pass and bag tags so you can drop off any bags at the bag drop.

Seating

• Qantas’ narrow bodied twin engined Dehavilland (now Bombardier) Dash 8-400 is the largest of their turboprop planes with a 2×2 configuration.   The aircraft has 74 seats all which are Economy seats. We were seated in row 9 of 19.
• As this was a small aircraft and only a 55 minute flight, there were no pillows, blankets or headphones on the seats or handed out.  The seats were quite old and so didn’t recline at all.  They were made of leather and were well padded and quite comfortable.  They had a simple net in front to hold the usual sick bag, safety card and airline magazines.
• Seat pitch was 31 inches (79cm), seat width was 17 inches (43cm).  Leg room wasn’t actually too bad.
• Trays weren’t folding on this older aircraft.

The leather seats were old but well padded and comfortable on this Qantas Dash 8

Legroom was surprisingly adequate on this small Qantas aircraft

The seats in front held a non-folding tray table and a simple pocket

Our third flight of the journey after more than 30 hours of travel and wait time

Our third flight of the journey after more than 30 hours of travel and wait time

Cabin Comfort

For the length of journey the level of comfort was fine.  The plane was old and designed for short flights so lacked a lot of the mod cons you find in newer aircraft like seats that recline and entertainment.  It did have air vents above our heads and a reading light however.

Air vents, lights and a call button were fitted on the ceiling above your head

In-flight Entertainment

Electronic Devices

• Electronic devices can’t be used whilst boarding due to the fact boarding is via the tarmac rather than the air-bridge.
• Once doors on the plane have closed you need to then switch your device to flight mode

Power

There were no power outlets on this plane.

Reading Material

Along with the safety card, there were two Qantas magazines inside the seat pocket.

Reading material on board our Qantas Dash 8-400 flight from Sydney

WiFi

There is currently no WiFi on board the Qantas Dash 8-400 and I’m not sure that will change due to the weight restrictions on an already weight restricted aircraft.  The duration of the flight is only short anyway.

Entertainment System

Again, as this is an old aircraft combined with weight restrictions and short flights, there is no electronic entertainment system on board.

No entertainment systems to be found on this Qantas Dash 8 flight

Catering

Menus

As this was just a 55 minute flight, no meals were served so there was no requirement for a menu.  There was however a small complimentary snack and drinks handed out.

Food/Drinks

As soon as we were in the air and the seat-belt signs were off, cabin crew came around with packets of really tasty lime shortbread biscuits and drinks.

The shortbread cookies were delicious and Bundaberg make the best ginger beer

Restrooms

The restroom is located up the front of the aircraft and is the tiniest and most rudimentary I’ve seen on a plane.  The toilet reminds me a bit of a pit toilet with a lid although I’m sure it flushed like a normal toilet.  Anyway, I’m glad I didn’t need to use it!

The single restroom was very small and basic

You can see how tiny the room is on this Qantas Dash 8

Service

Despite the short flight it was still pleasant to be served drinks and a light snack, all of which were complimentary.  Cabin crew were friendly and courteous and for such a short journey on a small aircraft, it would be unfair to expect much more.

Pros

• I like walking up to a plane to board as you get a good view of it
• Although the seats weren’t new, they were comfortable and leg room was adequate
• Complimentary drinks and light snack served despite such a short flight
• Two seats together instead of three which I prefer

Cons

• No entertainment on board
• Restroom was tiny and there was only one
• Smaller aircraft meant the short flight home took a bit longer

Conclusion

The Qantas Dash 8 is a cost effective way of getting people from point A to point B.  I probably would prefer a larger aircraft but for such a short flight, I can totally understand why Qantas make good use of these aircraft.  The cabin crew were friendly and free drinks and a light snack made the flight an enjoyable one.