This was the first of several flights for our trip to New York via Las Vegas.  Qantas often run the Dash 8’s from Canberra to Sydney and back as they’re smaller and more economical.  In hindsight I wouldn’t have chosen the first day of daylight saving for the start of our trip as putting the clocks forward an hour meant we had to be up very early.

Airline and Flight #

Qantas QF 1464

Aircraft

Dehavilland Dash 8-400 Turboprop

Departing Airport and Terminal

Canberra International Airport | There is just the one terminal

Scheduled Departure Date and Time

Sunday 7th October 2018 | 07:10 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 apply (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.  For Qantas frequent flyer members with status silver and above, there are more generous baggage allowances.  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 luggage restrictions vary depending on whether you are flying domestically or if your ticket is on the same itinerary as an international flight.  For domestic only travel, Carry-on: 1 x 105cm (41 in) bag ( 48cm+34cm+23cm) up to 7kg due to the limited room inside the Dash 8 along with 1 personal item.  For onward international travel, you are allowed an extra bag weighing no more than 7kg and up to 115 linear centimetres (45 linear inches).  This time my carry on bag was checked and put in the hold where it was offloaded and handed to me on the tarmac after we landed.  There is not a lot of room for stowing bags in the compartments above your head so this is not uncommon.

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.  Or you can check in at the check-in counter.

We checked in at the check-in counter at the Airport and were given our boarding passes for the three flights which would get us to Las Vegas.  The guy at the counter was very friendly and on the flight from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, we were upgraded to Premium Economy and given seats in the exit row, something which wouldn’t have happened if we checked in online or at the self service kiosk.

Seating

• • Qantas’ narrow bodied twin engined Dehavilland 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 12 of 19 right under the wing.

• • 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 navy blue 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.  The armrests were adjustable.

• • 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 quite comfortable

All ready to go starting with this short flight to Sydney

The seats on Qantas’ Dash 8

Tray table on Qantas’ Dash 8

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.  There were the usual standard air vents above our heads and a reading light and call button.  Leg room was good between you and the seat in front although the window seats had restricted leg room due to a ledge that appeared to run the entire length of the plane making it difficult to place your feet together on the floor. There were no footrests.

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

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 and limited by weight restrictions and, there is no electronic entertainment system on board.  This flight was not long enough to really warrant it anyway.

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

At 7:30 am, once we were in the air and the seat-belt signs were off, cabin crew came around with a fig vincotto and date muffin for each passenger.  The drinks trolley shortly followed with tea, coffee, a nice looking lemonade juice and bottles of water.  The muffins tasted pretty good and helped satisfy my hunger.

Restrooms

The restroom is located up the front right of the aircraft and is tiny and very basic.  I imagine it doesn’t get used terribly much anyway on this short flight.

 

Service

Despite the short flight it was still pleasant to be served complimentary drinks and a light snack.  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 when there are just the two of us travelling together.
• The flight left on time and landed about ten minutes prior to the scheduled arrival time

Cons

• No entertainment or WiFi on board
• Restroom was tiny and there was only one
• Smaller aircraft meant the short flight to Sydney 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.  We had an interesting view of the wheels as they retracted after takeoff and were deployed in preparation for landing.