After a long hiatus in international travel due to COVID, it felt good to get back in the air and fly internationally once again.  Travel to the US required a negative COVID test from a travel pathology centre within just a calendar day of departure.  The test could be done at the airport for less money but we couldn’t guarantee we would get the results back in time.  A valid ESTA is also required which at the time cost around $20 AUD each and could be obtained via an online application.  These are valid for two years.

 

Airline and Flight #

Qantas QF 0093

Aircraft

Airbus 787-9 Dreamliner

Airport and Terminal

Departure: Tullamarine Airport Melbourne, Australia | Terminal 2

Arrival: LAX Airport, Los Angeles, USA |Tom Bradley International Terminal

Scheduled Departure Date and Time

Wednesday 23rd March 2022| 2255 / 10:55 pm.

We were notified at the airport that departure had been delayed to 2310 and we boarded the aircraft at 2250.  The flight started rolling out at 1123.

Scheduled Arrival Date and Time

Wednesday 23rd March 2022| 1915 / 7:15 pm.

Despite leaving late the plane landed on time.

Scheduled Flying Time

14 hours 20 minutes

Luggage Allowance

Qantas, being a full service carrier does not charge for checked baggage or carry-on as long as you stay within their fairly generous restrictions.  These depend on what cabin you are flying in as well as your Qantas frequent flyer status.  For passengers flying business class to the Americas you are allowed:

Carry-on:

Adults and children travelling in business class with a final destination to the Americas are allowed the following carry on baggage with any one piece weighing no more than 10kg and the total weight of all carry-on bags not exceeding 14kg.  This can be as follows:

1. 1 x 115cm (45in) bag at 56cm (22in) + 36cm (14in) + 23cm (9in) or

2. 2 x 105cm (41in) bags at 48cm (18in) + 34cm (13in) + 23cm or

3. 1 x 105cm (41in) bag at 48cm (18in) + 34cm (13in) + 23cm (9in) plus 1 x 185cm (72in) non-rigid garment bag at 60cm (23in) + 114cm (44in) + 11cm (4in).

In addition to the above, passengers are allowed to bring onto the plane one small personal item.  Examples include handbag, laptop, overcoat, small camera, a reasonable amount of reading material or a small amount of duty free goods if applicable.   Any amount of personal mobility aids are allowed on if flying to the Americas and don’t count towards your carry-on limits.

Checked baggage:

Since 26 March 2021 Qantas has reduced checked baggage for business class passengers down from 3 to 2 pieces to a weight of 32kg (70lb) 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 of up to 32kg (70lb).  

Total dimensions of the two pieces must not exceed 270cm (106in) whilst total dimensions of the three pieces must not exceed 405cm (159in) with no single piece exceeding 158cm (62in).

Dimensions for checked baggage are calculated by adding together the width, height and depth of the piece of baggage.  

If you are travelling on a domestic flight in addition to your International flight, the international baggage allowances apply in most circumstances as long as the domestic flight is on the same ticket or you are taking the domestic flight on the same day.

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 one of the founding member of the Oneworld airline alliance
• Qantas’ main hub is in Sydney, Australia
• Registered as VH-ZND, this B787 Dreamliner was painted in the Yam Dreaming livery at Everett in February 2018.  The artwork was adapted from a 1991 painting by the late Emily Kane Kngwarreye with the plane named in her honour.  Nicknamed Spot, the aircraft was delivered to Qantas new for it’s first revenue service on 6th March 2018 from Melbourne to Perth.

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.  When travelling Internationally on business class, seat selection is complimentary.

Check-in and Security

Check-in for Qantas international flights opens from 24 hours up until 60 minutes prior to departure for business class passengers.  This can be done on-line or at the airport using the self-service kiosk or at the check-in counter.  You can check in from either of the following ways.

1. Online via qantas.com
2. Using the Qantas App
3. Manage booking
4. Your bookings if you are a Qantas Frequent Flyer
5. Using the self-service kiosk at the Airport or using the counter

As we had already checked in at the Canberra airport and given our boarding passes for our domestic and international flights, we weren’t required to check in at Melbourne airport so went through security before heading to the lounge.  Shoes and belts had to be removed as did liquids and electronic devices.  Our bags were scanned and we succumbed to our second X-ray for the day.

Lounge

As the Melbourne International Business lounge was closed, Qantas Club members and Gold Frequent Flyers had access to the International First lounge as long as capacity limits had not been met.  This was very exciting for us and our first time into a First class  lounge.  The lounge which was furnished in Italian leather and marble is located on level 3 of terminal 2.  Access is via the escalator near gates 9 and 10.  The lounge contains work desks, two office suites and a board room for meetings.  There is also a 20 minute complimentary spa and massage package with priority going to first class passengers.  Dining is a la carte and you can choose to sit in the dining room or on one of the lounge chairs.  We chose a lounge chair by the window which happened to have an Emirates aircraft that had recently pulled up. Neil Perry, a leading Australian chef designed the following dishes on offer:

• Soup of the day
• Brioche, leg ham and Gruyère toasted sandwich
• Salt and pepper squid with cabbage salad
• Spicy coconut braised pumpkin and green beans with noodles
• Paprika and garlic chicken with chickpeas, roast red capsicum, and rice pilaf
• Lasagne with shaved fennel, lemon and parsley salad
• Bowl of chips
• Mixed leaves with Neil’s vinaigrette
• Signature pavlova with seasonal fruit, mascarpone and Persian fairy floss.

There was also a selection of wines, beers and ciders as well as soft drinks.  I had the spicy coconut with braised pumpkin which I felt lacked flavour.  Hubby had the salt and pepper squid which tasted much better.

 

Seating

Layout – The Qantas B787-9 Dreamliner is a wide bodied jet with 236 seats.  These are made up of 42 Business class seats, 28 Premium Economy class seats and 166 Economy class seats. Business class is set out in a 1,2,1 configuration with eight rows in the first cabin and three rows behind.   The interiors and seating were shaped by Australian industrial designer David Caon in collaboration with Marc Newson who designed the Qantas A380 interiors. 

 

Features – The business class suites on Qantas’ B787-9 Dreamliner offer a good amount of privacy with each having direct aisle access.  As we were travelling as a couple we opted for the more friendly middle seats so we could sit together.  The charcoal grey leather seats are Vantage XL (Thompson Aero) encased in silver shells with brown faux wood paneling. Each seat transforms into a fully flat bed where 100% cotton mattresses and duvets are provided along with European pillows. The seats are equipped with a sash belt for takeoff and landing and have headrests that are fully adjustable.  Footrests are built into the floor with loads of room to stretch out.  A noise cancelling set of headphones were provided, along with a bottle of water and an ammenities kit.  Seat pitch is 117cm (46in) when upright extending to 203cm (80in) when reclined fully flat.  Seat width is 58-61cm (23-24in)

Tray tables – These are tucked into the armrest beside you and easily slide out with the press of a button.  The tray is a good size and can slide back and forward to suit allowing you to move from your seat with relative ease.  It’s also easy to put away.  As well as the tray table there is a large shared cocktail tray in the middle of the two seats for drinks and snacks.

Storage – There is plenty of storage in the large storage bins above your head as well as  around your seat.  There’s an L-shaped shelf beside your seat that holds your bottle of water, headphones and amenity kit with room to store other small items like phones, passports etc.  Underneath this is a surface for storing more items.  Below this is a compartment at your feet ideal for placing your shoes. Documents or a thin laptop can be placed in the pocket in front that holds the inflight magazines whilst at your feet there is more room including a spot at the end for stowing a carry-on bag.  The shared cocktail tray can also be used as a surface for more storage.

Amenity kits – Coinciding with Qantas’ 100 year celebration in 2020, their designs of amenity kits are inspired by the 1960’s and beyond celebrating the icons of our time and the continuing evolution of the airline.  The black bag on this flight was influenced by the black stylish pilot uniforms of the 1960’s with the debossed gold logo depicting the wings of the time.  In Qantas’ endeavour to reduce single use plastics, they have gone for fully compostable paper to wrap their products, used 40% recycled plastic for their skin care tubes and switched the plastic toothbrush for a bamboo one.  Included in the bag is a light blue terry cotton and jersey eye shade, a pair of 30% bamboo and polyester blend socks, a pair of ear plugs, a dental kit containing a bamboo toothbrush and a Li-Tyra well-being pack containing Polama hand cream, Mirri face cream and Lowanna lip balm.  Grey Pyjamas were also handed out prior to takeoff.  Their new design  sported a 100 splashed across the front with the print in black instead of the old blue.

 

Cabin Comfort

• The combination of a generous amount of leg room, a large amount of storage and the lie flat seats with good quality bedding made this flight extremely comfortable.
• The massage function beside your seat provides a gentle back massage that I found enjoyable.
• The Qantas issued pyjamas are a real benefit in making you feel more comfortable and saving you from packing your own or sleeping in more restrictive clothing.
• There is a good selection of lighting options including a Do Not Disturb light allowing you to rest uninterrupted.
• The air in the Dreamliner is taken from outside the aircraft and passes through two filtration systems before it enters the cabin allowing for fresher air inside the cabin.  The air is also at a higher pressure (pressurised at 6000 feet rather than 8000) and due the composite materials the air can be made more humid, reducing the effects of dehydration and jet lag.
• The Dreamliner is quieter than its predecessor due to quieter engines and better soundproofing making  the flight more comfortable.
• The Dreamliner is more fuel efficient and generates fewer greenhouse emissions than similar sized aircraft
• Ride dampening technology is used to detect and counteract turbulence
• Windows are 65% larger than windows on other comparable aircraft providing better views and a sense of more space.
• Big overhead bins make finding room to store your luggage easier
• Headrests are adjustable with six inches of vertical travel
• Netted footrests help to enhance ergonomics
• Mood LED lighting provides an aesthetically pleasing ambience as well as having the ability to mimic natural sunrise and sunset, and hence reduce the effects of jet-lag.

 

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.

Power

• All Business class passengers have access to a PC power port at 110V AC (60Hz) and a USB port beside each seat for charging devices such as phones and laptops.  A headphone socket is also included.

Reading Material

• In the document holder you will find Qantas’ Travel Insider magazine along with the safety card.

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 or use the Entertainment system.

Entertainment System

• Business class passengers have 41cm (16in) high definition, fully interactive touch-screens. These have the ability to rotate forward to suit your seating position.  A remote control is tucked inside the arm of the chair if the screen is too hard to reach when you seat is reclined.  There is a decent selection of movies (over 100) including recent releases as well as TV shows, documentaries, audio books and music to listen to.  A rating system allows passengers to rate a movie and also see how others have rated it, handy if wondering whether to watch something. Of course you can view the trailers too.  Parents can set a rating for children so only G and PG shows are displayed.  Seat chat is also available.  
• A 3D moving map is available and provides data including distance and time to destination, air temperature, speed, names of places you’re flying over and local time at the departure and arrival destination.

 

Catering

Menus

• Qantas’ menus contain new lighter and healthier options designed by Neil Perry.  The reason behind this is to allow passengers to have a more comfortable flight and sleep better.  
• The artwork on both the dinner and breakfast menus display an aerial photograph showcasing Australia’s beautiful and diverse environment.  The location for the photo on this menu was Snowy Mountains, NSW.  It appears they have cut costs with the quality of the cardboard, making it closer to paper and marking easily.
• As this was a late night flight, the menu was light on with its choice of mains with just five to choose from.  These were soup, potato gratin, sandwich, fish and beef all served with a small bowl of lettuce leaves and dressing along with bread and butter and a Lindt chocolate ball.  (See menu below for a detailed list).  Vanilla crème caramel, Maggie Beer ice cream, seasonal fruit and chocolates were on offer for dessert and there was a quiche, croquet Monsieur and selection of other light snacks at the self service bar for if you got hungry during the night.  I didn’t see staff come around offering food or drinks between dinner and breakfast but it’s possible they could have when I was napping.  The back side of the menu contained the drinks list.
• Staff handed out breakfast menus prior to take off and came around shortly afterwards to collect them once filled out.  The menu included a selection of teas and coffees, hot chocolate, juices including a cold pressed green juice, fruit salad, yoghurt, granola, sourdough crumpets, croissants, toast, an English or American style hot breakfast, green pea fritters with quinoa and a poached egg and a breakfast roll.

 

Food/Drinks

Qantas uses a range of Noritake crockery and brush stainless steel cutlery designed by Australian David Caon in consultation with Rockpool’s Neil Perry.  Rather than the crew setting the table with a white table cloth as I experienced last time I flew Business class with Qantas, the food was served on trays with the cutlery wrapped in a white linen serviette.

• 2313 (11:13pm) – We received our welcome drink with both of us opting for a sparkling water over a glass of champagne.
• 0040 (12:40am) – A bowl of green lettuce leaves with vinaigrette and a small dish of wrapped butter was served.
• 0050 (12:50am) – The rest of my meal was served.  As it was already very late, I went with something light for dinner choosing the Zucchini and basil soup with Parmesan croute.  A selection of two types of bread came around and I chose the multigrain. A Lindt ball was also on the tray.  I enjoyed the soup and the bread was nice too.
• 0130 (1:30am) – The cabin crew forgot to bring me my dessert so when I finally reminded them, it was very late when I received my not so light Vanilla crème caramel.  This tasted quite ok although by this time I was feeling very tired.

• 0904 (9:04am Canberra time) – After I finished watching my movie and had a few hours sleep I visited the self service bar where only one of the trays was filled with food.  After the crew who were all chatting together saw me take a photo, one of them started stocking the other tray with items.  One then asked me if I would like a drink so I asked for a hot chocolate which she brought to my seat.  I washed it down with a Lindt filled chocolate from the bar which satisfied my sweet tooth nicely along with a small packet of passionfruit and butterburst biscuits which were just alright.

• 1113 (11:13 am Canberra time) which was evening in LA, breakfast was served.  To drink I had the Urban Remedy cold pressed green juice with cucumber, apple, pineapple, pear, celery, kale and lemon as well as a cup of English Breakfast tea.  To eat I chose fruit salad and yoghurt and warmed green pea fritters with salad of quinoa, kale, poached egg and herbed lemon yoghurt.  Hubby also chose the pressed juice and fruit salad with yoghurt but had a handmade sourdough crumpet and the bacon, egg and cheddar roll with Neil’s barbecue sauce.  We both enjoyed our meals.

 

Restrooms

This aircraft has a business class toilet up the front on the left hand side and another between the two business class cabins that is shared with premium economy passengers.  That’s not a lot of toilets for quite a number of passengers.  I was waiting for over 20 minutes on one occasion.  The toilet has a sensor flush and taps and other than soap, I did not find any additional amenities in the one I used.  The ones on the left hand side have baby change facilities and I believe neither have wheelchair access.

 

Service

I was disappointed in the service this time around flying Qantas.  Gone were the personal greetings, table cloths, face washers and efficient service.  My husband had no bottle of water at his seat, his breakfast menu had been forgotten, and when he went to the self service bar looking for a drink he was ignored by the staff there. My dessert had been forgotten and the self service bar was only half stocked.  There were no antibacterial wipes handed out for cleaning hands or surfaces which in this day and age is rather appalling.  It was sad to see such a drop in the quality of service since I flew Qantas only a couple of years earlier.

Pros

• The lie flat beds are comfortable and it’s nice having a mattress topper
• Pyjamas are always a plus on an airline and greatly appreciated by us and others
• I really like the back massage function the seats have
• There is plenty of storage in the large overhead bins
• The food was tasty even if the choice was rather limited
• The screens are a nice size and there was a good choice of entertainment
• I like the larger windows on the B787 although seated in the middle we couldn’t make the most of them.
• It was good to see Qantas making an effort to reduce it’s use of plastics by substituting them for other materials in their amenity kits.

Cons

• I found the service poor on this flight (see Service)
• No nice amenities in the rest room other than hand soap 
• No face washers were handed out to wash your hands or freshen up prior to meals and no antibacterial wipes were issued either.
• Qantas claims to help alleviate jet lag by getting you ready for the new time zone so I don’t understand why (other than as a cost cutting measure) they would serve breakfast just prior to turning up in LA in the evening.

Conclusion

I understand the airlines have suffered as a result of COVID but I don’t see this as an excuse for poor service.  Based on my experience on this long haul overnight flight,  until Qantas lift their game, I will be exploring other airlines before purchasing a ticket with them next time, despite being a Gold Qantas frequent flyer.