- Best Trip Ever: Introduction
- Review: Emirates First Class A380 Los Angeles To Dubai
- Review: Park Hyatt Dubai
- Review: Afternoon Tea At Skyview Bar Burj Al Arab
- Review: Lunch At At.mosphere Burj Khalifa Dubai
- Review: Emirates First Class Lounge Dubai DXB
- Review: Emirates First Class A380 Dubai To Singapore
- Review: St. Regis Singapore
- Review: Westin Singapore
- Review: Singapore Airlines Private Room Singapore SIN
- Review: Singapore Airlines First Class 777-300ER Singapore To Melbourne
- Review: Park Hyatt Melbourne
- Review: Qantas Club Melbourne MEL
- Review: Qantas Business Class 737 Melbourne To Sydney
- Park Hyatt Sydney Review
- Review: Qantas First Class Lounge Sydney SYD
- Review: Qantas First Class A380 Sydney To Los Angeles
- Review: SLS Hotel Beverly Hills
- Review: Oneworld Business Class Lounge Los Angeles LAX
- Review: Qantas Business Class 747 Los Angeles To New York
- Review: Park Hyatt New York
- Best Trip Ever: Dad’s Thoughts
Qantas 438
Melbourne (MEL) – Sydney (SYD)
Saturday, November 22
Depart: 2:00PM
Arrive: 3:25PM
Duration: 1hr25min
Aircraft: Boeing 737-800
Seat: 3F (Business Class)
Upon boarding through the forward door we were welcomed by Grant, who was the cabin manager. He addressed us by name immediately and directed us to our seats, 3D & 3F.
Qantas’ 737 business class cabin consists of a total of 12 seats, spread across three rows in a 2-2 configuration.
Qantas 737 business class
The seats are definitely on the extreme end of being “pre-enjoyed,” and could use some reupholstering/love.
Qantas 737 business class seats
That being said, the legroom was quite good, roughly comparable to what you’d get in domestic first class within the US. Maybe even a little bit better.
Qantas 737 business class legroom
The cabin wasn’t cleaned very well. Just sitting on my seat upon arrival was a used napkin.
Qantas 737 business class leftover napkin
The seat controls were located to the left of my seat, and were manual and intuitive. The seat does have a footrest, though there’s really not enough room to use it.
Qantas 737 business class seat controls
Immediately above the seat controls were the typical old school radio channel controls.
Qantas 737 business class seat entertainment controls
Once settled in, Grant offered us pre-departure beverages. The choices were either water or lemon juice, and I went with the former.
Qantas business class pre-departure beverage
The door closed at 1:55PM, about five minutes before scheduled departure. The flight was totally full in both cabins. It really is impressive how efficiently flights are boarded outside the US. Or perhaps more accurately, it’s embarrassing how long it takes US airlines to boarding their flights.
We began our pushback about a minute after the door closed, at which point the safety video began to play.
View from 3F Qantas 737 business class
Qantas 737 Melbourne Airport
As we were towed out of our gate we had a nice view of the international terminal, including of a Thai 777.
Thai 777 Melbourne Airport
Qantas A330 Melbourne Airport
Our taxi to runway 34 was very long, despite the captain hauling ass. We made it there at 2:10PM, and were immediately cleared for takeoff.
Taking off Melbourne Airport
Our climb out was smooth, and made me appreciate just how “suburban” the area around Melbourne is.
View after takeoff from Melbourne Airport
View after takeoff from Melbourne Airport
While Qantas’ 737s don’t feature personal entertainment systems, there are overhead monitors with generic, non-interesting content.
Qantas 737 business class entertainment
Our flight time was 70 minutes, and about 15 minutes after takeoff Grant was in the aisle with a cart.
Qantas 737 business class service cart
There were three snack options, including a Thai beef salad, mushroom soup, or a cheese selection.
I chose the beef salad, which was fantastic. It was served with two slices of bread and a sweet chocolate tart for dessert.
Qantas domestic business class snack
Qantas domestic business class snack
My dad selected the cheese, which he enjoyed.
Qantas domestic business class snack
Qantas domestic business class snack
I know I have the sense of humor of a 13 year old boy, but I don’t know what it is with Australians and their terms for beverages. My dad was offered an “uncut Australian” wine, and I just ordered a coffee, and was asked if I “take it straight and black.”
Qantas domestic business class coffee
Grant was fantastic, and must have tried to offer a dozen drink refills in the roughly hour long flight.
Soon enough we were already on our descent into Sydney, which made for some gorgeous views.
View on descent into Sydney
View on descent into Sydney
Our approach into Sydney was rather circuitous.
View on descent into Sydney
View on final approach into Sydney
We ended up touching down on runway 16R at 3:20PM.
Landing at Sydney Airport
From there it was a five minute taxi to our gate past some interesting traffic…
Air China A330 Sydney Airport
Taxiing at Sydney Airport
Jetstar A320 Sydney Airport
Qantas props Sydney Airport
Qantas domestic terminal Sydney Airport
Qantas A330 Sydney Airport
We ended up parking at the far end of the domestic Qantas terminal, next to a 767 (which was retired a few weeks later).
Qantas 767 Sydney Airport
Qantas’ domestic Sydney terminal is modern and fresh.
Domestic terminal Sydney Airport
Our checked bags arrived about 10 minutes after we got to the baggage carousel.
Qantas 737 Business Class bottom line
Qantas does domestic business class very well. Australia is no doubt one of the countries with the best domestic premium cabin products. On flights within Europe, for example, business class is just an economy seat with a blocked middle. So having more space along with great food and service is awesome.
And keep in mind this is the least premium product Qantas offers on domestic flights — their coast-to-coast A330s feature a fully flat business class product, which I’m keen to try at some point.
I’ve flown domestic J with QF several times & can verify that the lemon juice is actually incredibly nice, and very refreshing. It is not a soda or carbonated in any way. It is juice, but slightly sweetened to make it more palatable.
The A332 coast to coast flights are all being progressively upgraded to the new Business Suite; exactly the same as what the refurbished international A333 fleet is getting. All red-eye coast to...
I’ve flown domestic J with QF several times & can verify that the lemon juice is actually incredibly nice, and very refreshing. It is not a soda or carbonated in any way. It is juice, but slightly sweetened to make it more palatable.
The A332 coast to coast flights are all being progressively upgraded to the new Business Suite; exactly the same as what the refurbished international A333 fleet is getting. All red-eye coast to coast flights now have this; the remainder of the flights/fleet is roughly almost half-way through the refurbishment programme.
This older-style of domestic J is almost totally gone and rarely seen now; all the seats are black & red leather and totally refurbed, as others have previously noted.
We skips down under certainly do like a lot of names for our good quality coffee. Our large Italian and Greek communities (Melbourne has the largest Greek population in the world other than Athens) owing to massive immigration from those countries in the fifties and after have had a lot to do with this :-)
For those playing at home:
(a) I'm assuming the "lemon juice" was actually a lemon soft drink, or rather an infused juice with lemon in it. Basically like a lemonade without the fizzy stuff. My guess.
(b) The "uncut Australian" wine is, I am guessing, actually referring to Gemtree Uncut Shiraz, i.e. a red wine made by Gemtree. Australians like to give their wines names, and unusual ones from time to time, e.g....
For those playing at home:
(a) I'm assuming the "lemon juice" was actually a lemon soft drink, or rather an infused juice with lemon in it. Basically like a lemonade without the fizzy stuff. My guess.
(b) The "uncut Australian" wine is, I am guessing, actually referring to Gemtree Uncut Shiraz, i.e. a red wine made by Gemtree. Australians like to give their wines names, and unusual ones from time to time, e.g. in this case "Uncut". Other examples include "Squealing Pig", "Sweet Lips" and "Two Fat Ladies". Usually on board you can get away with just asking "red" or "white", and for those in the know, the grape type.
(c) Some of the 737s have now a refurbished Business product with red leather seats, in-flight entertainment screens stored in the armrest.
Wow that's ancient business class. Qantas have a much nicer business class being installed in some planes now. I haven't seen that sort for ages.
"While Qantas’ 737s don’t feature personal entertainment systems, there are overhead monitors with generic, non-interesting content."
Errrmmm.....I think you might have missed out on some Aussie Rules Football there by the looks of the screen. Further investigation will reveal it's definitely worth paying attention to, if for nothing else than their incredibly short-shorts!
The new A330 business class product is good. Flew this just after New Year SYD-PER - offered orange juice or water pre taxi (in a glass, not plastic mind you!). A few years ago it was sparkling white on offer, no doubt recent losses have accounted for the change. Seats have a preset recline for taxi / take of with a cross-chest strap. Fully flat (and level) is good fot eh 4+ hours to Perth.
Thanks for the info...
a lemon juice? :o
I wouldn't go anywhere near those radio controls. YUK! how dirty they look!
@pointie @Lucky Just to check, is it also necessary to call BA to redeem LAN seats using Avios? (In the same way it's necessary to call AA)
I seem to recall reading somewhere that not all LAN availability shows up online for Exec Club (I did a quick check on ba.com and couldn’t see any award space between SYD and AKL over multiple random dates in November)
@ Daftboy -- There are some routes on which they don't show space because the airport codes aren't recognized, but SYD-AKL isn't one of them. You should see space there if it's available. They release a lot of space last minute, if nothing else.
Speaking of Australian habits: Flew MEL-CNS and CNS-BNE in C a couple weeks ago with QF and on the second flight, just before pushback there was a palm-sized Huntsman-spider hanging on the overhead bins, where two off-duty QF-pilots sat. The steward tried to catch her with a towel but she ran away and jumped down between two seats (geez, those spiders are FAST!). The two guys there just said "oops, that bugger sneaked away", but...
Speaking of Australian habits: Flew MEL-CNS and CNS-BNE in C a couple weeks ago with QF and on the second flight, just before pushback there was a palm-sized Huntsman-spider hanging on the overhead bins, where two off-duty QF-pilots sat. The steward tried to catch her with a towel but she ran away and jumped down between two seats (geez, those spiders are FAST!). The two guys there just said "oops, that bugger sneaked away", but nobody showed any other reaction.
As my girlfriend and I were the only non-Australian in C and even the biggest spider in Switzerland does not grow as large as this Huntsman, our faces looked a little bit confused. So the one pilot turned to me and said with a smile: "you know, if we Aussies don't panic, it's safe for you guys from Europe. Otherwise you should run." Still, my girlfriend kept her feet on the footrest and observed the floor during the whole flight. She was the first passenger to disembark the plane ... :-)
The whole story reminded me a little bit of the movie "Snakes on a plane"...
@Lantean - You got that right. ;)
@lucky That would be great - your reviews are awesome to read :)
@Zach disagree
@Ben Why didn't you route it around through AKL and fly EK A380 F?
@ Abdel Rahim Abdallah -- Hah, because that seemed like a long way to go to get from Melbourne to Sydney, especially since we were already traveling rather circuitously.
I thought you liked them bent and black ;)
:O two reviews in a row!! Time to get bombarded with credit cards now
@ James -- Or how about just getting bombarded with more reviews? ;)
Compared to short haul business class is Asia, we have a pretty weak offering for short haul business down under. Imagine getting stuck on one of those planes for the flight from the east coast to Perth!
@ Miles Down Under -- I don't have to. I take longer domestic US flights on 737s with a similar product all the time. :D
@Lucky - I'm visiting Australia in early March and will be using Avios for a MEL-SYD-MEL trip during my stay. Both flights would be morning flights. My gut tells me that on a 70 minute flight, a quick breakfast and coffee in J probably isn't worth the additional 4,500 avios per segment. Agree or disagree?
@ Zach -- There's no right or wrong answer. I value 4,500 Avios at ~$60, so personally I find that to be worthwhile for priority boarding and deplaning, better service, lounge access, something to eat, etc. But can just as easily make the argument for it not being worthwhile. Sorry for not having a clear cut answer.
"there are overhead monitors with generic, non-interesting content."
Yeah, who needs football/soccer when they could have shown Gay Satan refereeing a RH catfight instead...;)
An interesting tidbit, considering your comment about boarding. Did you notice that the flight attendants perform the boarding duties at the gate for QF domestic flights (at least they used to)? Perhaps that helps with efficiency...
@ Chase -- Hmmm, didn't notice that for this flight.
The picture that says "Taxiing at Sydney Airport" looks more like
"Landing at Sydney Airport". Jus sayin.
@ Matt -- Whoops, thanks, fixed.
Np.
Lucky, slightly off topic, but close - flights from SYD to AKL have some interesting options, such as Emirates (especially first) and LAN - wondering if you had any tips on how to get a good price or via mileage to travel these premium products (LAN seems a bit easier through Avios, but AA never seems to show availability on this route.) Alaska miles can't be used for Emirates on this route, so I guy...
Lucky, slightly off topic, but close - flights from SYD to AKL have some interesting options, such as Emirates (especially first) and LAN - wondering if you had any tips on how to get a good price or via mileage to travel these premium products (LAN seems a bit easier through Avios, but AA never seems to show availability on this route.) Alaska miles can't be used for Emirates on this route, so I guy JAL can, but there's no way for me to gain enough JAL miles for this flight. Any other recommendations?
@ pointie -- LAN releases a ton of award space on the route, so is a great option. You have to call American to book, though, since they don't show space on aa.com.
As far as Emirates goes, I think unfortunately paying might just be the best option. The fares aren't that high, and I don't know of any lucrative programs for booking it.
Four of those retired Qantas 767 are going to WestJet this spring.
Lucky do you find silkair business class better then Qantas regional Business?
@ Fred -- I'd say the hard product is marginally better, yes.
I flew Qantas domestic business class on the 737 between SYD-BNE and BNE-SYD last month. I had the same superb service. And since my BNE-SYD flight was a 7:30am departure, they served us a full breakfast (on a flight of about an hour). I had pre-ordered a fruit plate, and it was enormous. (I can e-mail you the picture if you'd like to post it). And I love that Qantas has a fantastic business class...
I flew Qantas domestic business class on the 737 between SYD-BNE and BNE-SYD last month. I had the same superb service. And since my BNE-SYD flight was a 7:30am departure, they served us a full breakfast (on a flight of about an hour). I had pre-ordered a fruit plate, and it was enormous. (I can e-mail you the picture if you'd like to post it). And I love that Qantas has a fantastic business class lounge available for domestic passengers in both Sydney and Brisbane with good and plentiful hot food and drinks. Our U.S. airlines could learn a lot from Qantas.
@Reine Virgin Australia has similar business seats as qantas, leather upholstered. See here. http://www.virginaustralia.com/au/en/737business/
I'm flying Virgin Australia business class from Sydney to Queenstown in a few months. I know they're overhauling their biz seats, but the route is serviced by a 737 and I don't remember reading anything about their 737s getting new business class products.
who wouldn't want an uncut australian?
;)
Minor correction, they do have some 738s with seatback video.