My wife and I were fortunate to have a booking on opening night for this new Italian restaurant – Compa in Canberra. For the local Canberran, Compa is located next to Raku Restaurant, in the corner of Canberra Centre. This is a review of the restaurant experience, food, drinks and service.
When we arrived, we were seated pretty promptly and it was clear that the night would be busy. There were a lot of staff on hand greeting and attending to customer needs so that was nice to see as well. We sat luckily no where near the entrance as there was the very typical cool evening breeze in Canberra. Once seated, we were shown the menus, drinks menu and offered sparkling or still water, to which we said still water please.
Now the food menu is one page but boy the drinks menu is extensive. Below is the menu and prices. I had the steak, while my wife had multiple discussions about whether to have the prawn pasta, the Gnocchi or the Fish. In the end, she settled for the Gnocchi, but should have chosen the fish. Based on the menu below, what would have interested you?
Not really a wine drinker I just went for the cheapest red wine I could find. We also ordered a starter, which was the tuna and then had a side, which was the greens, as my wife had always wanted to try it but never got a chance to. The order was placed and so the wait began. The atmosphere in the restaurant was nice, decor and set up looked nice but we were seated next to a big curtain hiding a set of stairs.
Compa is part of celebrity chef Matt Moran’s group of restaurants. So, being opening night, Matt Moran was at the restaurant and serving food to tables and helping staff out while walking around and seeing diners. Sadly I never got a meet and greet with Matt, but the table next to us did and I notice the table behind my wife did as well. Oh well. At least I can say I saw Matt in action.
The starter came out really quickly which was nice. The tuna tasted nice and with the touch of spice it was a nice way to start the evening. For those who know me, you’ll know I can’t take spice. But this was ok, definitely on the more extreme end of my spice tolerance. Not long after the dish was cleared, the main along with side came. You could smell the sear on the steak and on initial presentation the steak looked ok. The food looked very appetising, or was it only because I was hungry?
My wife took a few bites of the gnocchi and noticed it sadly had a bit of a burnt taste to it. She still finished it but the slight burnt taste was definitely noticed. I cut the steak and it was cooked to what I wanted, medium rare. It was really tasty and paired with the red wine jus, perfect. It could have done with more rocket salad though, I think I got 2-3 leaves, along with a wedge of lemon and that was it. The side dish was ok, but it was in the end just greens to us with dressing.
When we had finished, we were wondering where the dessert menu was. This wasn’t given to us at the start of the night, which we thought was different. Anyway the dessert menu was simple, it had 3 options and then dessert wines to go with it.
Our dessert was really good. A nice way to end the evening.
Overall I thought it was a nice evening. Nothing really spectacular or different from your mid to higher end Italian restaurants though. All the dishes tasted good with the exception of that burnt taste from the gnocchi, but some dishes which we could have ordered were probably a tad pricier than what you would see in other comparative Italian restaurants. It looked like the prawns from the entree menu was the dish of the night (given so many went out!) but they were quite pricey.
Would I go back? Probably. But not like next week. Food options are limited some what. But there are other dishes we would love to try, the fish is one of them. They do seem to have more of a drinks menu than food. But the food was served well. It is primarily a steakhouse though I have heard. Their steaks were done well. We weren’t salivating over the food we had so that’s probably the other reason I would say we wouldn’t head back so soon.
Compa restaurant – 148 Bunda Street Canberra City. http://www.comparistorante.com.au Currently open Tuesday – Saturday 12 – 2.30pm and 5pm – late, with Sunday trading starting on Mother’s Day in May 2024. info@comparistorante.com.au
The itinerary: QF1422 Canberra – Sydney VH-QOU (Dash 8-400) SQ232 Sydney – Singapore 9V-SKY (Airbus A380-800) SQ142 Singapore – Penang 9V-MGN (Boeing 737-800)
We finally were heading off to our vacation. When we mean vacation we meant actually away from it all for longer than a weekend or a long weekend. The plan was to incorporate a wedding and of course a break before heading back home.
The itinerary, carefully mapped out was from Canberra to Sydney on Qantas or QantasLink and then connect to Singapore Airlines from Sydney through to Penang. I was hoping that with my silver status on Qantas and Virgin gold for Singapore Airlines there would be some accommodation to get the bags checked through to Penang. I know they used to back in the golden days, but that may not be the case now. Anyway, ensuring that the kids weren’t too tired from the trip, we tried to get layovers in Sydney and Singapore as short as possible to keep pushing onto Penang.
We booked a cab for 6.05am at my wife’s request and wanted a maxicab. In Canberra, Maxicabs are basically 12 seater vans but we had more luggage than needing the seats. They did state on the website there was an inherent risk that there wouldn’t be a maxicab on the day but we needed to book it at least to try and ensure we could get one. Sadly on the day of departure there were no maxicabs and after I think 5 minutes I rung the taxi company to change the maxicab to 2 cabs. One cab was in the area and the other was coming from Campbell, some 10-15 minutes away. But at least we knew we would be on our way, with our 4 big suitcases and 2 small suitcases.
The first cab arrived (1) followed by the second cab (2), which was the one I took with my son. Our cab driver was a little on the crazy side. He was speeding and really gunning for it. The driver even cut in front of the other cab and then sped off. With heavy rain, I was told our cab didn’t have any headlights on. Once we arrived at the airport with the other cab right behind, I was then told the cab driver I had has had at least 3 car accidents previously and was racing to get to a job in Mawson, which was some 15 minutes away after dropping us off at the airport. Crazy driver I reckon.
Getting into the airport, we headed to the International Connections counter and met a very lovely staff member who did his absolute best to make my travels as smooth as possible. While we flew Qantas to Sydney to connect with Singapore Airlines, Qantas did not check the bags through to Penang, our final destination as it wasn’t a through ticket and Qantas weren’t partners with Singapore Airlines. That was all fine but the staff member did their best by making sure we were as close as possible to the front of the plane and ensured priority tags were there to ensure the bags came out quicker in Sydney.
Not much time for the Qantas lounge this time around. Had a quick breakfast (of sorts) and then headed to the first of 3 planes today, QF1422 onboard VH-QOU.
I’ve reviewed the Dash 8 before multiple times. Very routine QantasLink plane though with the ‘expected turbulence’ which never did happen, no service was provided on the plane except a bottle of water before takeoff.
We were told prior to takeoff that the flight time to Sydney would be about 35 minutes. Not bad but once we landed I realized that we had been in the air for just on an hour. Wow. We were told prior to landing while in the air that Sydney airport had told us to slow down due to traffic.
As we needed to collect our bags in Sydney, the mad dash began. We had just under 3 hours to do the connection, check bags in and get to the plane. We thought this would be easily achieved, but it got closer than we thought in the end. Singapore Airlines checked in at Aisle E from Sydney airport. With my Virgin Australia Gold Velocity status, I couldn’t find where to check in for Star Alliance Gold (Singapore Airline’s equivalent) so I headed to the Premium check in counter which turned out to the Suites counter. Check in here was quick, with the bags tagged to Penang with the ‘HOT’ on the tags. Boarding passes were issued all the way through to Penang and we were on our way. I also heard from the check in guy that the flight to Singapore would be full and they can’t wait for the 5th daily flight to start soon enough.
I would like to make a public service and say that if you intend on leaving Sydney airport before 12pm, be prepared for a long wait. The queues were manic and VERY long. All stations were open and looking back, this was the pressure point of the whole experience. We spent maybe a good 45 minutes just in queues and then with my bag being scanned again that took another 20 minutes or so. I am very appreciative of the staff and their enforcement of the rules. When we finally made it through, the family dispersed. I guess Sydney airport has a lot more on offer than I first thought.
While I had Krisflyer lounge access thanks to my Velocity Gold membership, sadly Singapore Airlines are relatively strict when it comes to including entry for children under the age of 17. I know every airline is different. Qantas allows children up to 17 to enter the lounge where capacity is available and where there is a lounge member ticket and I think so does Virgin but yep, encountered the scenario of you’ll have to leave your kids out to enter. Interesting, wonder what happens if any goes missing or gets lost, would that be the airlines fault or mine still? Mine probably.
Fast forward to about 45 minutes, we were told that the gate had opened for boarding SQ232. We arrived at the gate to find our Airbus A380-800 9V-SKY waiting at the gate, ready to take us to Singapore. 9V-SKY is the second last A380 delivered to Singapore Airlines. This particular A380 was delivered in June 2018, built in January 2018 though, making it about 5.9 years old at the time of writing. Boarding was enforced by Groups. Luckily with Virgin Gold, I was able to access group 3 boarding instead of group 6 boarding which the rest of the family had printed on their tickets. The staff at the gate waived it and said no issues since you have the higher group boarding number.
It’s pretty amazing to see how well the ground staff board a A380. I was told we had a full flight, which it virtually was, to be honest, apart from some of the seats that said for crew use only. We were all boarded and the doors were shut at 1223pm. This was only 8 minutes behind schedule and we had started boarding about an hour before departure.
Take off was not long after pushback and we departed from the main runway in Sydney towards the city. About half an hour into the fight the cabin crew started preparing for the meal service. Singapore Airlines offers a main meal and more of a snack during the flight. A snack isn’t a snack per se like peanuts though that was offered, but like a mini pizza or a bake. Regardless, the food on board was really good, even though the menu didn’t look that appealing. The options on the flight were Butter Chicken and Fish with Mushroom sauce. My son ordered the butter chicken and I ordered the fish. I did want to try the chicken but before I could, my son had already finished it. I think this was the first time I saw him finish his meal before mine. Now Singapore Airlines take note, that butter chicken must be good!
The entertainment on board this flight was extensive. The screen was very responsive. We could see the flight tracker, very important to know where we were and then the movies while I think I didn’t get the right timing for the latest movie releases there were a number of classics and recent releases to get me through the 7 hour 54 minute flight to Singapore. Drinks were also made available and let’s just say I really do miss the Singapore sling. I had two and well… loved it. My wife had 3 in the end.
The plane itself was really nice. The decorations for Christmas was a very nice touch. The toilet though was a little dirtier for my liking but it was clean when I first used it. Not as clean according to my wife by the time we landed.
We had at least 4-5 babies on the flight who decided that they would synchronize their frustrations at flying during taxi and take off. Once in the air though, only one child who seemed to have been given a magic potion (since he never slept!) was the chosen one to make all the noise.
The wifi on board the plane was exceptional. Quite amazing to be able to chat with family and friends 40,000ft in the air.
Throughout the flight the flight attendants were attending to passengers and also trying to keep the cabin in a good state. They were checking in on passengers and having conversations here and there. One flight attendant found out my passion for planes and even invited me up to the front of the plane for a picture on what is the iconic staircase for the A380. Sadly, I had to decline because I knew we had a tight layover in Singapore for the flight to Penang. But would love to do it in Sydney on the way back if the opportunity arises.
About 2 hours or so before arrival into Singapore, we were served a light dinner(?) which was a roti. It was ok. Nothing to write home about and again the service from the crew was very efficient. Everyone was served and about 20 minutes before the captain announced the top of descent into Singapore, most if not all the food was already taken care of. When we started our descent through to Singapore, all the crew did was basically finalise the cleaning and pack everything away and they were done.
Eventually we landed at Singapore Changi Airport at 5.43pm and arrived at the gate shortly after. We landed close to terminal 3 where we parked at gate A5. I remember there is a thing that I noticed with all Asian carriers. I can’t put my finger to it, maybe it’s that passengers have had enough of the flight and want to go? But the minute the plane stops, despite the seatbelt sign still being on, passengers jump up and get their bags out and ready to leave.
Onto the last flight. Singapore to Penang. During our very quick layover in Singapore, we went to Terminal 2 and explored what it looked like after its renovations. It still looked pretty good. We didn’t head to the lounge this time around since we knew that there was no real point. The layover was too short for this to happen with a decent meal. We saw that on the display screens that our flight was on final call so we headed into the gate area, F30 and then was told we are boarding. So we got on board the Boeing 737-800 9V-MGN aircraft for the hour long flight to Penang. 9V-MGN was delivered new to Silkair and was integrated into the Singapore Airlines fleet in 2021. At the time of writing the aircraft is 8.2 years old.
The first thing we noticed when we hopped on board the aircraft was that it was HOT. Now I know my son would always complain about the heat, but my wife hailing from Penang, you would not expect her to complain about the heat, but she did. We settled into our seats quickly and the plane pushed back not long after. We were 40 minutes late (were we the ones causing the delay?) and headed off for the 1 hour 6 minute journey to Penang. The taxi to the runway took FOREVER. I don’t think I recall a taxi to any runway at Changi taking THAT long. I swear my son said a few times we’ve been past this area before what is going on.
We eventually took off and after the seatbelt sign was switched off, we were served a light meal of a pastry like bread thing with cheeses on top. Quite tasty but very oily. Tea and coffee was served as well along with water and juice. I think by then I was only on my 4th cup of coffee. Not bad for a 15 hour plus journey at that point in time. The flight was not really that interesting. There was the wifi entertainment but we didn’t use it and after announcing descent into Penang we landed at 8.46pm. About 20 minutes behind schedule. We finally taxied to the gate. Engines off and stopped the stopwatch.
After 16 hours, 6 minutes and 40.17 seconds, we had completed our travel from Canberra to Penang with a layover in Sydney and Singapore.
How would I rate the flight? (Please note this is a personal opinion score, not set against any benchmark). QF1422 – 7/10. Very standard routine flight on a Dash 8. Probably the only thing lacking was the service once airborne but that was nothing the crew could do. We were given water prior to departure.
SQ232 – 9/10. The meals were amazing. The service was very much of a high standard. The only thing difference between this score and a 10 was something very minor. But then again everyone has their opinions.
SQ142 – 7/10. The aircraft was hot. Even with the air vents open the aircraft was still hot. The food was ok and the taxi to the airport seemed to take forever.
There is a waiting list for this restaurant for a reason. There is a reason why the cost for this meal required you to really eat as little as possible for the day. This was a restaurant that really compared it with the best out there.
I normally do flight reports, but this restaurant was and this experience was worthy of a report away from my normal reports. I just hope I do it justice.
Having been put on the wait list for this restaurant for about 2 and a half months, the day had finally arrived for us to experience what is one of the most talked about restaurants in Sydney.
We arrived early (at about 5.05pm) to find the restaurant was not open as yet. We walked around Barangaroo and look it was a nice place, but not really many shops and amenities outside of the Crown precinct. It was hard to see any other shops open or did I not search enough?
When we finally were welcomed in, we were wowed even before getting to our table as we walked past the dessert bar and the fresh seafood bar. The kids were already eyeballing what to have for dessert, whereas my wife and I were eyeballing the seafood (priorities!). We got to our table and our host introduced themselves and then we went and started.
Foodwise: A vast selection of food which included multiple types of food, cuisines and even a noodle, sushi and savory station. WOW was all I could say. The pictures, well they don’t do it justice.
The Sashimi bar had three staff members there who were slicing the fish accordingly. The only disappointment for this was the fact the soy sauce and the wasabi were from packets. Just putting it out there, you’d think for the price you pay the wasabi and soy sauce wouldn’t come from packets!
They had a Chinese stand, where you could get dumplings, noodles, rice, Roast Pork, Char Siu, Duck. An Indian stand had various sauces, papadums and lentils. There was the sashimi bar, which included various Japanese dishes, the seafood stand which had crabs, Balmain Bugs, prawns, oysters, lobster and seafood salad at least. But the list went on. There was the savoury stand along with dessert and of course the chocolate fountain. That is just a taste of the food at this restaurant.
Service was undertaken with a smile. The staff at Epicurean really kept a close eye on your table and cleared it promptly after service. They were also able to tell me the type of prosciutto they were serving which was even tastier than the San Danielle which we normally eat.
While they allocate 2 hours for you to eat till your hearts content, I didn’t feel at anytime they were trying to rush us out at the 2 hour mark. We did leave at the 2 hour mark because we were very full. It was a lovely evening and we have already booked for the next visit.
So, is Epicurean worth the wait? Yes. Is Epicurean worth the money? Well, if you strategically plot what you eat then absolutely! Would I go back? Absolutely, already doing it in October 2022. Go for the food, soak in the sunset. The sunsetting and the mood it sets at the restaurant is lovely.
Enjoy the pictures (the few I took!) and thanks for reading!
Wow. Spectacular, amazing and breathtaking. Some of the simple words I would use to describe today.
I was one of the very fortunate 150 passengers on QF787, the Great Southern Land Scenic flight that Qantas sold out in about 10 minutes when it went for sale.
The morning started on 10 October 2020 with passengers requested to arrive at the airport by 8.30am. Boarding started at 9.45am for a 10.30am departure. Departure gate and arrival gate at Sydney was Gate 10. A number of formalities took place at the Qantas Business lounge, where all passengers were served breakfast, drinks and given a set of pyjamas to wear on the flight. There was also a drinks station serving alcohol with Australian natives. For a Qantas flight it was interesting this stall used an old Ansett Australia trolley cart to serve the drinks off.
Anyway, moving to the food, we were served a bacon and egg roll. Not long after 9.30am the formalities started, with Jim Wilson being our MC. Jim Wilson, an Australian TV presenter now works for Channel 9, but was formally a sports presenter with Channel 7. Jim gave a quite thorough run down of the flight today, spoke with one of the Captains who gave a big run down of the flight path for the flight. Then, we had an auction for some 747 memorabilia. The items on auction were a 747 intercom phone, call panel, Exit sign. Other items included 2 787 flight simulator experiences and a NT experience. All up the auction raised over $12,000 for charity. Not bad for a 20 minute (if that) auction. Prior to boarding we were given entertainment by a member of Icehouse Iva Davies, singing two songs, one of which was ‘Great Southern Land’ and Shannon Noll, who also performed at the gate as we boarded. The Captain explained that the plane was actually woken up from her sleep last week to do this flight.
I boarded ‘Emily’ or Yam Dreaming, the Qantas 787 Dreamliner registered VH-ZND, MSN: 63390, Ln: 669 and took my seat in 51A. This was luckily my second flight on the 787, with my first one on VH-ZNC. The flight, QF787 then pushed back at about 10.35am with takeoff towards the south and then going around the city. We were warned by the flight crew that the power would cut so we could climb to 3000ft instead of 5000ft, standard so we weren’t alarmed (I don’t know the exact term but yup, the captain wasn’t wrong, we were climbing and then the engines didn’t make a sound). Hearing those engines roar to life during the take off was a sound I missed! Emily was woken up only a week prior to the flight and the crew did a test around Sydney the day prior. Firstly, we turned right over Kurnell and then headed around ANZ stadium before tracking through Darling Harbour before heading out and taking a left near Bondi before tracking north.
The flight headed up north past Newcastle, and then up to Byron Bay via Ballina. We snaked our way up the coast before heading to the Gold Coast where we saw the beaches. The weather was amazing. After the Gold Coast we headed up to the Great Barrier Reef. We saw multiple places along the way, one of which included Whitehaven Beach. We flew over heart reef (which is very small) before eventually finishing up near the reefs and heading to Hamilton Island. Hamilton Island was only really seen on the right hand side. Once we finished looping around the reef and islands (apologies if they weren’t in the right order), we headed to Townsville, before turning left heading inland to Mount Isa and then to Uluru via Alice Springs. Once we turned left after Townsville we were served lunch, created by Neil Perry. The food was amazing for economy class food. The time taken to Uluru was about 2 hours. We also watched the movie ‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood’. It was timed quite perfectly. Once we finished we were over Alice Springs. Then came probably the highlight of the day, Uluru. The weather was perfect and we flew as low as about 1800ft (Uluru itself is already elevated. Captain Lisa told us it was about 1800ft once we took everything into consideration). Everyone on the plane was amazed. Others were more worried about people on the ground thinking we’d be crashing because we were so low. Throughout the whole flight the altitude was a lot lower than normal. A very amazing experience flying so low. Pictures really didn’t do it enough justice.
After doing a few loops around Uluru and the surrounding national park, we then headed back for Sydney. Really powering up the engines, we cruised for the best half of 90 minutes before being told we are about to start our descent to Sydney. On the way back to Sydney we were treated to the movie Jumanji the next level. Scenery was breathtaking the whole day and flight. The entertainment on the plane was provided by the Pathfinders people, varying from a Austin Powers inspired parade to a sneak peak new line of apparel appearing on the Qantas Store website next week. Throughout the WHOLE day we were given commentary by the flight crew. Very valuable and insightful. We were also given a commentary by experts of the National Park and also the Great Barrier Reef.
We landed on the main runway at 7.09pm to claps and applause. We made our way back to Gate 10 before everyone slowly but surely disembarked. All up we were away 8 hours 26 minutes. So worth the money paid given the time away.
It was a long day, but it was so worth it. If anything it was inspiring to see what parts of Australia were like that I had never seen before. There was a bit of turbulence but you know what, no one complained. Would I do the next scenic flight? Just tell me where and when and I’ll be there.
I would like to thank the crew, both flight crew and cabin crew for making the day so enjoyable, memorable. Thanks also to the Qantas crew for organising the flight, Jim Wilson the MC and Neil Perry for creating the menu for the day. Everything went quite close to clockwork. To the flight and cabin crew, the professionalism and service you provided was top notch.
Pictures (In no particular order. The last picture was the completed flight route as per FlightAware.com. You can see how low we were during the flight):
Thank you for reading and please share / comment if you like the post.
It doesn’t happen often, let alone in Canberra, but 17 July 2020 was a memorable day. The queen of the skies, the Boeing 747-400 came to my hometown airport for one last hurrah. Booking this flight was challenging, given it sold out in 14 minutes, as the Qantas Executive said. With my ticket booked, I arrived at Canberra airport early and went to Gate 4 to get my boarding pass and my goodie bag. The goodie bag consisted of an amenity kit, a Farewell Qantas 747 flag and the Qantas 747 cap. that was the economy class bag. Sadly, I was not fortunate enough to get a business class ticket. They got a pretty nice looking retro bag.
By the time I got my goodie bag and boarding pass, the queen had already arrived and parked at the gate. The flight crew and some PR people along with some dignitaries came around the waiting area to talk to people. I felt they were still only talking to Qantas staff as opposed to the general public like me. That’s what I felt it was like. With some entertainment at the waiting area and then a presentation for Qantas from the Air Transport Safety Bureau, we all started boarding the aircraft at Gate 4. Flying under COVID-19 conditions meant that for the first time in a long time, I boarded the aircraft from the back of the plane. No complaints though, I got a good shot of the plane prior to boarding. I will say though, those stairs are VERY steep heading to the 747. It felt so much like climbing a steep flight of stairs!
Once on board, I waited in my seat patiently while the plane progressively filled up. 263 passengers boarded this last 747 flight. Eventually the doors shut and in true fashion, we still couldn’t find a few passengers but when they were found, we started pushback not long after. We were given the safety briefing before we headed down to runway 35. I will say though the taxi was very quick. We then took off and boy will I miss those engines coming to full life. We then headed according to the flight plan (Today the very last Qantas 747 will take off on her final passenger flight, soaring over the nation’s capital for the last farewell joy flight from Canberra. She’ll take to the skies around 12pm, heading north and then to the west to take in the sites of the Snowy Mountains, passing over Tumut, Talbingo, Kiandra, Mount Kosciusko, Jindabyne and Cooma before approaching Canberra from the south to pass Woden and fly over Parliament House, down Anzac Parade, over the War Memorial and towards Mount Ainslie. She will then fly down the length of Lake Burley Griffin and loop back for one final stretch down the lake to give everyone stationed shore-side a second look, before returning to the airport around 115pm) The shots of the Snowy Mountain region was amazing. It was a perfect day for flying. On the plane to be honest the people on the window seats would have gotten the best view of the actual overfly of Canberra, as the seatbelt sign was on and we were all seated for probably the best part of the flight. I was in an aisle seat and while I could see Telstra (Black Mountain) Tower from above and it was lovely, I couldn’t get decent pictures. We made a turn and went back to Lake Burley Griffin before landing from Runway 17. one last time. It was bittersweet, as applause filled the cabin and the cabin services manager said her farewell, fighting back emotions doing it. She was retiring after many years with Qantas.
We taxied back to Gate 4, not before getting a water cannon salute and then finally arriving at the gate. It was bitter sweet for me, when I heard the engines being switched off. It’s hard to explain, but to me (the 747) it’s not just a plane that got me from A to B, but it’s a plane that made flying fun, it’s a plane that I am used to seeing whenever I go to Sydney and it’s a plane that I can so associate with the Qantas colours easily. Economy Class passengers were asked to disembark from the back of the plane, not before being given opportunity to take pictures with the queen on the other side. I took my last pictures with the Queen of the Skies before heading back into the terminal where afternoon tea was served and then I eventually, reluctantly left the terminal.
The one thing I was disappointed about with regards to this flight was that Qantas advertised that there would be a guided tour of the 747 by the pilots. This never occurred. There was NO behind the scenes peek of the crew rest area after the flight as well. I don’t know if we had to ask, but there was also no opportunity to visit the cockpit as well. I would not have minded visiting the cockpit one last time or even seeing the crew rest area for the first time… I know this will never occur so hey… maybe Qantas could keep to their inclusions or not advertise it if they don’t plan on delivering on the inclusions.
Apart from that blemish, I reckon Qantas did the Queen of the skies proud, giving people a final opportunity to say farewell and thank you. I am just thrilled to be part of this little bit of Australian history. This was the first commercial 747 flight in Canberra with passengers. Ironically it will most likely be the last one as well, with so many 747 operators announcing the retirement of their fleets.
Living close to the airport, I got one last picture of her leaving Canberra as the 747 positioned back to Sydney as QF6161. I will say, thank you Qantas for making this happen. Thank you Qantas for all the memories with the 747 (I, like many of you will have many stories about your adventures on the 747) and thank you Canberra Airport and everyone who made this day a day to remember. I will say if this is my last 747 flight, it’s a great way to sign off on this bird.
I didn’t do a video trip report on this flight as there were so many people with go pros, video cameras and every other recording gadget known to man on the plane. I captured my pictures and am happy with it. Please enjoy the pictures and thank you for reading this history making trip report. I don’t know what my next trip report will be, but it’ll be hard to beat this one.
So arriving in Sydney International after the transfer from the domestic terminal, the bus drops off at the entry way to the immigration area. My wife and I were able to use the e-gates which made the clearing very swift. Once cleared, the duty free always seems to greet you straight away. We didn’t really need to buy anything so walked through it. I will say to everyone that whatever you want or see in duty free, please check the local shops etc… prior to checking duty free as it isn’t always cheaper.
Having access to the Qantas International Business Lounge, we headed up the escalator to the lounge, passing the Qantas First lounge, which I am determined to visit one day. We arrived at the business lounge which was quite full. I think the Dallas, San Fran, Singapore along with the evening NZ flights were all due to leave so a lot of people in the lounge. QF1 that day was delayed to 7.00pm at least. Nevertheless the selection was decent. There was 2 meat selections and one vegetarian option. The views of the lounge allowed me to see the runway for most of the takeoffs from Sydney. Nothing spectacular happened after settling down for some food and drinks. Pictures of the tarmac are below.
After about 2 hours in the lounge, contacting hotels to inform them that we weren’t able to arrive in time, boarding commenced for our flight to Auckland, onboard the 737-800. The aircraft is VH-VZK, which used to fly as ZK-ZQF in its early days with Jetconnect NZ. The plane was full. I think there was only 2 or 3 seats spare but very random seats were spare. Flight time was about 2 hours and 45 minutes. We would be arriving on time in Auckland. During the flight, we were offered a selection of pork, chicken or a salad. The flight crew you could see had a lot on their plates, getting everyone served, with drinks and a meal. They did it with a smile though. Incoming Passenger cards were also handed out to passengers arriving in New Zealand as well. After the meal, I explored the entertainment options on this trans-Tasman flight. It was limited. For whatever reason, the movie selection was only restricted to the new releases and nothing else. I couldn’t watch classics or any other genre of movies. I watched sitcoms for the whole flight, knowing that I preferred a laugh on planes than to watch a serious film unless there was enough time, which in this case, wasn’t enough time.
Soon enough, the flight crew came on the PA and said that we would be making our descent through to Auckland. At about 10.25pm we touched down at Auckland airport and taxied to I believe gate 16B. We parked next to a fellow 737 that had arrived not so long prior.
Once I stepped into the terminal at Auckland, I realised that I didn’t miss certain elements of the airport. It is still a rather dark airport in colour and I think certain parts should really undergo an upgrade. We arrived at gate 16 and the airport looked welcoming, bright and colourful, but once you got past the duty free shopping, it started to darker and darker until probably after immigration when it got a little brighter again. This had nothing to do with the fact that it was about 11pm at night because these were all lights inside the terminal.
Once we had cleared customs and immigration in New Zealand, we made our way out to the arrivals hall. Tip to Auckland Airport, please make signage clearer for the local airport buses because the signage is quite poor. I was extremely lucky that my wife found the ticket machine for this bus and that’s how we knew we were at the right place. The Yellow Bus is a bus that services the local hotels near Auckland Airport. Auckland Airport is some distance from the city, so a lot of people, like us would choose to stay closer to the airport rather than Auckland City proper.
The hotel for the night was the Holiday Inn Auckland Airport. I didn’t really have much choice in this hotel as it was the only one available for me to use with my IHG points. Lesson learnt from this is to really have some points lying around for that rainy day!
The hotel itself is actually quite nice. It looked like a boat, or was it an aeroplane? Anyway, staff were quite happy given the late time in the evening (it was about 11pm). Once checked in, we headed to our accommodation for the next 8 hours. Like literally it was about that because our flight out of Auckland was 8.35am the next morning. The hotel was missing one thing and that was a lift. I couldn’t find it, but maybe it was hidden. A hotel with no lift and my room being through 2 flights of stairs was not going to be fun. Apart from that, the hotel had decent facilities and amenities, with the bathtub, bed and it seems its just a New Zealand thing, but the air conditioning units are on the floor. Most of the other hotels around the world I’ve stayed in (New York, Los Angeles, Hong Kong etc…) seem to always have the units on the roof. Nevertheless, the room was a room. I was very appreciative that hey at least I could get decent sleep for the night.
14 February 2020: Valentine’s Day. I didn’t really have anything ready for my wife, but hey a flight to Rotorua doesn’t sound too bad a Valentine’s day gift right?
We left the hotel quite early, but it was later than what the staff said. Our flight to Rotorua was at 8.35am and having checked in already, we knew that we just had to be there by 8am at the latest. We were there earlier. Catching the Yellow Bus again, we arrived at the domestic terminal. This flight was always going to be interesting as I have yet to experience Air New Zealand domestic. Anyway, check in was fine, kiosks and then approaching baggage drop, it was not crystal clear that my flight being regional, bag drop needed to occur further down. I was informed of this by a staff member. Fine, no issues, I’ll drop it further down. For peak hour though, there seemed to be a very very small amount of actual baggage drop stations for regional flights. Anyway, bags dropped, boarding passes issued I thought to explore the terminal. Now from one end to the other, you have Regional flights to Air New Zealand Domestic flights (Queenstown, Christchurch, Wellington, Dunedin, basically anywhere the A320 flies to) and then you have Jetstar domestic. Amazingly though, all the food was down near the Jetstar end of the terminal! There are no real scenes of the tarmac as our flight was a regional flight and the waiting area was before the boarding gates.
I guess problem 8 (are we up to that?) occurred when we were informed by the ground staff that our Air New Zealand plane would still go ahead, but there would be no toilet on the plane as it was broken. Hmmm… I’m ok with that but come on Air New Zealand, Auckland being your major hub, surely you could have subbed in another plane to do what is in essence a 90 minute round trip? Anyway, I think a lot of the passengers then just headed to the facilities before boarding. We flew on ZK-NEG, a Dash 8-300 in the original blue and green livery.
Getting a seat and bag fare, I did pre-purchase my seats, which was more forward on the Dash 8 but given the last minute change, for some reason Air New Zealand didn’t allow me to even re-select my seat. I wonder if that is fare, given I did pay to select specific seats which I was not given on my actual flight in the end.
Once on board there was only 1 flight attendant. We headed to our seats which was the back of the plane. Interestingly enough, there was at least one clear row between us and the rest of the passengers on this light flight. Wonder what was happening there? Anyway, flight time was given as a very short 27 minutes and we would be climbing to 7000ft, if I am was not mistaken. Once we took off, service commenced. Now, it said on the ticket that I would get a snack and drink. We did get a drink, water. We did get a snack, those Air New Zealand famous lollies. I get it, it was a short flight, but hmm… a muesli bar is better than those lollies… Virgin Australia even offers a muesli bar between Canberra and Sydney!
The snacks aside, the scenery in New Zealand in amazing. To see it from above is even more spectacular! We landed not long after 910am at Rotorua Airport. It was 2 sheds pretty much and I got to admit a cute little airport. It was raining when we landed, well lightly drizzling which didn’t help because there was no covered walkway! We then got our bags and picked up the rental car, which again TIP: You will need a car in Rotorua to get around the place. It’s going to be very hard to do a lot of things without one. Just remember to leave yourself enough time to return the car just prior to any flight because there’s nothing to do at the airport if you return the car early.
All in all, getting to Rotorua, we arrived about 13 hours after we were meant to arrive. We had about 8 problems along the way, saw the staff at Qantas in Canberra work tirelessly to get me to my destination and through this experience will have many dinner stories to tell at the parties we attend.
Would I fly Qantas again? YES. Without a doubt I know Qantas have gone above and beyond to help me out in my time of need. They didn’t leave me high and dry and heck, even a ground staff member was offering to give me a lift home if I didn’t make it out. I would say to Qantas though, for even trans-tasman flights, please unlock the classic movie collection on the 737 that we were able to browse though on the dreamliner back home. The very limited selection of movies was a bit of a bummer for the flight to Auckland.
Would I fly Air New Zealand again? Well, yes (I write it in normal letters). I think I would drive the next time to Rotorua. For the exorbitant price I paid to fly to Rotorua, it really isn’t worth your money. To only be given lollies and water on the flight, what’s worse on a flight without a working toilet… I get it Air New Zealand, you just want our money but come on, at least give us something more substantial than just water and lollies, even for a short flight like ours. Virgin offer something more substantial for an equivalent short flight! I would fly them if I had to. But I wouldn’t mind experiencing their A320 service to compare next time.
I’ll post up in due course our return flights, featuring the Qantas 787 dreamliner.
This trip report is on a Valentine’s Day weekend that originally was meant to be to Perth on Virgin Australia, but due to a very frustrating and disappointing time taken trying to sort the issue out with Virgin Australia, my wife and I decided to go somewhere else for a Valentine’s Day getaway.
So here is to the trip that just about had it all.
Before I start, for the record, I would like to take my hat off to the front line staff of Qantas who have to deal with the various customers good and bad. It is amazing though to see the Spirit of Australians hard at work and so alive. The trip nearly didn’t go ahead but the Qantas team at Canberra airport worked tirelessly to get us on our way. To Cara and the team at Canberra Airport, we did it!
You maybe thinking how did a Virgin Domestic flight to Perth end up being a Qantas International flight? It was simple. For the amount of money I would have had to spend in Perth, the amount was pooled and this amount was roughly equivalent to the amount of money spent on this trip. Therefore, the logical choice was to go somewhere we hadn’t been before. TIP: for any trip, take the costs and then decide, for what you are spending, decide can you go further, to a place you want to go? My wife and I have done this twice, once to London, instead of Los Angeles and this time, Rotorua instead of Perth. This is another story for another day.
So we tried to book flights to Asia, Singapore in particular, but the only problem was COVID-19 (aka Coronavirus) still at its peak. The risk was too high to go. Having been everywhere else in the area, we decided to settle on Rotorua, New Zealand. Why Rotorua you ask? Multiple Hot Springs, Lake Taupo and Hobbiton. My wife and I sure needed R&R so this would be a nice opportunity to achieve it.
Having decided on the flights, it was booked and nerves were a lot calmer. The day of travel had arrived. Very specific flights were booked to get to Auckland, as I wanted to fly on the Qantas widebody fleet and get to Rotorua on the same day. The flights booked were QF1516, QF145 to connect to Rotorua NZ8159. On the way back I booked specific flights that would allow me to experience the Qantas 787 Dreamliner.
Date: 13 February 2020, day of travel. Also, a day of multiple problems!
With a 945am departure, we left our place and caught an Uber, which was excessively expensive, $50+, especially when I changed extra for a rush where I only changed the booking by 10 minutes. This was a day of multiple problems. It really felt as though we were not meant to travel. We got to the airport and started checking in for our flight to Sydney, QF1516. Problem 1 then surfaced. This was the New Zealand Tourist Authority was saying that my wife didn’t have a valid authority for entry. No problems, this was resolved quickly. TIP: Always get the NZ Visitor Waiver Visa from the NZ Government website. A link is included here: https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/apply-for-a-visa/about-visa/visa-waiver. But then Problem 2 surfaced. I was told by the check in team member that the flight was delayed, possibly due to a lightning strike. This was never confirmed, but they said it was mechanical in the end. The new scheduled departure time was close to 12pm. I informed the team member that this was going to be hard as we had a connection to Auckland at 1215 and then a connection to Rotorua at 1950. Qantas said we can get you on a flight that can get you to Auckland, but getting to Rotorua would be very hard.
Problem 3 then surfaced, which was that my wife’s residential return visa had actually expired. 5 years it is valid for but no reminders were given. So another phone call and another massive wait. This was truly the worst part because to get this fixed, it could have taken anywhere from 4 minutes to about 5-7 days. This was eventually resolved. But let’s just say that was 40 minutes of my life. Worst time to spend over $400 to get the Visa renewed, but hey… it was worth it.
Once problem 3 had resolved, the ground crew at Qantas in Canberra airport got my wife and I underway, with the final itinerary as QF1478 and then onto QF147 for Auckland. We had to stay in Auckland for one night because there was no possibility of getting to Rotorua on the same day. Problem 4 was telling Air New Zealand this and compassionately asking them to change a non changeable flight, otherwise as everyone knows, miss the first flight, you miss all your flights. Luckily calling Air New Zealand a second time, they were able to change us to the following mornings first flight to Rotorua. All up a 13 hour delay from our original arrival time.
We didn’t have much time to relax in the lounge at Canberra airport. Our first flight, QF1478 was boarding within about 30 minutes. We headed to the gate, gate 13 and boarded the plane. We were relieved that after the number of problems we encountered, we’d finally be on our way. Or were we?
Problem 5 then surfaced. 5 problems just getting out of Canberra was a first for my wife and I. My wife was commenting that we should never have taken this trip and these 5 problems were a sign. As we were taking off, I could hear the plane at full throttle, but then within 15 seconds it felt the engines were CUT. The plane stopped very quickly and the plane was moved onto the taxiway. We were then told that the flight had experienced an aborted take off (Problem 5) and that we would be underway momentarily. My wife and I were thinking can it get any worse?
We finally took off to Sydney towards the south. Flight time was about 45 minutes and we were in Sydney by about 2pm. So far, 5 hour delay from our original departure time.
The trip across to the International Terminal always is a great one. Some photos below (I didn’t get many, given the problems I had experienced along the way):
So this is a continuation of my pre-launch stay at the Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour. I am continuing this from our exploration of the hotel and then the charity event before our departure and flight home on the Virgin ATR 72-500.
So my wife and I explored the hotel, as instructed by the staff at the hotel. We left the room and explored the 4th floor, which was where the pool and the gym was located. It was like a little paradise on the 4th floor. There were many reclining seats and a lot more space to allow people to admire the infinity edge pool and the bar area as well. I’m a bit fascinated by the fact that the pool isn’t a swimming pool, more it’s just a pool to be a pool. It’s not a big pool. The poolside bar was nice and the area as a whole really sets the mood for just a relaxing area.
Onto the evening. The Sofitel put on a special charity canapés where the guests were invited to get together and mingle over canapés. Canapes have always meant that it would be like finger food, but boy was I happy to be wrong this time. There were three areas for this function, the lobby area outside the main ballroom, the ballroom itself and the Atelier Restaurant. We managed to get a table next to a lovely couple from the Blue Mountains. From the pictures you can see below, the canapés were impressive. I think overall the function was great, but there wasn’t anything official, despite the fact there were rumours of David Koch and Samantha Jade being part of the entertainment.
Breakfast at the hotel was busy. But the selection was nice and staff were friendly. We got our table quickly and enjoyed the food. It was rather disappointing to see though that it took a long time for tables to get cleaned. Most of the staff were run off their feet to ensure tables were cleaned for new guests and other tables were cleaned in general.
Despite the fact it was a full hotel for the night, when we checked out, there was no wait. We were advised to use express check out to avoid any waiting. Luckily there was no wait.
We headed to the airport via a taxi. Cost was about $45.00. This was quicker than walking to the nearest train station though, getting the Redy2Go airport shuttle may have been better which would have only saved us about $3.00 in the end for 2 people ($21 each was what we were quoted).
At the airport, we went to our priority checkin line being a Gold Velocity member with Virgin Australia. We then headed to the busy club before boarding our flight back to Canberra. Sydney’s Virgin lounge was busy at about midday. The view is not spectacular unlike the Qantas Club and unlike the Qantas Club, there was only beers and wines but no spirits. Food wise though, Virgin has really got an upper hand compared with Qantas.
The flight home:
Flight: Virgin Australia flight VA654
Origin: Sydney
Destination: Canberra
Aircraft: ATR 72-500
Registration: VH-FVX, MSN: 986, Delivered May 2012.
Load: 63/68 passengers
Not many pictures were taken of this flight. It was a very typical ATR flight, however the seats for some reason had the area under the tray table ripped. That was rather disappointing. Otherwise, we were served a chocolate chip cookie for the flight. We left at 3.45pm from Sydney and arrived in Canberra at 4.28pm. It was a 43 minute flight.
The Captain did announce that we weren’t expecting much turbulence as we got closer to Canberra, however as we landed, we had turbulence. We arrived at gate 7 at Canberra Airport. The bags did take what seemed to be a LONG time to arrive.
Pictures, as always are below. Thank you for reading.
I have been waiting a while for this day to come. It finally has. This is my review of the newest 5 star hotel in Sydney’s CBD, The Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour.
But first – my very brief flight report on the Embraer 190 up to Sydney.
Airline: Virgin Australia
Flight: VA637
From: Canberra
To: Sydney
Aircraft: Embraer 190
Registration: VH-ZPO
MSN: 321, Delivered November 2009
Load factor: 61/98 (2 in Business Class)
Departure Time: 0915 (Take Off: 0921)
Arrival Time: 1001 (Landed: 0955)
Flight Time: 34 Minutes
I arrived at Canberra Airport at about 0745 for the scheduled 0905 departure, only to discover that the flight was running late from Brisbane. The lounge was not too busy at about 8am in the morning, however there were a number of Virgin Australia flights awaiting departure. I didn’t actually realise that Virgin operated the Boeing 737 on some Sydney – Canberra flights, let alone the Canberra – Sydney flight since I was under the impression that the flights were exclusively ATR72’s.
Never the less, when the aircraft finally arrived in Canberra from Brisbane it took what seemed to be an eternity for the aerobridge to be connected. There was a good 10 minutes after the aircraft arrived at the gate before the bridge was connected. Everyone disembarked quick haste and I could see the luggage being loaded as I waited for boarding.
I boarded the plane from gate 8 at Canberra airport. Most passengers had already boarded. In the seat pocket was the Voyeur Magazine from Virgin Australia and the Menu along with the vomit bag. The manager announced that the flight time was 30 minutes. We pushed back on the new scheduled time of 915am and took off at 0921. Once in the air, I was offered a snack and cold drink. It was announced due to the turbulence, no hot drinks were offered. (I don’t know why… There was no turbulence in the end).
A quick flight is a good flight and this is what this flight was. We touched down in Sydney at 0955 on the main runway, 34L. A short taxi and we started disembarking at 1003am. The luggage arrived about 10-15 minutes later which was a little disappointing.
Overall – Impressed this time with the service from Virgin Australia. Thank you, looking forward to the trip home.
I took the train to St James and started walking towards our digs the for evening, the Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour.
… The Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour …
Given I was very fortunate to be one of the first to stay in this hotel, it was a no brainer to do a report as well and give my recommendation. First impression – Impressive. We were greeted by a number of staff members when we arrived in the lobby. It is directly opposite the International Convention Centre, very convenient as a conference hotel. Check in was very swift and our room was ready without a wait (Well it had to be… No one stayed in it prior!!)
We (my wife and I) were told we were the first guests to stay in the room. It definitely showed. Why? that new room smell was like a new car smell. The view was amazing, we had about 180 degrees which was City and towards the airport. The ambience of the room was nice. The colours weren’t overpowering and quite nice. The bathroom was even more impressive. Bathroom was one with a view, so was the toilet!
The bed – lovely king size bed with decor similar to a lot of luggage bags. The TV was large and the size of the room was adequate for 2 and a sitting lounge near the door. As can be seen from the pictures, there isn’t much room for anything else if you still want to move around. The wardrobe was adequate, with a top opening safe.
We then explored the facilities… Most of it was open, however Club Sofitel or its equivalent was off limits. I went to the pool, which gave a relaxing atmosphere, infinity pool, but it was small. I am pretty sure the main aim is just for people to lounge around. I went to the gym, which had GREAT views. All the equipment was new and the room smelled nice and new. There was no sweaty smell like it had been used.
The hotel conference facilities were next, and can be seen in the next post, the area was spacious. The restaurants had the very new smell and the staff were getting everything prepared for the gala charity event of the evening (on the next post).
My first impressions of the hotel is great. Would I stay here again? Absolutely. Especially if I have conferences at the ICC (International Conference Centre, Sydney), which is right next door.
More to come… The overnight stay and gala event, along with the trip home, on another type of plane Virgin Australia plans to retire, the ATR-72-500.
I decided to take a detour in my routing from Canberra to Sydney and travel via Melbourne to try both Virgin Australia’s business class and Qantas’s Business Class products. Both fares were quite cheap and I needed to gain some status credits.
I will admit that the comparisons were between the Boeing 737-700 from Virgin Australia and the A330-200 from Qantas. It’s a little skewed, but I think there are little bits there Virgin Australia could do to improve their service. I think they have, given what I have read today as well.
Enjoy!
Flight 1: Canberra – Melbourne
Flight: Virgin Australia flight 252 (VA252)
Aircraft: Boeing 737-700, VH-VBY, ‘Kingston Beach’, S/N: 34323, Ln: 1751, First flight: July 2005.
Aircraft Load: 107/128 (2 in Business Class).
Seat: 1A
Departure time: 0620 (Actual: 0620)
Arrival Time: 0730 (Actual: 0723)
Actual flight time: 55 Minutes
I arrived at the airport early, in anticipation of having some time at the lounge before departure. Check in was quick and efficient. However, I forgot that Canberra Airport’s security check does not open until 0500. I had about 15 minutes to spare having completed formalities. Once through, I went to the Virgin Australia lounge. It was a decent sized lounge, with a simple array of hot food on offer for breakfast. This included Bacon, eggs and pancakes. I chose the Bacon and eggs. The crowd was light, given there were only two departures leaving at that time.
I eventually made my way to gate 8 for departure. Being in seat 1A, I pretty much boarded the aircraft immediately once they announced boarding. I finally arrived on board the aircraft to be greeted by Amanda and Carmen. Carmen was the supervisor of the flight and welcomed me on board. We had a quick chat about the plane and she said that there’s only 1 (I think she means 2) of these planes (the -700 series aircraft) flying so they find it a little harder to adjust to when they know they are flying it, since they are used to the -800 series.
The seat was simple, a recliner seat, however no legrest. I think I was disappointed at that in the first instance. I was offered a Juice or water prior to departure and I opted for the Orange Juice. We pushed back at 0620 and were told that we would be having a flight time of 55 minutes and who the rest of the crew were for the flight. We followed pretty much the whole time the competitors Melbourne flight, QF795, VH-VXL which left literally seconds before we did. It also arrived literally seconds before we did.
We took off towards the north and then turned left and headed for Melbourne. I was offered a breakfast of spinach and mushroom omelette with smoked salmon and fruits. It was tasty, however I would have liked more than 5 pieces of smoked salmon on the plate. The omelette was a little dry however tasty, nevertheless.
The entertainment options on the Boeing 737-700 were limited as it was the portable devices only. I had to be content with watching Iron Man for the majority of the flight.
We started our descent through to Melbourne and landed at 0723. We taxied to the gate and left not long after 0730. All in all it was a good flight, the business class seat wasn’t really that great. Definitely not worth the business class price they charge. I was very fortunate to get it for a decent price.
Some pictures:
Now the competitor: Qantas and their A330-200 Business Class.
OK, as said above, it’s a little harder to give the best comparison since I took this flight on the A330-200, which does have the International Business class product. Nevertheless, given the similar prices, I thought it would be a nice comparison.
Flight 2: Melbourne – Sydney
Flight: Melbourne – Sydney, Qantas Airways flight 422 (QF422)
Aircraft: Airbus 330-200, VH-EBO ‘Kimberley’, MSN: 1169, First Flight: November 2010.
Seat: 4A
Departure time: 1005 (Actual: 1007)
Arrival Time: 1135 (Actual: 1106)
Actual flight time: 1 hour 18 minutes (shorter due to great tailwinds).
We left from gate 23. The plane had arrived from Sydney as QF411. It was late in, however we left on time. There were a lot of people to board, it is a credit to Qantas to use dual bridges for boarding on the Airbus 330-200. Eventually boarded the aircraft to be greeted by cabin crew and was shown to my seat. I note there were a number of crew members travelling to Sydney on board this flight.
My first impression of the Business Class seat: For the price that I paid it was very impressive. I tried the recline position for takeoff. It’s not a full recline because as the flight attendant said you need to be able to be able to escape if in the event of an emergency. I was offered sparkling or still water prior to take off. Admittedly I thought at least a juice would have been offered too. Nevertheless, I started watching my TV shows (Modern Family) for the flight, as I knew I couldn’t watch a whole movie.
We took off and not long after the crew served our meal. On this flight, were offered a beef sandwich, salad and another meal which I forgot. I chose the beef sandwich and boy was it good. (It could be that I was just hungry as well). The seat itself was good. Row 2A, 2K, 4A and 4K at least I know have the table side of the seat on the aisle. This is advantageous because it gives you access to the window more. That was great. I tried the seat in the full recline position as well. I could get used to it.
We were told by the captain that we would be landing early, however there were winds of up to 40 km blowing from the west. This meant that rather than landing originally from towards the north, we actually landed from the east (I think – It was opposite to the side where the runway meets the international terminal). The landing was bumpy and I can only put that down to the winds.
We taxied to gate 4 and left the plane promptly thereafter. My bag came out not long after. There was a slight delay due to a pram clogging up the conveyor belt.
Given the price I paid for both flights (~$499 each), the products I got to experience, I would say Qantas is the winner quite comfortably on this one. I couldn’t compare it with ‘The Business’ but I will compare it with ‘The Business when I get a chance.
Thanks for reading. I have a few pictures of the flight, however not many as there as a lot of pictures of VH-EBO out there. 🙂
luithefly 