ALL QF's 330's to get lay flat Business seating - Including Domestic

[Dmac6345]

Currently sitting in the MEL F lounge, and have been informed that QF 35 will indeed have the new seats today. Let's see how this goes.

Good luck and enjoy

 

[Awesom Andy]

Does it have a new paint job on the outside of aircraft?

Wishful thinking.

Hopefully I will finally get my upgrade gremlin off my back this time, and won't have this aircraft going tech.

 

[moa999]

Woohoo! pics please! Does it have a new paint job on the outside of aircraft?

QPA was repainted in Singapore in Aug/Sep 2014 to the new livery.
Of the 300's QPC is the only other one with the new livery.

 

[fromheretothere]

Hi all, wondering if anyone has an update on the lay flat business seating for QF 3 and 4 Sydney - Honolulu? We re booked for July but will cancel if not the new seats.
Many thanks

 

[Dmac6345]

Hi all, wondering if anyone has an update on the lay flat business seating for QF 3 and 4 Sydney - Honolulu? We re booked for July but will cancel if not the new seats.
Many thanks

CANCEL- it will be the last route to get the new layout.

 

[smit0847]

CANCEL- it will be the last route to get the new layout.

Yep I reckon it'll be the last- at least 18 months away. CGK and MNL will also be well down the list.

 

[moa999]

Hi all, wondering if anyone has an update on the lay flat business seating for QF 3 and 4 Sydney - Honolulu? We re booked for July but will cancel if not the new seats.
Many thanks

Even July 2016 would be unlikely for HNL for the new seats - which are fully flat

 

[Awesom Andy]

Onboard now. Photos have to wait till I land.

 

[Pushka]

Currently sitting in the MEL F lounge, and have been informed that QF 35 will indeed have the new seats today. Let's see how this goes.

And post the required Pix please?

 

[Awesom Andy]

Today, QF35 had a 100% load for J, so by the time my upgrade cleared, there were hardly any seat choices left, so here I am, in 5A.


The seat is pretty much identical to all the other photos of the domestic version, apart from the colours, so I'll just post one pic for the sake of colours and materials used. The seat is indeed fabric, unlike the domestic version.


This is a seat that would be quite useful for couples, as both 5A and 5D are the aisle-armrest version. The A side is slightly behind the middle block, but it's not too difficult to talk to the other person.

It's also worth noting that the armrest can be positioned up, down, and anywhere in between, so you should be able to find a position to suit you.

The side table is of a good size, and would be quite useful for the likes of notes, laptops/tablets during the cruise. For those who are not familiar, the A4 piece of paper is the menu, and I've placed a glass of bubbles and a serviette in the middle of the table section as a size reference.


Connectivity seems to be minimal, however.


The seat control is the same as the domestic version. It's not made up of buttons, but it's a touch sensitive service, so a light touch is all that's required. The top left "button" is for the upright take-off position. The one below it is for the semi-reclined take-off. Note that the footrest is down. This is followed by the recline position, which has the same recline as the reclined-take-off position, but with the footrest up. And, last but not least, the flat bed mode. To the right of that, there is an air-cushion type massage function (not very useful), the light switch for the console, and the small reading light that is built into the console (the reading light from the ceiling is not controlled from here).

 

[Awesom Andy]

This seat happens to have 2 full windows.


And it's time for take-off, from rwy 16.


Drinks and meals were then served, I chose the wagyu for starters, and stayed with red meat for the main, going for the lamb.




And very soon after, cabin lights were off, and time for bed...

 

[ajw373]

Yep I reckon it'll be the last- at least 18 months away. CGK and MNL will also be well down the list.

Whilst Qantas may well be able to isolate a few routes early on for the new product, there will come a time when the rest of the routes will become a lottery rather than have a defined cut-over date. Also bear in mind that CGK is now nominally a -200 route, -300's are the exceptions now days. Point being what happens there will depend very much on how Qantas allocated the -200's, seeing as it has been confirmed the 4 dedicated international -200's will have Y screens removed and Qstreaming only down the back. So hopefully Qantas will ensure that the newer -200's are allocated to international routes that require a -200.

 

[Awesom Andy]

The new J seat comes with the mattress, much like the Skybed MkII. The usual pillow and the thick blanket combine to serve up a very comfy bed.


The foot-well is narrower than the seat, and for reference, my feet is size 8 (UK size). If you have large feet, try to get a row 1 seat, although you'll probably get distracted by the lights from the galley, especially with a toilet located past the curtains.


It's also a good idea to make sure the mattress and blanket are going into the foot-well when the seat is changed into bed mode, as they might get stuck between the seat and the bulkhead. It's hard to tell from the photo, but things are somewhat squished in.


Refreshments were served about an hour-ish before landing. Unfortunately, I fed my stomach before I fed the phone... But no matter, here's the (hazy) view of SIN for the approach to rwy 20L.


All in all, I find it to be a very good seat, and it is indeed a competitive product. I also notice how narrow it is to enter some of the seats where the table console is on the aisle. There's a narrow gap you need to fit through, and I guess it would feel a bit claustrophobic. In a way, it's very much like a flying capsule hotel, and that's a good thing when onboard an aircraft.

However, there are some small flaws, probably came from a rushed design process. The mattress can be kept on until after landing, however, it covers up the sash belt, so quite a bit of fishing needs to be done to find the belt (used for both take-off and landing). The headrest can also swings downwards, and, at its most extreme end, also gets in the way of the sash belt. The seat recline mechanism is designed to slide forward, and then down. It goes forward quite a long way though, to the point where the tray table cannot be used in certain positions. Also, the leg rest rises up to meet the foot-well, but there is no other support. Hopefully, it wouldn't go the droppy way of the Skybed MkII.

And I guess the most important question is, how does this compare to SQ J (A380/77W long-haul) and CX (Cirrus)? Having been on all 3 in the past 3 months, I would say that it's really up to your personal preference.

The SQ seat is known for its massive space available. If that is what you want, then it serves that purpose the best. However, the flip bed is an annoyance to some. It is also starting to show its age as well.

The QF seat has the largest work area available, and arguably the best bed as well, although not everyone is in love with the mattress, and the foot-well is pretty small. It does a lot of things very well, but at times, it seems a little unpolished too. It's good to have the little things such as the DND button, but it misses other details, such as the extreme ease of having the blanket caught and stuck between seat and the bulkhead when you try to change the seat to flat bed mode. I haven't found a solution to it yet, apart from basically picking up and holding everything, blanket, mattress, etc, out of the way with 1 hand, while holding on to the screen/button with a finger from my other hand.

The CX seat is a few years old, but it's still very competitive. These days, it doesn't really win any individual comparison categories in its own rights, although I feel that it's a more rounded product and is generally quite comfortable. I also don't seem to run into any issues with them, such as having my legs squashed between the seat and the tray table when I play with the seat controls after the meal, or having to perform awkward yoga-like exercises to make sure nothing gets caught/stuck.

I'm not sure if I can choose a winner though, they are all excellent products. In summary, I really like some aspects of the QF seat, but it also has the most annoyance factors. So yes, it's definitely bring QF back into the fold with a competitive product, but I don't think it is ground-breaking as such.

 

[Dmac6345]

Good pics. I didn't know they had a camera at the front landing gear area, which shows on the screen. That's great!!!

 

[pythonisman]

Good pics. I didn't know they had a camera at the front landing gear area, which shows on the screen. That's great!!!

If you're talking about this:

And it's time for take-off, from rwy 16.
View attachment 40965

I'm guessing Andy's pointed his camera out the window as they've lined up to take off? The picture looks far too clear to be a photo of an IFE screen to me

Andy, your photos are awesome, they're just making me more sad I'm gonna be flying on a non-refurb bird next month (And this month!)

 

[Dmac6345]

If you're talking about this:


I'm guessing Andy's pointed his camera out the window as they've lined up to take off? The picture looks far too clear to be a photo of an IFE screen to me


Andy, your photos are awesome, they're just making me more sad I'm gonna be flying on a non-refurb bird next month (And this month!)

Well, if that's the case I now feel like a goose

 

[cmon0005]

Has the cabin lighting been upgraded as well to LED?

 

[boomy]

Well, if that's the case I now feel like a goose

The plane camera looks like this:
View attachment 40979
(This is from QF A380 but you get the idea)
Thanks for the pics Awesom Andy, finally a good incentive to fly on QF A330s again.

 

[fromheretothere]

Thanks for the update. Such a shame as the old clunker is so uncomfortable but I guess as the flights are always full, why make it a pleasure experience for our $5000

 

[Awesom Andy]

I'm guessing Andy's pointed his camera out the window as they've lined up to take off?

That's correct. I'm not aware of any of the QF A330s having cameras accessible via the IFE.

Has the cabin lighting been upgraded as well to LED?

I didn't really notice the lighting, as the flight departed just after midday and arrived just before 5pm (local time), and a few pax decided to leave their window blinds open for the whole way (which they are entitled to do so).