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

[davec]

Hi All,

Flying MEL-HKG in a couple of weeks (and return a week later) - QF showing 2-2-2 both ways so am assuming its the 'old' cabin. I though that the re-furb'ed aircraft were now live on this route? Anyone got any thoughts?

Cheers,

Dave

 

[moa999]

Flying MEL-HKG in a couple of weeks (and return a week later) - QF showing 2-2-2 both ways so am assuming its the 'old' cabin. I though that the re-furb'ed aircraft were now live on this route? Anyone got any thoughts?

See posts #1110, #1112.
They are seemingly using the two aircraft on four route pairs including MEL/HKG.
Thus roughly speaking you have about a 50% chance on any given day.

 

[davec]

Thanks Moa.

Had a look on EF and it seems that there are only the 'old' seats available for that week (15th - 21st April?)?

 

[Melburnian1]

VH-QPC has formed QF129 from SYD to PVG today and is running early with expected arrival in Shanghai just before 1800, about half an hour ahead.

We know that one of the refurbished aircraft has been once or twice to MNL ex SYD. Is this the first trip of one to mainland China? Which other route 'missed out' today because this plane was sent to PVG?

 

[Flyerqf]

VH-QPC has formed QF129 from SYD to PVG today and is running early with expected arrival in Shanghai just before 1800, about half an hour ahead.

We know that one of the refurbished aircraft has been once or twice to MNL ex SYD. Is this the first trip of one to mainland China? Which other route 'missed out' today because this plane was sent to PVG?

There was a delay inbound on QF130. My guess is that they switched the aircraft so QF129 and QF81 could stay on schedule.

 

[Melburnian1]

That sort of unpredictable occurrence shows the difficulty of checking an online seat map the night before and thinking 'great, I get a refurbished 'bird'', only to find out in the morning at 1000 that it is no longer so. Still, this will always happen with any transport operator that is part way through a modification program but it must be disappointing to AFFers who follow this sort of thing.

The QF website suggests that the Wednesday night 1 April 2015 QF130 ex PVG did not depart until 2007 last night, arriving SYD at 1145 today, more than 26 hours late, while the Thursday evening QF130 departed eight minutes shy of three hours late at 2247, arriving SYD at 1326 this afternoon, three hours and 56 minutes late. It therefore was not just a delay to a single flight, but QF being one A330 'short' due to the 26 hour delay.

Chinese carriers such as MU that operate Australian flights were also late today arriving in SYD and MEL so perhaps there was fog or other weather that affected flights last night.

 

[NinnyPoo]

Reading parts of this thread, I am going to assume that QF6 on Friday April 24 is highly unlikely to be on the refurbished plane. It looks like QF81 and QF82 receive the new plane. Has anyone had the refurb plane on QF5/6?

 

[ajw373]

Reading parts of this thread, I am going to assume that QF6 on Friday April 24 is highly unlikely to be on the refurbished plane. It looks like QF81 and QF82 receive the new plane. Has anyone had the refurb plane on QF5/6?

Qf5/6 for the most part is an international configured -200. None of them have been done and none of the reconfigured (domestic) -200's do international. That said maybe 2 times a week it is a 300 so always a chance.

 

[Cynicor]

I love how everyone is trying time their flights to get this new config an my parents lucked onto it on both flights of their PER-MEL-SIN!

I first realised when dad (whinging Pom) said "Qantas have this stupid new configuration..."

Turns out that as mum is short, it was harder for him to get to the other aisle to help her lift her bags into the overhead locker. All the rest of the seat is fine but he'll only ever highlight the negatives unless pressed.

Mum liked it a lot though.

Edit: crazy poor typos.

 

[Nizar]

Omg I have completely lucked out !
Flying Mel-Syd as part of a Mel-Syd-Hkg J Classic award with the second leg on CX !!

These Business Suites are pure pure class. Keen to see how it compares to CX J (my first time on that too)

 

[QFFHntrGthr]

Good for them. Please also ask your parents which upholstery cover they found more comfortable - the leather on the domestics or the fabric on the 300s plying the internationals. I wonder if the slight difference in recline position between the two refurbs for take off and landing was noticeable to them. Would be interesting to gauge the different experiences.

I love how everyone is trying time their flights to get this new config an my parents lucked onto it on both flights of their PER-MEL-SIN!

I first realised when dad (whinging Pom) said "Qantas have this stupid new configuration..."

Turns out that as mum is short, it was harder for him to get to the other aisle to help her wig her bags into the overhead locker. All the resting the seat is fine but he'll only ever highlight the negatives unless pressed.

Mum liked it a lot though,

 

[Canny man]

Not so sure about 81/82
Came out on a refurbed plane from Sydney last week and decided to upgrade the return as the economy seat map when I booked had the new configuration. Much to my dismay, and 80k points poorer (2 of us), I went to online check in this morning and the 7th April flight from sing to Syd is 2-2-2
i wouldn't have spent the points if I'd known and feel thoroughly ripped off.

 

[Mr_Orange]

I would too. Maybe call up and complain. Tell them you only upgraded because you thought you had the new config and would not have wasted points had you known it would change. The worst they can do is say, "tough luck".

 

[moa999]

Not so sure about 81/82
Came out on a refurbed plane from Sydney last week and decided to upgrade the return as the economy seat map when I booked had the new configuration. Much to my dismay, and 80k points poorer (2 of us), I went to online check in this morning and the 7th April flight from sing to Syd is 2-2-2
i wouldn't have spent the points if I'd known and feel thoroughly ripped off.

Per many posts above,
the current two refurbished aircraft are essentially flying on four route pairs - SYD/SIN, MEL/SIN, BNE/SIN and MEL/HKG (albeit have done a few extras like SYD/PVG, SYD/MNL and BNE/HKG)

Thus at the moment on any given day on QF81/82 you are only looking at a 50% chance of the new config.

The rollout will not be complete until late 2016.
Until then subs will occur, including last minute.

 

[moa999]

VH-EBS (which was nominated as the next A332 refurb by a poster some time ago) is on its first trip to BNE in a while as QF650. Landing in the next 30min.
The repainted VH-QPD continues flying on QF29 MEL-HKG at present.

Given Easter Break is now over would not be surprised if it goes to the hanger.

 

[Canny man]

I think I will give them a call.

The irony is that I've stopped paying for bus class on my almost weekly west to east coast returns. I'd rather the surety of front row economy than the bus class lottery where you are essentially being asked to pay the same premium for two vastly different products.

 

[plugster2011]

Managed to hitch a ride on VH-EBV on a SYD-MEL run on Easter Saturday. The config had been showing as new for about 6 weeks - and I was surprised when it held all the way. I was pretty impressed with the seat - 2A - picked because I wanted to have the console on the aisle side.

Some specific thoughts that may be of interest to other tall travellers - I am 6'5" and I certainly wouldn't want to be any taller with this seat. Mainly because to achieve any recline the seat has to slide forward in the unit - this resulted in having to straighten my legs into the foot well so I could achieve a small recline which for me personally wasn't a comfortable way to sit.

I liked the inflight entertainment and ability to watch from taking my seat to disembarkation - managed to get a 2 hours movie in due a delay in takeoff - however the tv had no vertical tilt adjustment - which i found to be a big oversight as I was not able to get a comfortable viewing angle in the upright position or in the flat position (which i only tried for a few mins for the sake of it on the 1 hour flight).

On the issue of immovable dividers - at my height it certainly was not an issue to see across the cabin in the upright position and from what i could see many people had eyeline above the top of the seats. I would happily travel as a pair in the 2 middle seats - obviously in the reclined or fully flat position it wouldn't be as easy to communicate and it doesn't suit everyone.

Overall its a great seat - i think its a big step up on the old product. And its impossible to make a seat that adjusts to suit every single traveller out there - so my points above are really quite nitpicky. Looking forward to trying it out on the HNL route in 18 months or so.

 

[moa999]

VH-EBS (which was nominated as the next A332 refurb by a poster some time ago) is on its first trip to BNE in a while as QF650. Landing in the next 30min.... would not be surprised if it goes to hanger

Nope. Back to PER.

 

[eminere]

I liked the inflight entertainment and ability to watch from taking my seat to disembarkation - managed to get a 2 hours movie in due a delay in takeoff - however the tv had no vertical tilt adjustment - which i found to be a big oversight as I was not able to get a comfortable viewing angle in the upright position or in the flat position (which i only tried for a few mins for the sake of it on the 1 hour flight).

Interesting - I could've sworn AusBT had reported the screen was able to be tilted this way.

 

[Happy Trails]

Interesting - I could've sworn AusBT had reported the screen was able to be tilted this way.

The screen does tilt, might need a bit of grunt.