PaulST
Established Member
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2014
- Posts
- 1,196
I caught a flight in Retro Roo 2 today from SYD up to OOL and thought I’d upgrade to J on points for the special occasion (yes, it’s not a great use for points, but anyway).
Boarding:
Again, QF can’t do priority boarding. And it seemed that everyone who wasn’t familiar with boarding and priority were in the premium lane, but anyway, there’s bigger problems in the world… At least the staff at OOL (on my return) did a good job, even a “Welcome back on board Mr Stewart” (I’m only SG) as I had my pass scanned.
Retro Roo 2 is a great looking bird. I’m far too young to remember the 707s with this livery, but I still feel somewhat nostalgic seeing it. I was fortunate enough to see RR1, RR2 and Mendooworrji that morning so now my iPhones memory is full of QF 737s.
The crew:
They were great with a very friendly and keen CSM who referred to me by name (even without a cheat sheet- that I could see anyway). Service was prompt.
The cabin:
While I understand this is a refurbished 738, the interior is a bit so-so. The roof doesn’t seem like it’s BSI (??) and seemed quite dated. The red leather seats look good although the separating panel between the J and Y cabin is quite minimalistic (in comparison with the older curtains) and you’d feel bad reclining into the Y cabin. The seat adjustments are fine (with good lumbar support) although I couldn’t find any power points or USB ports!! There was also no IFE screens, so if anything, Retro Roo 1 has a better interior IMO (has both power points and TV screens).
Food/drink:
As this was a morning flight, there was no alcohol which was fine by me. I had a salami and cheese salami which tasted fine (and was the same meal as I had in RR1 IIRC). Meal service was prompt.
The flight:
We arrived on time and the view was great. I’m actually moving to Lismore for a 6 month stint next month and I was amazed at how beautiful the whole region is. The view leaving OOL was even more amazing, although sadly I didn’t record any of it on my camera.
In summary, a good flight although I still think it’s poor having no TV screens or power points/USB ports in J! It’s less of an issue on such a small flight, but on a longer flight I’d be quite cross (East-West, flights up to Darwin, Cairns or Singapore). I rather Retro Roo 1, with the older interior which includes a TV screen and power points!
[video=youtube;ZRimkQH5_fg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRimkQH5_fg[/video]
Boarding:
Again, QF can’t do priority boarding. And it seemed that everyone who wasn’t familiar with boarding and priority were in the premium lane, but anyway, there’s bigger problems in the world… At least the staff at OOL (on my return) did a good job, even a “Welcome back on board Mr Stewart” (I’m only SG) as I had my pass scanned.
Retro Roo 2 is a great looking bird. I’m far too young to remember the 707s with this livery, but I still feel somewhat nostalgic seeing it. I was fortunate enough to see RR1, RR2 and Mendooworrji that morning so now my iPhones memory is full of QF 737s.
The crew:
They were great with a very friendly and keen CSM who referred to me by name (even without a cheat sheet- that I could see anyway). Service was prompt.
The cabin:
While I understand this is a refurbished 738, the interior is a bit so-so. The roof doesn’t seem like it’s BSI (??) and seemed quite dated. The red leather seats look good although the separating panel between the J and Y cabin is quite minimalistic (in comparison with the older curtains) and you’d feel bad reclining into the Y cabin. The seat adjustments are fine (with good lumbar support) although I couldn’t find any power points or USB ports!! There was also no IFE screens, so if anything, Retro Roo 1 has a better interior IMO (has both power points and TV screens).
Food/drink:
As this was a morning flight, there was no alcohol which was fine by me. I had a salami and cheese salami which tasted fine (and was the same meal as I had in RR1 IIRC). Meal service was prompt.
The flight:
We arrived on time and the view was great. I’m actually moving to Lismore for a 6 month stint next month and I was amazed at how beautiful the whole region is. The view leaving OOL was even more amazing, although sadly I didn’t record any of it on my camera.
In summary, a good flight although I still think it’s poor having no TV screens or power points/USB ports in J! It’s less of an issue on such a small flight, but on a longer flight I’d be quite cross (East-West, flights up to Darwin, Cairns or Singapore). I rather Retro Roo 1, with the older interior which includes a TV screen and power points!
[video=youtube;ZRimkQH5_fg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRimkQH5_fg[/video]
Another 738 today was horrendous, but nothing a bit of spit and polish can't fix. Well polish anyway. 
