First Qantas A220 revealed

[justin23]

Yes.

So you have a 50% chance.

Btw the interiors are identical

yeah and i'm flying J, but curious to see the difference in the legroom seats in Y. I'd pay the asking price for those normally and also more likely to fly Int ex-MEL if the A220's fly this route and the Dash-8's don't get replaced/refurbed to Sydney. I think they could have kept the 717's to replace Dash8's but guess running costs and load were a factor.
Ultimately i'd love to see the A220 do Int from CBR..... but I know I'm dreaming, apparenlty the Fiji and Bali flights though are selling well ex CBR on Fiji and Batik air.

 

[RichardMEL]

Re Dashies and 717s.. 717 is way too big for some routes capacity wise(2x-near 3x capacity depending on models/config), and some regional airports can only take smaller aircraft. ARM for example can only take up to a DH3 last I heard. Not even a Q400 can go in there.

The 717 and Dash 8 essentially have different missions.

 

[Harrison_133]

ARM for example can only take up to a DH3 last I heard. Not even a Q400 can go in there.

Slightly off topic from A220s, but Armidale will be going mostly Q400 from May.

 

[RichardMEL]

Slightly off topic from A220s, but Armidale will be going mostly Q400 from May.

Cool. Musta been upgraded or certified or whatever.I used to fly in and out about 8-10 years ago - before they put security in lol and iirc was told the 300bwas biggest they could fly in. Good to know. Would have preferred the Q400s back then!

 

[justin23]

The 717 and Dash 8 essentially have different missions.

Oh i agree, except you'd think the Syd-CBR routes could be smaller jets. I love them if the seat next to me is vacant.... but lately they've been full and while there has been less cancellations..... the Y extra legroom seats on the A220 might be my new preference.

 

[RichardMEL]

Oh i agree, except you'd think the Syd-CBR routes could be smaller jets. I love them if the seat next to me is vacant.... but lately they've been full and while there has been less cancellations..... the Y extra legroom seats on the A220 might be my new preference.

As the 223 fleet grows, I am sure some will rotate through SYD-CBR as the 717s do.

Reality is that QF have used dash8's on this route for frequency, because the market doesn't support high frequency larger jets. Given the 223 holds more than the 717, you can not expect them to do this route in great numbers on a regular basis imo.


Looking at this week for example, there's a pretty frequent schedule on CBR-SYD - more or less every half hour in morning and afternoon peak and every few hours during the moddle of the day - just about all on Dashies with a few 717s at the start and end of the day(which is around 5pm oddly). Varies a bit by day of week.

Point being that its clear the schedule favours frequency flexibility over capacity. Even if a few get cancelled(as happens) there's still a fair number of services.

Anyway it's such a short flight....

 

[justin23]

Point being that its clear the schedule favours frequency flexibility over capacity. Even if a few get cancelled(as happens) there's still a fair number of services.

Anyway it's such a short flight....

Look a refurb of the Dash8's would be fine as well..... It's been rare though for me to actually ever fly on the Dash8 flight i actually booked so i'm wondering if the frequency is a bit of a false economy. I've read things have improved though, so guessing instead of full Dash8's with cancellation we are getting 3/4 full flights with less cancellations.

For me ultimately, i fly OS mostly for leisure and i'll far more likely fly via Mel in future as I am on tThursday if the A220 is as good as it looks.

 

[kookaburra75]

MrsK and I had our first experience on the A220 on Friday afternoon, CBR-MEL. Unfortunately the flight was delayed by two hours. There was a mechanical issue where they had to get an engineer up from Melbourne to sign off the paperwork. After we got on, everyone was talking about the "new plane" smell and feel. It reminded me of when I took my first flight on an Impulse B717 nearly 30 years ago.

No problems with the seating (in 7D&E) or legroom. The smaller tray/shelf for your phone/tablet/eBook is practical, and I could see many people using it. Likewise the seat itself was comfortable for a short leg. The cabin is quieter than a 717, and I've flown on them many a time. It's certainly an upgrade from the B717s.

The only hiccup was me putting in our cases on edge, as there was the room in the luggage bin. However, the had to be turned flat, otherwise the bin didn't close properly - talking with the flight attendant, I wasn't the first person to do that.

 

[MooTime]

MrsK and I had our first experience on the A220 on Friday afternoon, CBR-MEL. Unfortunately the flight was delayed by two hours. There was a mechanical issue where they had to get an engineer up from Melbourne to sign off the paperwork. After we got on, everyone was talking about the "new plane" smell and feel. It reminded me of when I took my first flight on an Impulse B717 nearly 30 years ago.

No problems with the seating (in 7D&E) or legroom. The smaller tray/shelf for your phone/tablet/eBook is practical, and I could see many people using it. Likewise the seat itself was comfortable for a short leg. The cabin is quieter than a 717, and I've flown on them many a time. It's certainly an upgrade from the B717s.

The only hiccup was me putting in our cases on edge, as there was the room in the luggage bin. However, the had to be turned flat, otherwise the bin didn't close properly - talking with the flight attendant, I wasn't the first person to do that.

So engineering issues and o/h bins too small with possibly tray table to small.
That's how I read it.

The new plane smell doesn't do squat for me.
Quieter noise no factor with headphones on.

 

[encryptededdy]

possibly tray table to small

@kookaburra75 is referencing the seperate phone/tablet holder tray located above the main tray table

 

[kookaburra75]

So engineering issues and o/h bins too small with possibly tray table to small.
That's how I read it.

The new plane smell doesn't do squat for me.
Quieter noise no factor with headphones on.

Ah no. The overhead bins are the same size as a B737, slightly bigger than the B717. It's just that I couldn't place our July CarryOn bags on edge. They fitted in fine on flat as normal. Other brand, smaller cabin cases could probably go in on edge. The smaller upper tray table is just for devices and well designed with grooves to hold your phone etc in place. The lower/large tray table is per normal.

I don't wear headphones, so noise can be an issue, especially if you're up front in a B717, when it can be hard to hear the flight attendant. The A220 is certainly a big improvement over the B717 (having done a lot of miles in them). Horses for courses.

 

[henrus]

Quieter noise no factor with headphones on.

Measured on my Apple Watch the 737 is quieter, so sure it’s better then a 717 but when the A220 is being run on routes like BNE-MEL I’d suggest the 737.

 

[RichardMEL]

Ok nerd time, but I actually measured this ysing a decibel meter app on my phone

In cruise, i found the 717 - even sitting back in row 21 not too far from the engine, had about 70Db noise give or take. The 220, up in J row 2, was actually a tad louder at 73-75db

Incidently I measured row 1 in a 787 to be around 70 also.

Sure only data points and not a huge difference, but I was sure the 717 would be much noisier down the back.

I was not up the front on the 717 when I thought to be nerdy to measure, but certainly would be quieter still.

YMMV

 

[Ade]

Not sure if this was mentioned previously or in any of the videos done. I took my first ever A220 on QF today. Apart from the usual nice seats, extra-leg room, mobile phone holder, USB-C charger and regular plug point ports, I noticed the little foot step, which I have not seen (or observed) in other aircrafts.

This foot step, I presume, is for those who aren’t tall enough to reach into the overhead bins. A good accessory I’d say. Also has anti-slip coating so that most footwear types can work on this.

 

[jase05]

Not sure if this was mentioned previously or in any of the videos done. I took my first ever A220 on QF today. Apart from the usual nice seats, extra-leg room, mobile phone holder, USB-C charger and regular plug point ports, I noticed the little foot step, which I have not seen (or observed) in other aircrafts.

This foot step, I presume, is for those who aren’t tall enough to reach into the overhead bins. A good accessory I’d say. Also has anti-slip coating so that most footwear types can work on this.

View attachment 376015

On a BA flight the other day on the A319 i noticed one of the vertically challenged cabin crew using the step to rearrange the overhead lockers. Can’t say I’ve really noticed crew doing it before

 

[pauly7]

Finally got around to posting about my first experience, as noted up thread I moved a flight around to try it out - just in Y. Seat was comfortable, I was a little worried about brand new seats after recently sitting in the new Virgin 737 seats which are rock hard and uncomfortable - but the A220 seats were comfy. Internet was fast, crew were excited (still!) to be flying a new airframe and passengers asking lots of questions about it. Apparently some more on the way soon.

It didn’t go up as fast or steep as the 717 which is my favourite takeoff, was my only complaint .

 

[ole nimeton]

Also just did my first flight on this plane followed by a connecting 737 straight after. A220 windows are much nicer for looking out, seats comfortable (especially the extra legroom ones) and judging by how shabby the inflight screen on the 737 was, I think I actually prefer the seat back set up in the A220.

One thing though - the new seat pocket in front of me on the A220 had already been stained by someone. I’m
guessing the cloth finish seats and pockets will look very grotty, very quickly as people spill things. They also seem held on by Velcro. Maybe not a huge drama if Qantas actually factor in replacing/washing them semi regularly as they almost seem to lend themselves to that being nearly entirely held on by Velcro from what I could see.

 

[Harrison_133]

Also recently tried out the A220 from Melbourne to Brisbane and it was a pretty decent experience. A few thoughts (similar to what others have posted):

• Aisles are nice and wide, people could easily squeeze past the trolley
• Wifi was slow and glitchy
• Louder than I had expected
• Felt the turbulence a lot more
• Seat cushion was quite comfortable but the seat back much harder
• The cloth material in Y probably won't stand the test of time, could already see it fraying a little
• Crew were a bit rude and surly on this flight unfortunately

I am quite a big fan of the 717, so I'll be sad to see them go, but the A220 is a perfectly good replacement.

 

[JessicaTam]

Not sure if this was mentioned previously or in any of the videos done. I took my first ever A220 on QF today. Apart from the usual nice seats, extra-leg room, mobile phone holder, USB-C charger and regular plug point ports, I noticed the little foot step, which I have not seen (or observed) in other aircrafts.

This foot step, I presume, is for those who aren’t tall enough to reach into the overhead bins. A good accessory I’d say. Also has anti-slip coating so that most footwear types can work on this.

View attachment 376015

I think I have seen them on QF aircraft. 737s perhaps?

 

[marcojim]

Apologies if this has already been answered upthread but does anyone know if QF boards the A220 with forward and rear doors or is it forward door only?