First Time Domestic Business Class Travel

[Sector3]

My family and I are travelling Business Class for the first time from Perth to Melbourne in a week's time.

What are the benefits available to us and how do we best use them?

Do we get access to a lounge?

Thanks.

 

[medhead]

Besides the obvious benefits on board. You get to use business check in, and the qantas club in PER and business lounge in MEL on the return. Check the lounge allowance details you probably get extra weight for checked in luggage, but you might only have one piece each for checked in luggage.

 

[OverrideServlet]

the qantas club in PER and business lounge in MEL on the return.

First time users should note that to enter the business lounge in MEL you actually need to enter the Qantas Club lounge first, the business entrance is at the rear of this lounge. Ask the staff at the Qantas Club entrance if you are unsure.

 

[dk4]

Consistency in Business at Qantas

For the uninitiated travelling “Business” on Qantas can be a minefield, due to the complete mismatch of variable products that Qantas refers to as “Business Class”.

If you want to enjoy your journey, you need a PHD in QF seating, but here’s a quick PERTH transcontinental guide, referencing some seat selection diagrams (as they appear on the Qantas.com website, under “you booking”) –

Boeing 747 (most likely flying to/from SYDNEY)



Finding a 747 with First Class seats sold as Business, is the “Holy Grail” of "Business" at Qantas, the seat map on the left depicts this halleluiah event. Generally you will find the seat maps on the right, which depict a Skybed (International 60” pitch seat).

Boeing 767



On a 767 you are looking for the seat map to the left, which depicts an “International Configured” aircraft, these seats offer both more pitch, width & recline than the “Domestic Configured” aircraft on the right.

Boeing 737 (not that likely PER-MEL)



The seat map on the left, this time, indicates the worst possible “Business Class” available on any Qantas jet. The seats are old convertible jalopies. The diagram on the right indicates “Millennium Seats” similar to those on the 767 on the right.

Airbus A330

There are many variants of this, first there is “International Configuration” with Skybeds. The seat maps for these will take two formats, either 5 rows at 2x2x2 (just like the 767 seat map on the right, but you will find 60”pitch Skybed not 38”pitch Milleniums) or 3 rows at 2x2x2 then a break for an exit and more rows behind.

The other A330s are configured as “Domestic” and these come in two versions.



The version on the left created such an outcry when it was launched, that Qantas was forced to block the middle seats from allocation with a tray table.

To add further confusion to this whole “Business Class” confusion at Qantas, is that they may change your aircraft (anytime up to the last minute), meaning that your careful planning and selection is thrown out the window.

 

[dk4]

Silverwing: a mid-point to Business at Qantas (domestic transcontinental)

As a mid-point, to help establish some definition to “Business Class” at Qantas, here’s a look onboard an A330 Perth service with Silverwing seats, giving an idea of what to expect.

 

[medhead]

First time users should note that to enter the business lounge in MEL you actually need to enter the Qantas Club lounge first, the business entrance is at the rear of this lounge. Ask the staff at the Qantas Club entrance if you are unsure.

Thanks, I kinda forgot that. While I rarely use MEL I find the business lounge has better signage in the terminal. I walked around in circles one day trying to find the entry to the QP, coming back to the entry but noting the sign saying business lounge but not QP and so then doing another lap. IIRC I did about 4 laps before deciding to just use this "business" lounge that turned out to be the QP.

 

[dk4]

If you start to board expecting the worst (737 convertible seats) then anything else is a bonus!

I haven't mentioned the new 737 seats more applicable to Tasman flying rather than Perth.

 

[Noob]

Either way mate you should get a better product then economy class! I think other members have summed up what may be coming your way, best way to see is to check out the seating arrangement on the website seat selection or just find out the type of aircraft.

I hope you have a great flight and your family enjoys themselves


Convertible Business Class seats remind me of "Come Fly With Me" when the flight attendant helps a passenger who was wrongly placed in an economy seat when he paid for business class.
Watch this video, its near the end:
[video=youtube;g4_wf4SY9fU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4_wf4SY9fU&feature=related[/video]

 

[Sprucegoose]

If you start to board expecting the worst (737 convertible seats) then anything else is a bonus!

I haven't mentioned the new 737 seats more applicable to Tasman flying rather than Perth.

yes dreadful....i was asked to put my seat up so the mob behind could hough into their tucker...not very business class like at all!!!

 

[Chatterbocks]

Unless you jag one of those internationally configured planes J is not really worth it for domestic - I have had opportunities to use points for upgrade (our company is Y for flights under 4 hours) but didn't bother. You would spit it if you paid for J and got one of those 737 seats. Even worse are those short haul European ones like BA and Finnair where J is just a Y seat with the middle seat blocked out and converted into an armrest!

 

[ric_melb]

The reality is that if you fly Perth to Melbourne you are unlikely to get a 747, as it is usually on the Perth/Sydney route.
You are also very unlikely to get a 737, and certainly highly unlikely to get a 737/400 with convertible seats as shown in the photos.
You are most likely to get a 767 or A330, with decent enough individual seats, good food and wine service.
Random timetable shows 4 flights a day on 767 and 4 on A330.
It will certainly be a much better experience than economy class.
Enjoy your flight and the Business and Qantas Club lounges.

 

[Noob]

Unless you jag one of those internationally configured planes J is not really worth it for domestic - I have had opportunities to use points for upgrade (our company is Y for flights under 4 hours) but didn't bother. You would spit it if you paid for J and got one of those 737 seats. Even worse are those short haul European ones like BA and Finnair where J is just a Y seat with the middle seat blocked out and converted into an armrest!

But really, who needs business class to go on a flight under 4hrs - hardly and necessity nor a smart investment on behalf of the company. Its like business class on the SYD-CBR route it's a joke.

Anything over 4hrs is understandable like cross content flights (SYD-PER).

 

[Princess Fiona]

I recently travelled SYD-PER-MEL-SYD in J all seat 1A. SYD-PER and MEL-SYD were 767 and PER-MEL 737. To be honest I didn't really notice the difference between the two in terms of comfort. Admittedly the 737 had almost identical Millenium seating.
The service was a little better in the smaller cabin but the biggest shock for me is that there is no AVOD on such a long flight.
The last time I went to PER had A330 both ways with sky beds on one leg. This is a far better aircraft for trans-con IMHO , as long as it's not the dreaded 2-3-2 seating.
Hope you enjoy your flight, catering and service are a large step up from Y, but BYO entertainment

 

[Chesty]

My last few MEL- PER flights have been on 737-800 frames so must be a bit unlucky. Although managed to score an upgrade for a flight next Monday PER-SYD on a A333. Looking forward to the skybed again.

 

[connieguy]

...the biggest shock for me is that there is no AVOD on such a long flight....but BYO entertainment

Yup. A laptop with a 8 hour battery, 500 movies and albums is part of what any AFFer needs to survive. ALWAYS fully recharge the laptop battery before leaving the Lounge as the seat power may not be there or may be dead.

 

[Carlous Moochous]

I recently had my first taste of QF domestic business class and even though it was on one of the 737-400's I really enjoyed it. If you dont fly at the pointy end of the plane too much (like me) then its a great expereince. Although I can understand that if you do, there are vast differences between what type of aircraft and service you get - which might get annoying. I review all my flights on my blog... if you want to check out my business class review from a few weeks ago its on InFlight: QF763 – Canberra to Melbourne (Business) or my full blog with about 10 other flight reviews is http://www.carlousmoochous.com. I hope you enjoy your flights - looking forward to hearing how you went.

 

[JohnM]

Re: Silverwing: a mid-point to Business at Qantas (domestic transcontinental)

As a mid-point, to help establish some definition to “Business Class” at Qantas, here’s a look onboard an A330 Perth service with Silverwing seats, giving an idea of what to expect.

So 'Silverwing' is what they call that type of seat. I recently for the first time experienced this aircraft SYD-PER (and I hope there is only one bird configured with these seats). I thought these seats were horrible - slab-backed and -bottomed and hard. No shape or form to them. Backside numbing by the end.

Is this a retired international bird dumped on the PER route?

 

[mannej]

Re: Silverwing: a mid-point to Business at Qantas (domestic transcontinental)

So 'Silverwing' is what they call that type of seat. I recently for the first time experienced this aircraft SYD-PER (and I hope there is only one bird configured with these seats). I thought these seats were horrible - slab-backed and -bottomed and hard. No shape or form to them. Backside numbing by the end.

Is this a retired international bird dumped on the PER route?

No, all the non Sky-Bed A330's flying domestically have been used specifically on domestic ops since arriving in the QF fleet

Further to that, here is the QF Source's page for EBM/N ( http://theqantassource.com/a332domesticseatmapnewproduct.html )
and EBP/O ( http://theqantassource.com/a330-200seatmapvh-ebo.html )

 

[oz_mark]

Re: Silverwing: a mid-point to Business at Qantas (domestic transcontinental)

Is this a retired international bird dumped on the PER route?

The 4 domestic A330's are amongst QF's newer aircraft.

 

[ajw373]

The service was a little better in the smaller cabin but the biggest shock for me is that there is no AVOD on such a long flight.

I'll give you a tip. If you go to Europe your in for a greater 'shock' than no AVOD on a 4 hour flight acorss Australia. Over there I cannot think of any airline that offers AVOD on such short flights (the longest flights across Europe being 4 hours). In fact most airlines, including the likes of BA (except for a few routes) don't even offer IFE at all, including audio on these flights. So be grateful for what is offered in Australia and don't be shocked at the lack of AVOD.