For those of us with b*gger all status, there may be a huge difference between QF & VA over seat selection and onboard service. Next week I am doing SYD-MEL in "J" on an award flight with QF, row 3. Will I get any service, well from what a number of people have said probably not. On the return flight MEL-SYD I am on VA "J" again on an award flight - but this time in Row 1. First time I will have compared them side-by-side in this way and it will be interesting.
Well SydneySwan, the QF/VA comparison turned out to be quite interesting. I know this is a QF thread, but have decided to respond here where my initial comments were published. As it turned out, it was an occasion when QF had to do recovery, and VA sailed through smoothly.
QF479 SYD-MEL. Advised around 5pm the the 6:45pm flight cancelled, Rebooked (se we thought) on QF465 at 7pm - no biggy. 5:10pm, second call, sorry the QF agent was too slow hitting the commit button, and someone else got the 7pm seats. Rebooked on to QF467 at 7:30pm.
Did bag drop about 5:30pm, go to J Lounge where we had a warm welcome and found a table for 2 in a very crowed lounge. Food was ok, as I tried the goulash which tasted better than it looked. Around 6pm, QF announced QF467 delayed because of incoming flight - now scheduled to board an hour late. Actually departed around 9pm, arrived MEL around 10:15. Not a spare seat on the plane, and there were others on the flight who had been bumped back, with lots of comments at the gate prior to boarding. We wondered how it would go, but the CSM took a very good tone and seemed to placate most people, and then did an excellent service to a full J cabin with everyone getting a good greeting but very business like to get through. The priority boarding was ok in terms of keeping pax not entitled out of the queue. But the Y pax started boarding at the same time the priority pax were called forward, and Mrs OATEK was nearly knocked over in the air bridge by an aggressive couple rushing to board.
I enjoyed the Ling fillet for dinner (lets call it supper), and felt that the crew had done a very good job. So overall, the rebooking was a real pain as we watched QF465 sail away pretty close to time, and from memory another MEL flight scheduled after us was long gone before us. But we got there and the onboard service was good. The aircraft seats looked a little tired, but everything that needed to work did work.
VA859 was the return booking, using AMEX points. Got to the airport and warm welcome by lounge staff. Realised we had only just dodged another cancelled flight, as the next MEL-SYD was not going to fly. Spent nearly 2 hours in the lounge as it turned out, and found it good, and rarely above about 2/3rds full. Had soup and toast, and felt it looked and felt a bit less chaotic than the QF lounge two nights earlier, but I am sure the VA lounge gets hectic too.
Boarding was announced on time, and the priority boarding was smooth. Only three in J, and about another 5 status pax, and we had our bags in the overhead by the time the first rush of remaining passengers arrived. Given the lack of J pax, we had very personal service from the CSM, constant use of our names, and replenishing of drinks (we were on the soft stuff I might add). We chose the cheese plat for afternoon tea and thought it was very good. The cabin seemed fresher than the QF flight, and the barrier between J and Y meant that the pax in the first row of Y didn't kick or grab your seat.
So overall, given both seats were award flights, found all the airport and flight staff were very good, and the flights and lounges quite comparable for comfort and food. I couldn't pick between them on this limited experience, as they were our first J domestic flights with either airline. Would be happy either way in the future, and it will probably depend on whether QF or AMEX points build up the quickest when booking my next award in J. Certainly don't see on the basis of these two flights that QF has a distinct edge though, when ignoring the service recovery issues and the half-empty J cabin on VA.
:evil:
