The good:
The staff were terrific. I received a WP welcome, which was as genuine as I have received. They were particularly interested (and impressed) that I was doing the double.
The IFE screens on the 787 are large and clear. The flight to PER only showed a limited selection of movies, but it must have been a glitch as there were a lot more on the flight to MEL.
I like the little storage area under the screen. It stopped me from losing my phone/headphones in the main seat pocket. The front of the main seat pocket had a couple of smaller pockets that were perfect for my water bottle and glasses case.
The bad:
The plane itself is quiet, which means the noises are more obvious. I was two rows infront of the toilets (row 42) but I could hear them every time they flushed.
Lunch was served a good hour or so after we left. They apologised it was so long as they were still working out where everything was! Nothing wrong with that. The next meal was soon before we landed. So basically the timing was lunch, and then nothing substantial until breakfast. They did have a snack available in the middle of the flight, but it was just that, a snack.
The meals that were served were very plain. I would have expected them to jazz up the menu a bit for a longer flight.
The foot rest/net is just silly. I put my feet in it and they were still sitting on the floor with minimal support.
The ugly:
The seat is too narrow. Whilst I am tall, I am not particularly large. I was sitting next to someone who was also not 'oversized'. We could not sit flat against the seat back side by side as our shoulders wanted to fill the same space. I spent the entire flight sitting at a slight angle so I wasn't leaning into the aisle.
Speaking of the aisle, I was bumped continuously during the flight, even though I was within the confines of my seat. Across the aisle from me was someone who was not able to do the same, so everyone leant into me walking past.
There must be a company memo out asking all staff to promote the seat. When I told the CSM that the seats were narrow, the answer was to promote the extra leg room. The captain (Andrew) came past for a chat and I said the same thing when asked how I was enjoying the flight. The response was the same - 'but there is extra leg room'.
Verdict:
I am sorry Qantas, but the seat on the 787 is too narrow. You have made a mistake going 9 across. You would have been better off having them wider (8 across) so losing a column of 20 seats but closer together (pitch) and gaining a row of 8. So a net loss of 12 seats for a much better ride.
I flew the A380 the day before with greater width and smaller pitch. It was much more comfortable.
I won't be flying QF longhaul Y in a 787 again. I am actually not looking forward to my MEL-PER flight next month. (But I do have the F lounge to help!) And I wouldn't recommend anyone else does, either.
- I dare not ring her in case....
Hope you found your feet back on land and no jelly knees. Now for the jetlag! Looking forward to your trip report in due course.
