PER-SYD-PER on QF6/5 Dreamliner

[jukebox333]

Caveat: This TR is nothing fancy, but different enough that there might be some useful information in it for fellow AAF'ers contemplating a similar trip.

Living in Perth in State Daddy Mark McGowan's fortress WA, I've not been readily able to visit my mum (92) on the Central Coast for quite some time - my last visit was Nov 2020, to attend my father's funeral. In May of this year, the Covid situation looked more predictable, so I started to make plans for a trip East in August.

When I checked out the QF website, I noticed that there was a B789 flights listed and discounted seats available. Having not flown on one before, I was curious, and decided to select that flight. Back in May, it came up as "Flight subject to government approval" - it turned out to be the domestic leg of the newly announced SYD-PER-FCO run.

Scanning the return flights, I was able to also grab a pair of discount Y seats for the return leg, and so for the princely sum of $704pp had secured seats in a near-empty-in-both-directions Y cabin at the rear of the Dreamliner.

How bad could 3-3-3 seating be on a 4.5hr flight, right? I was game to try it and find out...

 

[jukebox333]

Our outbound flight was 3rd Aug.

About a week out, I had an email, inviting me to bid for an upgrade to PE or J.

I wasn't really interested, actually deleted the email, but we flying East for my birthday, so three days later I retrieved it and took a look. The points-plus-cash bid number were just insane - and then looking at an article on one of the forums here, saw the commentary that Classic Upgrades were processed before Bid Upgrades anyway. I went back to the invite and looked at the Classic offer - 27,500 points to jump into J. Considering that was less than a full J reward flight (41,500) and I had a fistful of unused points, the maths worked out for me, so I lodged a request.

At T-28hrs I was sent an SMS confirming the award, and went into seat selection; there were about 10 seats available for me to choose from, and so I was able to grab 11A and 12A in the mini cabin directly ahead of PE.

With the discount Y flight earning me points, the outlay ended up being $350 + 25,000 points for each J seat PER-SYD. I was happy with that. Bring on flight day.

 

[jukebox333]

I'd seen and read some conflicting info about what lounge access I'd have in Perth. The QF online material seemed to suggest the new T4 International Transit lounge is only available to transiting passengers going Rome to Sydney, and if that was the case, I was happy to wait out the time having breakfast in the J Lounge in T4, which is none too shabby. There's another thread on here by @cosi where they did get access to the transit lounge, so I was hopeful, but cautious...

Push back from PER is 1000, so we arrived at 0800, to allow time for the shenanigans around getting into the international area; I went to a kiosk to print out a bag tag, but the moment I scanned my QFF card it told me to head for human assistance.

Luckily, by 0800, the FIFO wave had emptied from the terminal, so we joined the queue for J assistance, and were in front of an agent in no time. Photo ID was checked, and bags tagged, and the special D stickered boarding passes printed. "As you are business class Mr.Jukebox, we would like to invite you to visit the International Transit Lounge - head over to security screening at T3, and then International screening, and the lounge is beyond that..." Music to my ears.

Unlike T4, The XRay at T3 has not been upgraded, so it was laptop out, and my companion scored a body scan. We then took the escalator upstairs and walked around to the International Departures. Here, we went through a second Xray (again, laptops out) and again, my partner won a body scan. I got the explosive swab consolation prize.

After all that was done, it was around 0820, and we walked through the golden doorway and took the elevator down to the QF International Transit lounge

 

[jukebox333]

The inbound flight from Rome had not touched down, so the lounge was almost empty - no more than four others were there when we walked in:



It is not a large lounge, but being relatively new, is in great shape.

It was nice to get to the bain maries while hot food was fresh and visually appealing.



There was a wide variety of other baked goods, cereals, muesli, fruits, even a hot noodle dish. You would not have to look hard to find something you liked.

The quality of the food was really good - I felt a notch up from the J lounge, but other's may not agree. The bar *was* open despite the hour, and yes, bubbles were had!



The lounge did fill up once the inbound flight landed, but it didn't feel crowded. It was nice to have a leisurely grazing breakfast, and kill the time to departure in comfort. The extra time to get from car park to departure gate wasn't a huge burden, and the 1000 departure made it quite a civilised time to get away. So far so good, and I would do again.

0940 rolled around and we started to make our way back upstairs to Gate 20 to board...

 

[jukebox333]

When we got to the gate, sadly mayhem prevailed. There was no attempt to keep the priority boarding lane functional, and as a result, the tactics ranged from us joining the end of that queue, to at least one DYKWIA pushing past everyone and announcing "I'm in business class!" which was greeted by the egalitarian unwashed of WA yelling back "No one cares, w@nker!"

We were seated before too long. There's not much I can tell you about the J product that 100 other's haven't already; lie flat bed, mini cabin with just three rows in it. Offered (more) bubbles before departure. All just fine.

Take of in the B789 reminded me of a 747SP - it's a really sprightly and short acceleration, albeit without the sense the engines are pushing full power.

Perth had a week of storms before we left, and there were fronts coming through on departure day. About 1 min into the take off climb, a bright orange flash and loud bang came from outside. We continued to climb, and I just assumed it was a compressor stall in one of the engines, however once we'd reached cruising altitude, the FO came on the PA and announced we'd been hit by lightning during the climb, however there was nothing to worry about and we were continuing to SYD. That was a first for me.

Service onboard was good but not great. Being in Rows 11 & 12, some of the food options had run out, but that's the luck of the draw.

The menu:



The Rigatoni I wanted was gone, so it was the Braised Beef:



Drinks menu:



The rest of the flight was uneventful. Only a handful (3?) PE pax came forward to use our toilet. Thanks to some strong tail winds whipped up by those storms, we even managed to land a bit early into SYD.

 

[jukebox333]

I haven't passed through T1 in SYD in more than 30 years. Geez, the arrival process hasn't changed much, has it?

It felt like most of the pax were D-card holders, and with four gates open, the process of clearing "immigration" was painless.

Baggage recovery was also not noteworthy, unless you count the magic way two bags loaded within 5 seconds of each other on a conveyor in PER can come out almost first and almost last in SYD. But in Aug 2022, I guess we can just be grateful they both arrived.

I'd pre-booked a car with Avis, and the counter is handy to the arrivals gate. I'd even opine that the car park I collected from was easier to navigate and get out on the open road (tollways) than the Domestic Terminal. Unfortunately, the 1630 arrival injected us right into PM Peak hour, and that made for a slow trip until we got to the NorthConnex tunnel in Beecroft.

On the drive up to the Central Coast, I contemplated the trip, compared to a normal PER-SYD flight. I think if I was doing it in Y, I'd avoid it - the 3-3-3 seating, and the extra hassle of the security screening, and passport control, would erase any goodwill. But in J, with access to a nice lounge, good food, and a comfortable cabin ay 39,000ft, there are worse ways to cross the continent. YMMV, of course.

So with the outbound flight complete, it was a no brainer: when I settled in and unpacked, I jumped on the laptop and put my bid in for a pair of Classic upgrades on the return trip. All I had to do now was wait for the SMS response...

 

[Pvcmenace]

I’m doing the QF10 Monday to Mel hopefully the upgrade comes in. Good report, thanks

 

[jukebox333]

The week in the Central Coast catching up with my Mum went by very fast.

Look at this brilliant lady! Almost 92 and still sharp as a tack:



We dined at:

• Baume, in the Ben Ean winery Pokolbin
• The Boatshed, Koolewong
• The Boatshed, Patonga
• Saddles, Mt White
• Coast 175, Ettalong

I only have spotty photos of some of the meals, so won't review them here (but if you have any questions or want a mini review, post a comment and I'll give you some feedback).

At T-28hrs, the SMS came through confirming we'd be successful with J upgrades for the trip home. This time, however, the cabin was almost full - just five seats were available for selection, none next to - or in front of - each other. We stumped for 6K and 8K that got us windows in the main cabin, and were set for the flight home.

 

[jukebox333]

And so, we headed home...

Rental car drop off at T1 in SYD was painless. Well, painless because there was no one in the Avis car park to hand the keys back to, nor anyone at the Avis counter. In fact at T+4 days, I *still* have not had an email confirming my rental charge and car return. But thoughtfully, Avis sent me a survey asking how they did, and I didn't hold back.

The walk from the car return to QF check in is probably slightly longer than at the domestic terminal, but one there, the Priority lane was open and we were quickly served. Bags on the conveyor, the check in attendant directed us to a priority lane to head for screening, which I'm not sure was any benefit - we seemed to walk 50m to one end of the area, only to walk back 50m inside the screening area and join the Y masses. ID check and carry on scan just once made it feel quicker than onboarding in PER, and I'd guess it was under 10 mins from bag drop to being airside, bearing in mind this was 1500 on a Wednesday afternoon - peak times may well have taken a good deal longer.

The points I used for the QF upgrade came from a Citibank new cardholder offer I'd used earlier in the year. That car came with Priority Pass membership, plus two lounge entries, so the plan was to try out Etihad's The House lounge in T1 on our way home, so we headed over to Gate 51 where the entrance to The House is.

I guess things are still in a state of flux with lounges. Online, there's a few different versions of what The House offers, and also what PP members get and/or have to pay. My take before arriving was that I'd be up for $20/head on top of the free passes to access la carte dining and premium drinks, which I was prepared to do. But when we fronted the desk attendant and I showed my digital pass, she scanned it and welcomed us inside - no additional fee.

Down the stairs to a medium sized lounge - similar to the QF J Lounge in PER - that had less than a dozen guests. Plenty of seating choices, from deep armchairs, to bar stools, and tables and chairs. We'd not had lunch, so sat at the latter at first.

The bar was staffed, and open, and no restrictions on what could be ordered. Here's the menu for the food choices:



Whilst the selection was limited, it was very tasty and well presented (a function of the small number of guests, I imagine). We ate well and enjoyed it very much.

There was no sign of a la carte dining, so I assume it is a pared down experience at the moment? Or perhaps the full monty only runs when there is an Etihad departure imminent?

Drinks ranged from bubbles, through coughtails, to digestifs, by which time we'd decamped to the deep seats by the windows, to watch the aircraft coming and going



Scrooge by nature, I'd not normally be a fan of paying for use of a lounge, but honestly, if you spent 2 hrs or so pre-boarding here, it would not be hard to eat and drink the cover charge, and the serenity was bliss. It was quiet and comfortable, and very relaxing.

Comfortably numb, we headed over to gate 24 for our flight back to PER. There was a bit of delay, and boarding was pushed back by 15 mins, so out of curiosity, we took a quick trip to the QF J lounge. The difference could not have been more stark. Noisy, crowded, and fairly pedestrian drinks choices made it feel a world away from The House. A completely different feeling. I know it's apples Vs oranges, but it just felt very downmarket, and I would not have enjoyed whiling my 3 hrs away in there.

After 5 minutes of listening to other people sitting too close, talking too loud on mobile phones, we cut our losses and walked back to the gate.

 

[jukebox333]

Thankfully, in SYD the priority boarding was being policed, and when it commenced, we were among the first down the airbridge. I felt the crew were a little more finessed on this leg, with friendly welcomes by name, and some polite small talk about my entertainment choices during meal service.

The menu:



WP's were discretely asked for thier meal choices first, the rest of the cabin. Being in Row 6, I was offered the full suite, and had the soup and the polpette, both of which were really good (I'd questioned the choice of soup as an inflight meal - a spillage disaster waiting to happen - but managed to keep it off my shirtfront. Even the linen napkin stayed blemish free!)

The descent into PER came way too quickly, and we landed on time around 8:30pm.

The room that'd I'd been herded though for Covid Quarantine assessments back in Nov 2020 is now the international arrivals area (or possibly vice versa), but only two counters were open. Thankfully it was a painless process showing our D-cards and photo ID, and with our bags literally 2nd and 3rd off the conveyor, we were out of the terminal in very short order.

***

There's a mixed bag of pros and cons to taking QF5/6. I am sure I'd not look on it as kindly if I was back in Y, in a 3-3-3 cabin. Also, some of the bureaucracy around security checks, and walking distances from aircraft to kerbside, added time to the normal routine. But the timings for these flights, and the creature comforts in J, certainly make it worth trying.

Yeah, I'd do it again.

 

[kookaburra75]

Comfortably numb, we headed over to gate 24 for our flight back to PER.

That's a term I haven't heard used for a while, there should be more of it.

Thanks for putting together the trip report. MrsK and I just did a run to WA, and I didn't think to look at hooking into QF5 or QF9 to get to Perth. Maybe next time, as MrsK hasn't had the opportunity to try the F Lounges in either Melbourne or Sydney.

 

[Quickstatus]

at least one DYKWIA pushing past everyone and announcing "I'm in business class!" which was greeted by the egalitarian unwashed of WA yelling back "No one cares, w@nker!

No one cares including the airline, wnker!

Gold!

 

[Quickstatus]

What was the window shade operation/routine on the way back?

 

[jukebox333]

What was the window shade operation/routine on the way back?

Hmmmm. Interesting question (and a bête noir of mine, after Emirates compelled me to keep mine shut all the way JFK-DBX a few years back, despite it being broad daylight over the UK as we passed overhead...)

It was already dark when we left SYD, and so I didn't try and turn my window control up or down. I did notice the 787 had "mood" lighting - blues and pinks - that seemed to vary depending on whether it was before/during/after meal service. The other thing was, being in an even row, my seat was further away from the window than an odd row, so looking out and down was almost impossible. Odd numbered rows are favoured, apparently, as your seat is not right on the aisle, your control console is, and also you *are* then close to the window and can see down.

On the way over, the sheer size of the engine cowling did my head in:






I didn't take any photos Westbound, as it was pitch black by the time we took off.

 

[Quickstatus]

it was pitch black

did the FA dim the windows?

 

[jukebox333]

did the FA dim the windows?

I was not aware that they did - the windows were certainly clear for take off from SYD and landing in PER.

 

[jukebox333]

A late Coda for anyone reading this after the fact: About two weeks after I got back, I checked my Citibank credit card. It turned out I *was* charged $32US for entry to The House for the two of us.

I don't mind, as it's still good value - but I was not asked at the time of entry, and did not provide my card to the door attendant - the charge can only have come via my linked Priority Pass app...

At about $23/head, it was still great value.

 

[Mattg]

A late Coda for anyone reading this after the fact: About two weeks after I got back, I checked my Citibank credit card. It turned out I *was* charged $32US for entry to The House for the two of us.

I don't mind, as it's still good value - but I was not asked at the time of entry, and did not provide my card to the door attendant - the charge can only have come via my linked Priority Pass app...

At about $23/head, it was still great value.

USD32 is the normal charge for one guest.

 

[levelnine]

don't mind, as it's still good value - but I was not asked at the time of entry, and did not provide my card to the door attendant - the charge can only have come via my linked Priority Pass app...

That's pretty poor form. Shouldn't you have been entitled to a free visit? You didn't select a la carte dining and your card came with two free passes, no?

 

[jukebox333]

That's pretty poor form. Shouldn't you have been entitled to a free visit? You didn't select a la carte dining and your card came with two free passes, no?

Yes, the card comes with two passes - and no, there wasn't an a la carte dining option available.

Given @Mattg 's observation, I just checked my PP app, and it turns out they only deducted one pass, and my partner must have been charged as a guest.

So I agree it's not great form on the part of the staff at The House; it's still strange that a) I wasn't asked if I'd like to use both passes, and b) I wasn't asked to accept the charge for the guest

Not optimal, but on the bright side, I now have a spare PP lounge voucher and can do it again!