Qantas/BA: These Are My Favourite Things (QF A380 J, BA 777 J, QF 744 F)

[Keith009]

The Worlds No.1 Foot Model on a big pay packet

Nup... poor starvin' student here...

But who says I buy regular point to point fares.

 

[philflyer]

I must admit... each of the trips has some twist where they start in an odd location (for a Melbournian) or they take some strange routing. It's what keeps me coming back to this forum... to learn the secrets

Oh... and I love reading Keith's trip reports :mrgreen:

 

[Keith009]

Sector - LHR-HKG-MEL
Flight number - QF30
Class - First
Equipment - B747-400
Seat - 3A (and a bit of 4A on the LHR-HKG segment)

London Heathrow to Hong Kong

It's been a fair while since I've flown QF F now, and since then major changes to the already-fantastic soft product have been instituted, to rave reviews. QF F is indeed a rare treat, and I'd had to alter my itinerary in order to get the full QF experience. If i was going to spend that much miles I wanted the best bang for the 'buck.' Annoyingly though, F on both QF30 and QF10 opened on the original date desired a few weeks before departure by which time I'd already made non-refundable arrangements to visit Prague. No worries, I'd always wanted to check out Prague's famed nightlife anyway. The night before the flight, I was like a kid anticipating his first visit to Disneyland, and could hardly fall asleep.

I got my bp for the QF segment with BA at PRG, who was operating my first segment PRG-LHR. Bizarrely, BA claimed that they could not print my bp with my originally reserved seat in it, and kicked me out on to one of the 2 seats in the middle! Fortunately the situation was rectified at the QF transfer counter at LHR T4 and I was restored to seat 3A. I suspect it'd not had been as easygoing had the flight been fuller.

T4 was fairly empty, as most BA flights had shifted to T5. Only 1 lounge was open, the gate 1 lounge. I looked for the Flounge, only to be told that they'd merged the FCL and JCL lounges and there was no longer an actual Flounge. In spite of the subpar lounge facilities compared to T5, I actually quite enjoyed the peace and quiet at T4. No queues at transfer security, and the BAA staff were actually friendly for once! Perhaps they were so bored that they were glad to see the odd human being.

empty BA lounge

We boarded at gate 8. The line for whY snaked halfway around the terminal, whilst FCL/JCL/whY+ and persons with special needs boarded at a different counter which was empty when I got there. Saw the first glimpses of the Red Tail when I made my way down the jetway, and felt instant relief. After 1 month in strange foreign lands, it felt like I was home already.

first glimpse of home

I was greeted by name, directed to another FA, who led me to my seat. My coat was whisked away as soon as I took it off, similarly with my bags as soon as she saw that I was done with organising myself, before I could even stop her. The FA looked a lot like Anne Hathaway, but with an English accent. She offered me a drink, and who was I to say no to a refreshing glass of Krug. She did the whole 5 star routine of showing me the bottle before pouring the drink, and laid down a plate of nuts to accompany the bubbly. Ah... F is still F...

The usual amenity kit/PJs dance was also performed. We chatted whilst she was settling me into the flight, and she seemed at once surprised and pleased that I insisted to be called by my first name. She then proceeded to introduce herself as well as her colleagues in the cabin. We also shared some tips about where to hang out in HK, and of course I enthusiastically recommended the W Living Room in the faint hope that it'd have become established as the new QF crew hangout by the time I next visit HK LOL.

 

[Keith009]

The 744 FCL seats are the previous generation individual seat pod type seats launched in the early 2000s. Though they've become dated and aged, the ones on QF are still in tip top condition as the seat fabrics have been refreshed not long ago with brand new seat coverings. The seats were a bit narrow but had plenty of legroom. A pretty light load today as there were only 4 of us in FCL on the LHR-HKG portion of the flight, everyone had at least 2 seats to themselves and liberal use was made of the spare seats.

 

[Keith009]

The same FA then offered to take pics of me in my seat with my glass of Krug.

Take off was prompt despite the heavy traffic at Heathrow that afternoon. I changed into my PJs immediately after take off.

cool FCL toilet

And very soon after take off the festivities commenced with the handing out of the menu and more importantly - the wine list. Anne Hathaway-look-alike had disappeared, presumably to help in some other cabin; apparently whilst FCL was fairly empty, the other cabins were heaving. Bar service quickly occurred to save us from thirst, and I got my glass of Krug as requested. Canapes were also served, remembering my shellfish allergy they'd replaced the scallop item on my serving with more of the pear and cheese tarts.

The CSM came over to have a chat at this point, and we had a a pretty pleasant discussion - v nice lady who's been with Qantas for yonks and recently decided for a change of scenery and transferred her contract to London.

I was asked when I'd like to have my lunch, and as I was starving (for I'd skipped much of the rather unappetising meal on my previous flight) I requested for it to be served at once. My orders were taken and my table was laid for lunch. I was a bit confused by the new menu, as there seemed to be too many accompaniments with any one of the main course - the FA explained that I had a choice of a few accompaniments along with my mains. Apparently they were simply suggestions and I could even mix and match as i wished and ignore the menu, at my own risk of course she cheekily adds.

 

[Keith009]

Menu and wine list here.

The meal service on the whole was beautifully executed, with a wide variety of choices showcasing the finest of Modern Australian cuisine, featuring high quality ingredients and exemplary presentation. Easily the best fine dining in the sky! I am not a Neil Perry fan by any means, having been underwhelmed at his establishments in both Sydney and Melbourne, but the QF menu is easily the most creative, diverse and just generally all round top drawer onboard menu I've ever seen. Only airline that comes close catering-wise IMHO is LH's rather classy and also inventive FCL menu.

And of course the all-Australian wine list meant there was lots of quality drops to choose from. I alternated between champagne, the sultry Stonier Pinot Noir, the v flavourful but hard to find Coriole Cab Sauv which I'd last come across when I visited the winery as part of the AFF RADelaide DO back in November, and the v refreshing Coldstream Hills Chardonnay.

I started with the most delicious Iberico ham; the FA suggested a vinaigrette to go along with it as it was rather dry and so I had a bit of the palm sugar vinaigrette as a dressing.

Next came the chicken and shiitake mushroom soup. I was warned that this was "just a little bit spicy" but it was in fact VERY spicy by my standards and I had to have it sent back after a few sips.

I was offered something else from the list of starters but chose to move on to the main course so as to avoid overeating. Soy Braised Duck - tasty, tender, beautifully presented and delicious accompaniments!

Dessert and cheese were next, always a delightful conclusion to any meal but one which I'd more often than not failed to reach; some serious encouragement as well as the tempting selections got me over the line this time. And a marvellous conclusion to the meal it was!

Assiette of Desserts

Watched some Thank God You're Here on the IFE, as well as Australia - even though I'd already seen it on the big screen, it was such a beautiful movie that I just had to see it again. After another bottle of Krug was consumed as well as a few glasses here and there of the pinot, the food, booze and fatigue had caught up with me. I asked for my bed to be made. You now get an actual mattress on top of the seat, with a snuggly duvet - v comfy! I'd never had such a solid sleep on a plane ever.

 

[Keith009]

I woke up 2 hours before landing feeling peckish and thirsty. Quenched my thirst with yet another glass of Krug. The FA offered to make me a snack and suggested a few things on the menu; but I noticed that she had all the brekky items out in the galley and realised that brekky was going to be served soon - I simply opted for a few of the coffee eclairs to tide me over until brekky time. The CSS, a fellow Melbourne boy, was chilling out in the FCL galley, as it was a lull time in whY before the morning brekky rush.

As 4A was vacant I was able to keep my bed for a bit whilst I moved to 4A to snack and watched some of the IFE. I think I prefer 4A to 3A after comparing the 2 side by side; I like the vast amount of shelf space at 4A.

I noticed a v cosmopolitan crew onboard today, more so than usual even though I've had a few flights crewed by the UK base. The only Aussies I met were the FA at the aircraft door, the CSM, and the CSS. From their accents, I'm sure that all 3 crew members in the FCL cabin were British. The CSS mentioned that indeed there were FAs today from all over Europe. Quite a different feel from the mainly Aussie crew on non-UK crewed flights; but in a way also v Australian as we're such a cosmopolitan nation anyway. (cue: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuKpJv0PlSE)

Though the UK crew were fantastic in most ways (most importantly, v prompt and eager with top ups), I note that the girls serving in FCL were trying a little too hard to come across as all polished and refined and were also comparatively formal. Perhaps they felt like they had to act in a different way in FCL, but I've also had more relaxed crew in FCL. Or most probably, perhaps due to their youth they've not had the experience and hence confidence that more experienced crew members have. Although v friendly, I thought some of them seemed to tread on eggshells just a bit too much. OTOH this is a rather minor complaint in the grand scheme of things, after all the service is still amongst the best I've had in the sky.

Brekky was served some 20 mins after I've finished my eclairs. As in JCL, we also had the freedom to put together our favourite brekky items except of course there's a wider variety of stuff in FCL. I was also able to pick out individual items from the smoked salmon concoction to add to my brekky platter. Brekky was a thoroughly enjoyable affair.

bircher muesli and apricots

chocolate roll

scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, sauteed spinach, sausages, mushrooms, baked beans

I changed back into my street clothes and gave my pearly whites a clean after brekky, and all too soon it was time to descend and bid farewell to the wonderful crew members who looked after us so well. One advantage transitting in HKG over SIN is that you're required to remove everything from the plane at SIN whereas this is not needed at HKG - handy! QF029 shall be my choice flight to LHR in future over QF009. *ahem*

To be continued...

 

[Flashback]

Very nice, QF029:!: Sounds like it was a very pleasant flight.

 

[Keith009]

QF30 LHR-MEL Part II: Hong Kong to Melbourne

Got a cheesy QF sticker on my shirt from the ground staff, as well as a transit card. Boarding would occur in about an hour which would be just about sufficient time for some fragrance shopping and a shower. No queue at security. I ignored the ground staff ushering people to the QF/BA lounge, and made my way to one of CX's Flounges, the Wing for a shower. On the way there I picked up some duty free colognes, a spiffy Dior Homme and a sensual Terre D'Hermes.

All the cabanas at the Wing were booked out but in any case I had no time for them anyway. Had a quick wait for the showers, and of course took some obligatory pics whilst I waited.

My v spacious shower stall was soon ready. I think I still prefer the QF/BA showers at SIN which had some nice Molton Brown amenities, though the Wing's shower seemed better appointed - I was able to request for deodourant, which I'd mistakenly checked in.

 

[Keith009]

I went back to the gate feeling rather more human. Boarding was about to occur and so there wasn't any point lingering in the Wing, as nice a Flounge as it's. And this way I get to drink more of the premier QF champers. I'd hoped that my fave bubbles would be onboard today, the Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millenaires '95 - a great drop and, anecdotally, seemed to appear a fair bit ex-HKG.

The flight boarded shortly after I arrived at the gate. Was enthusiastically greeted at the door of the aircraft, and once again shown to the FCL FA who led me to my seat. I was quickly offered a drink as I got settle, and on this segment we were offered a choice of Dom Perignon 2000 or Krug. I was disappointed that there was no CH, oh well. Went for the Dom for a change. I was given another set of amenity kit and PJs, whilst the pax behind me asked for a female kit as he was “under strict orders” from SWMBO to collect one to which the FA was more than happy to oblige.

The cabin was much fuller on this segment, as there were only 2 empty seats. We were looked after by the Australia based crew. Despite the much fuller cabin, an extremely high standard of service was maintained throughout the flight with a noticeably more relaxed approach by the more experienced crew members. The v amiable FA serving my aisle couldn’t do enough to serve and added his own personal greetings to every pax along with those of the CSM’s.

Take off was once again on schedule. As per usual I changed into my PJs after take off.

The post take off bar service quickly began. I got chatting with the FA and couldn’t help but express my slight disappointment at the lack of CH. He had a thoughtful look, and explained that it’s a Russian roulette game as to what’s loaded so much so that even the FAs themselves couldn’t really work it out. He poured me a glass of Krug and promised to see what he could do. Next thing I know he was sweeping through the champers cupboard in the galley. And returned triumphant with a bottle of CH on the flight, which he put aside to chill whilst I worked through the glass of Krug. He discretely advised that it’s the only bottle on the plane and that he’d put it aside for me; in return I promised to finish the entire bottle.

At last, after much anticipation I was going to sip on one of the most heavenly elixirs known to humankind...

I was once again asked when I'd like to have my meal. I wasn't v hungry, so elected to have a light meal then and a heavier meal 2 hours before landing.

Once again, menu and wine list here.

I had the cauliflower soup and the steak sandwich. The latter was a bit too spicy for my liking. A spicy steak sandwich? Seriously?! i think Neil Perry is taking his "Asian influence" concept a bit too far. I love QF's v creative menu, but I also do think that some things are best done the traditional way. It was much better with the chilli relish scrapped off. The beef was v tender and fresh.

I tried to stay awake in an attempt to normalise my body clock. I had my bed made so that I could watch TV and sip on champagne or wine in bed. It was a v comfy set up, like a lazy Sunday arvo at home. The v attentive FAs came around proferring snacks from the menu every so often. Unfortunately my body clock was still stuck in European time, and before too long I'd fallen asleep, but not before I'd finished 'my' bottle of CH.

I was gently shaken awake 2 hours prior to landing as promised. I'd requested for the roast chook, to be served with the cherry tomato and oregano sauce. It was a little bit dry but was much better when more sauce was added.

The meal finished up with the v chocolate hazelnut tart, a sweet tooth's delight! And fended off the FA who was concerned that I wasn't eating enough and eagerly offered the cheese and dessert wine.

We had a longer than expected flying time due to volcanic activity somewhere in Asia which caused the flight path to be altered. As I'd felt that "the flight was too short" and given that I had no connections to worry about - this unexpected delay was most welcome! This way I also had more time to change back into street clothes and freshen myself up before getting off the plane. Also, more champagne supping at any rate. I'd moved on to the DP 2000 to neutralise the acidity left by the CH.

Descent commenced all too soon, a nasty habit that all these nice flights tend to have. The FA who'd been serving me added his goodbyes to the CSM's, which was a nice touch. Due to the longer flying time, we landed in Melbourne Tullamarine approximately an hour late.

Qantas First - an exceptional experience! The product on the whole continues to excel, with the new soft products exceeding expectations in every conceivable way.

THE END​

Apologies for the slow updates this time around, work and uni have been heinous since I've gotten back from overseas. Yes it isn't a full TR in the sense that I've not accounted for the entire trip but quality over quantity as they all say. Nonetheless I hope you've enjoyed this TR, and have found it informative, as much as I've had fun sharing my experiences onboard my 2 favourite airlines.

Till the next time,
QF009

 

[djfuzz]

Thanks for a fantastic TR QF009, have been following it with great interest and it certainly did not disappoint - proved by how green I am with envy.

 

[Alanslegal]

Marvellous Trip Report QF009.

The slight delay was worth it, very entertaining all round! Well done mate.

 

[anat0l]

Great TR, QF009. I hope to experience what you've had either in May (if our upgrade goes through ) or in November (whether it will be a 744 or 388 will be a whole different ball game....or it may even be BA F and QF F).

I went back to the gate feeling rather more human.

I know the feeling! Thank goodness for airline lounges with showers. It's one of the greatest things after lots of flying or just when you need a pick-me-up.

I had the cauliflower soup and the steak sandwich. The latter was a bit too spicy for my liking. A spicy steak sandwich? Seriously?! i think Neil Perry is taking his "Asian influence" concept a bit too far. I love QF's v creative menu, but I also do think that some things are best done the traditional way. It was much better with the chilli relish scrapped off. The beef was v tender and fresh.

I had the Signature QF burger in my last SYD F Lounge escapade. It had the same tomato and chilli relish, but you must have a more fire-sensitive tongue because IMO that stuff could be fed to hospital patients recovering from surgery and they'd probably be just fine. (In fact, it wasn't the spice in my burger that could kill - it would have been the grease!) Mind you - I'm not very good with chilli, so by all means don't think I can actually comfortably eat spicy foods, but the chilli relish? Not hot at all for me. But.......each to their own.

Chilli adds a nice lift to the relish but naturally any time you put too much then that's a real problem. And the problem is that "too much" is a whole different meaning for different people. Perhaps they should consider stocking tomato relishes with and without chilli.

The very spicy soup you were served on the LHR-MEL sector looks conspicuously like the Chinese hot and sour soup. I could be very wrong, but the colour looks surreptitiously close to it. In Chinese (and since you can't print Chinese characters here I'll use Pin Yin), it's called "suan la tang", which literally translates as "sour and hot (spicy) soup". When prepared correctly, it is quite nice, but it is an acquired taste, and certainly not for the feint hearted (as this TR has just borne witness to ).

 

[Keith009]

I had the Signature QF burger in my last SYD F Lounge escapade. It had the same tomato and chilli relish, but you must have a more fire-sensitive tongue because IMO that stuff could be fed to hospital patients recovering from surgery and they'd probably be just fine. (In fact, it wasn't the spice in my burger that could kill - it would have been the grease!) Mind you - I'm not very good with chilli, so by all means don't think I can actually comfortably eat spicy foods, but the chilli relish? Not hot at all for me. But.......each to their own.

Chilli adds a nice lift to the relish but naturally any time you put too much then that's a real problem. And the problem is that "too much" is a whole different meaning for different people. Perhaps they should consider stocking tomato relishes with and without chilli.

Mate, the relish BURNT. I thought I was breathing fire for a moment. As much as I like Mod Oz and fusion, I just want a normal steak sandwich without the "Asian influence."

Zero spice for me thanks, I can well do without whatever "lift" spicy stuff adds to food. I've been told that I simply need to "practise" and "get used to it", but I don't see why or how I should get used to something that's meant to be "endured" to start with. I don't even like things like pepper or ginger. My idea of 'mildly spicy' is butter chicken.

]The very spicy soup you were served on the LHR-MEL sector looks conspicuously like the Chinese hot and sour soup. I could be very wrong, but the colour looks surreptitiously close to it. In Chinese (and since you can't print Chinese characters here I'll use Pin Yin), it's called "suan la tang", which literally translates as "sour and hot (spicy) soup".

The FAs must have mixed up their recipes and merged the soups together then. The Hot and Sour Soup was the other option on the menu. My soup defo contained the soy chicken and shiitake though.

 

[sng1971]

Great trip report. Definately worth the wait.

Do Qantas offer Krug and Dom on all FCL flights? My only experience in FCL was on QF09/10 back in 2007, and they were only serving the Charles Heidsieck Mis En Cave.

 

[Keith009]

Do Qantas offer Krug and Dom on all FCL flights? My only experience in FCL was on QF09/10 back in 2007, and they were only serving the Charles Heidsieck Mis En Cave.

The current selection of FCL champagnes include Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millenaires '95, Krug, Dom Perignon and Taittinger Comtes de Champagne '98. However there's no set pattern as to what gets served on any given flight.

You shouldn't be getting Charles Heidsieck Mis En Cave - that's the JCL champagne.

 

[yo yo ma]

Very interesting read QF009... thanks for sharing.

 

[thegurio]

As entertaining as always... Thanks for sharing your trip with us QF009/029.

Tried some CH the other day (not sure which one it is, cant remember) and man it was nice!

Hope that your studies are going as well as your TR writing!

 

[JohnK]

Very nice trip report.

 

[jakeseven7]

thanks for posting - very interesting!

is it just me or are none of the photos working anymore though....