Qantas boosts international capacity, wet lease Finnair aircraft

[Himeno]

Parents have a trip coming up (nov/dec), coming home via Tokyo. They are convinced that they are on one of the AY wet lease aircraft for HND-SYD. No matter how many times I tell them that it's only SIN and BKK to SYD flights, they keep asking about the AY J seats for their HND-SYD flight in Dec.

 

[Spacetravel]

flew QF291 - great crew and food. The Finnair crew seem to be really happy to be doing the Syd flights.

I was quite shocked with departure gate 26 at Syd airport - this is like a Jetstar holding zone for 3 flights (SIN, BKK and Seoul) going all at once by bus to non air-bridge birds, was a mess with ceiling wires all exposed during some kind of renovation. There was business class signs, but no enforcement it was a free for all. I was surprised that everyone got into the right line and right bus...

I flew QF295 (Syd > Bkk) earlier this week in Y and actually had a very different experience.

The boarding gate was a normal airbridge gate and staff actively policed the business class line/ priority boarding. Even rejecting non premium passengers who made it to the scanner.

Once on board, had a very different experience to what ive mentioned previously. First of all, the food. Wow! For Y there was so much. 2 main meals (good filling options) 2 drink services and at least 3 snack services (maybe more while I was asleep). This was both good and bad, we were well fed but the staff seemed really busy doing some food service all flight. They would start at the front and by the time they made it to the back of the plane they would start at the front again. This caused a problem with collecting plates, it was VERY slow. So slow pax started putting trash/ plates in strange places. I went to the lavs and it was the messiest lav I have ever seen on a plane. Pax had left their dirty plates from meal service stacked in the lav. By the time we arrived in BKK the flight looked like the aftermath of a wild party with trash throughout the aisles in the plane.

In addition to this, as a Platinum besides the ground benefits, on board I had 0 recognition. No intro and no advanced meal order. Which usually on this flight the crew have been pretty good about. However, I was near the front so the advanced meal order didn’t matter.

 

[Spacetravel]

I flew QF295 (Syd > Bkk) earlier this week in Y and actually had a very different experience.

To follow up I returned on 296 BKK > SYD in Y.

Almost identical experience but with drink + snack service after take off. Main meal, snack, breakfast.

0 platinum recognition again. The meal service including plate collection took 3.5 hours until the plate was cleared and almost 4 hours until the cabin lights were dimmed for sleeping. I’m not sure what the staff were doing between bringing out the meals and collecting the tray as it was about an hour until they collected the tray.

This service was pretty good when it launched but now appears to be lowering to the standards of the QF operated service. I don’t understand why this route always has low standards compared to other QF routes. This is almost feeling like a Jetstar flight.

Also I wish they would do something about the pillow/ topper situation in J. Borrow some stuff from Finnair. It’s ridiculous the products don’t fit the seat. I normally fly J but I won’t do it again on this route due to the not enough pillows/ topper that doesn’t fit situation. As the seat doesn’t recline the correct bedding is more important on this seat than any other J product that exists.

 

[Lynda2475]

Also I wish they would do something about the pillow/ topper situation in J. Borrow some stuff from Finnair. It’s ridiculous the products don’t fit the seat. I normally fly J but I won’t do it again on this route due to the not enough pillows/ topper that doesn’t fit situation. As the seat doesn’t recline the correct bedding is more important on this seat than any other J product that exists.

Don't expect it to be any better even if you fly this aircraft on a Finnair route where they have the Finnair mattress topper and pillows. The mattress toper is extremely thin (doesn't make the hard seat any softer) and it simply lays on the seat, there is no velcro or ties to keep it in position, so the first time you move or roll-over it stops doing its job.

The Finnair pillows are small and unsupportive. I much prefer the large pillows you get on BA J on their 787s.

I think if I were to fly on their aircraft again, Id bring my silk sleeping bag liner, to eliminate the risk of ending up laying directly on the scratchy seat because the mattress toper doent stay in place.

 

[RooFlyer]

Would a few squares of double sided tape or Velcro squares help, at all? Doing this in December.

 

[N860CR]

The meal service including plate collection took 3.5 hours until the plate was cleared and almost 4 hours until the cabin lights were dimmed for sleeping. I’m not sure what the staff were doing between bringing out the meals and collecting the tray as it was about an hour until they collected the tray.

I believe the crew were rumored to have done a “QF service standards” training course. Maybe the crew you got paid attention in said course?

 

[elanshin]

'Too little, too late': Qantas engineers deride revival of Alan Joyce-era academy

'Engineers take four years to train and it's at least that again before they can really do the job. It's not just something you can pick up overnight,' one engineer told Crikey.

www.crikey.com.au

Interesting article about trying to (belatedly) revive its engineering department but there was a bit in there.

That’s why Hudson is said to be looking at wet-leasing six more A330s from Finnair for Qantas international routes (it already has two plying Thailand and Singapore routes): so she can ramp up capacity on her higher margin domestic business.

 

[Spacetravel]

'Too little, too late': Qantas engineers deride revival of Alan Joyce-era academy

'Engineers take four years to train and it's at least that again before they can really do the job. It's not just something you can pick up overnight,' one engineer told Crikey.

www.crikey.com.au

Interesting article about trying to (belatedly) revive its engineering department but there was a bit in there.

Oh god please no. Thailand and Singapore are already my most frequent destinations so I have to take the finnair services regularly. I can’t do it on even more routes. Yes in “some” aspects its better than Qantas but in many it takes the worst aspects of Qantas and Finnair and puts it on one plane. I have been counting down the days (years) until the service returns to QF.

I’ve explained in this thread already for some reason the bkk service is worse than the sin service. But both have been inconsistent ranging from not too bad to absolutely awful (lights kept on all night and 3+ hours to collect meal trays, but lights turned off on the day service??)

 

[OATEK]

Happily then I have not been on the BKK flights. Have been on QF291 in both J/PE, and was quite happy with the day flights to SIN. Did QF2 on the 2 returns, again in J/PE and found the service and food much of a muchness across the AY/QF services. The only exception was PE on QF2 where we had one FA that stood out from the crowd. On QF291 to SIN in April, in PE, and it has been the availability of this cabin on the AY flights that we have appreciated, as QF81/A330s don't offer it.

 

[gaz0303]

Flew QF291 to SIN in J last week. Apart from the boarding zoo (a SYD problem trying to depart multiple flights from the bus gates), the experience was great. I like the J seat, the space they create and freedom for movement. I don’t know if the seat is higher, but it’s easier to look out the window and view the ground from a natural seating position. Spectacular show from the AU outback.

 

[bjm76]

I have been lucky enough to fly the Finnair service SYD-BKK and BKK-SYD a few times now in Premium and Business (upgrade or Classic Award redemption when these flights were launched and there was inventory available). I think so much better than the QF hard product. Premium is perfect for the day flight to BKK - super comfy seats, high quality IFE screen and warm friendly service from the Bangkok-based Finnair crew (superior to QF in my view - the FAs who used to be on QF23/24 always seemed cranky in Y or J).
Buainess seat is also great (but understand can be polarising) - seem to have more space for me compared to the QF J seat. I have had a great sleep on the overnight flight BKK to SYD.
I am really happy to have the option of Premium on these flights - such a great experience compared to Y and I am happy to pay the fare, whereas I cannot justify paying for Business.

 

[jakeseven7]

Flew QF291 to SIN in J last week. Apart from the boarding zoo (a SYD problem trying to depart multiple flights from the bus gates), the experience was great. I like the J seat, the space they create and freedom for movement. I don’t know if the seat is higher, but it’s easier to look out the window and view the ground from a natural seating position. Spectacular show from the AU outback.

I was mildly terrified about the QF-Finnair bird after perusing some people’s views in this thread but thankfully my experience was the same - I enjoyed it! I’d only ever flown Finnair on narrow body before so this was my first time.

I didn’t find the bed too hard (I mean no airline bed is soft really) and the mattress supplied didn’t slip around either. Was fine for me.

Will be interesting to see if QF secure more of these aircraft to tide them over until the A350/787s come online and the A330s are refurbed.

 

[wenglock.mok]

Truth be told, I didn’t find the Finnair-operated A330 services to be bad at all. If anything, I thought it was in some respects better than when they were QF-operated, especially the state of the cabin (some of those QF A330s are very worn out inside) and the demeanour of (at least) the SIN-based AY cabin crew. AY did a good job with the fitout in their A330s.

The actual amenities and catering are provided by QF and would be exactly the same as on QF-operated services.

 

[sevenfourtyseven]

Six more would mean the entire Finnair A330 fleet would be leased by QF!

 

[elanshin]

Six more would mean the entire Finnair A330 fleet would be leased by QF!

Wouldn't be a crazy idea given it feels like they're struggling a bit to fill their planes and they have had more 350s in their fleet now and it'll be doing the bulk of their work.

I suspect they also lost a lot of destinations for the 330 due to the extra distances they have to fly to asia and having no end in sight for the Ukraine war.

Meanwhile for QF, 330 fit the mission profile range for a lot of locations.

 

[jase05]

Wouldn't be a crazy idea given it feels like they're struggling a bit to fill their planes and they have had more 350s in their fleet now and it'll be doing the bulk of their work.

I suspect they also lost a lot of destinations for the 330 due to the extra distances they have to fly to asia and having no end in sight for the Ukraine war.

Meanwhile for QF, 330 fit the mission profile range for a lot of locations.

I’ve been looking at award seats from HEL to the USA as there is some decent availability. Most of the US routes seem to be on the A330’s. Still haven’t tried their newer J product yet

 

[Lynda2475]

I flew HEL-JFK and it had the new J seats and I was not a fan as very hard to get up from sleeping position. Fine for a day flight inferior to all other lay flat J seats ive tried for overnight.

I'd prefer QF source more aircraft with their usual J seats than more of the Finnair seats that are only suitable for those with perfect mobility i.e no knee or back issues.

 

[elanshin]

I'd prefer QF source more aircraft with their usual J seats than more of the Finnair seats that are only suitable for those with perfect mobility i.e no knee or back issues.

It's not really about picking and choosing. There are very few airlines with surplus widebody aircraft right now and one of them isn't available for QF (CX 777s).

 

[Lynda2475]

It's not really about picking and choosing. There are very few airlines with surplus widebody aircraft right now and one of them isn't available for QF (CX 777s).

A shortage there may be but passengers can certainly pick and choose to fly on routes and flight numbers or other airlines with seat designs that better meet their needs to sleep comfortably.

I feel it was a mistake for QF not to keep all its A380s.

 

[Spacetravel]

Judging by the comments in this thread, maybe I am alone with the experiences I have had. I have only flown Finnair a330 J once and the experience was good. My poor experiences have been in Y and mildly poor in PE. I would agree QF a330s are very tired and the Finnair a330s are certainly better condition.