Qantas Business Class Seats from LAX to SYD

[vaccav]

Can anyone confirm if Qantas has now fitted the Skybed to ALL flights from LAX to SYD. I am on QF8 on Nov 17 and wanted to double check if this is guaranteed to have a skybed.

Many thanks,

vaccav

 

[NM]

Generally the answer is yes. Howvere, during November, some QF8 and QF149 flights will be operated by 2-class 747-400 and 747-300 aircraft, due to operational maintenance requirements and AVOD upgrades for the 3-class 747-400 fleet. And the 2-class 744's may have skybeds, but the 747-300 do not.

But for 17th November, they are selling QF8 as 3-class so that is a good sign, and the seat map shows J starting at row 11, so also a god sign for a standard 3-class 747-400 with Skybeds.

 

[Maca44]

http://www.qantas.com.au/info/flying/travelClasses/businessChanges#schedules states as follows:

Roll Out Schedule
Skybed is now installed on all 3 class B747-400 and A330-300 aircraft and will be progressively introduced on 2 class B747-400 aircraft on selected routes from April 2005 until January 2006. For further details of the anticipated roll out schedule please view the following table.

Due to fleet maintenance between 30 October and 30 November 2005, on some days the following flights will be operated by a two class B747-400 or B747-300 aircraft which do not yet have Skybed:

QF149/QF8 between Sydney and Los Angeles
QF127/QF128 between Sydney and Hong Kong
QF25/QF26 between Auckland and Los Angeles

If you are flying QF8 on NOV17 it would appear you will not have the skybed seats on that flight.

 

[Maca44]

I suggest that if NM says it is 3 class with J starting from 11 etc, then listen to him as he is far more experienced than I, and I am only going off the QF website.

 

[NM]

I suggest that if NM says it is 3 class with J starting from 11 etc, then listen to him as he is far more experienced than I, and I am only going off the QF website.

I used KVS Availability tool to see that the flight on that particular day is being sold as 3-class, which means that at this time QF believe it will be operated as 3-class. And the seat map available via the KVS tool, although a little strange as they often are for QF's 744 in J, shows row 11 start for J for that day. So again, at this time QF believe it will be a 3-class aircraft and hence will have Skybeds.

But anything can change in this space depending on unscheduled maintenance requirements.

 

[NM]

Just to follow up on this one, from what I can tell QF is planning to operate the QF25 and QF26 with 747-300 aircraft on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays between 30th October and 30th November.

Can't see any other 743 flights to LAX except for those QF25/26 flights.

 

[AlwaysUpThere]

Can't see any other 743 flights to LAX except for those QF25/26 flights.

743s don't have the range to do SYD-LAX or vv non-stop, so the via AKL flight is the only one they can schedule it on...

Remember the old 747SP which was the only non-stop until the 744 was introduces in...'90 (??)

 

[robertz]

Remember the old 747SP which was the only non-stop until the 744 was introduces in...'90 (??)

Ahhhh, the old SP, where do they all live now?

Or have they all gone to retire in the AZ or CA desert?

Rob

 

[NM]

Ahhhh, the old SP, where do they all live now?

Or have they all gone to retire in the AZ or CA desert?

Rob

Beer cans and razor blades by now. Went to the Mojave desert and were broken up for scrap a few years ago now. There are some photos around the net of them being destroyed (I'll post a link if I can find them again). Very sad end for a great aircraft.

Only 44 SPs were ever made, and QF were some of the few with RR engines. The first SP flew on July 4th, 1975, with FAA certification awarded in Feb 1976. Pan Am was the first operator.

The SP set a distance record in 1976 with a delivery flight for South African airways, flying 16,560km (8940nm) from Boeing's Paine Field to Cape Town with 50 passengers on board. That record held for 13 years until Qantas broke it with the 17,945km (9688nm) delivery flight of a 747-400 from London to Sydney.

 

[thadocta]

Check out this great website for further SP information.

Dave

 

[serfty]

... Ahhhh, the old SP, where do they all live now?

Or have they all gone to retire in the AZ or CA desert?

Rob

Here's a FT post with links to some of the last photos of VH-EAA being broken up at Marana 2002.

 

[NM]

Here's a FT post with links to some of the last photos of VH-EAA being broken up at Marana 2002.

Thanks Serfty. Those were the pictures I was thinking about. Almost enough to make one cry :cry: :cry: :cry: .