Qantas Project Sunrise goes ahead, 12 new A350-1000s ordered

[encryptededdy]

And do you really think that is going to persuade people to go via Perth to Europe instead of SQ,JL,TK and the ME3/4?
At the moment it is SQ,JAL or QR for me. And if JAL restarts BNE-Tokyo then it will be JAL every time. Cheaper,better food and service than QF.

Isn't the point of the A350 & Project Sunrise so that you don't have to go via. Perth?

So, presumably the plebs in all the other classes won’t get a choice. So the airline deems you should be awake you will be encouraged to be awake and if you want to sleep well too bad.

So like any other flight ever? Unless you mean they should keep the lights off for the full 17 hours which... I mean... I could probably deal with that in J, but it would be quite painful in W and Y (not that a 17h flight would be enjoyable in those classes regardless).

Anyway, regarding the A350 first class... the idea of a customisable lighting cycle is nice, but without full height suite walls I'm not sure how effective it will be if you've got light spilling in/out to the aisle and adjacent suite.

 

[yachty]

At the moment it is SQ,JAL or QR for me. And if JAL restarts BNE-Tokyo then it will be JAL every time. Cheaper,better food and service than QF.

Just got off a Japan-Europe and certainly wouldn't recommend it with the additional travel time right now. If that's a viable option for you then suffice to say you're not in the market sunrise etc is targeting anyway!

Semantics from me though - these flights are too bloody long to be onboard.

 

[justinbrett]

I was very disappointed with JAL on my first J flight with them this year.

 

[RooFlyer]

So like any other flight ever?

well, Qantas is claiming this is a first so no, not like every other flight ever.

Unless you mean they should keep the lights off for the full 17 hours which... I mean... I could probably deal with that in J, but it would be quite painful in W and Y (not that a 17h flight would be enjoyable in those classes regardless).

No, what I meant was that first class passengers can choose their 'cicardian' lighting because they know a centrsl choice won’t suit everyone. Yet
other classes get stuck with the fact that theyll be 'encouraged' to sleep at certain times and encouraged to be awake at other times.

 

[wandering_fred]

The Western Australian residents feelings about SYD (when heading east) are likely similar to Sydney-sider feelings about PER (when heading west).
I have flown JFK-HKG and DOH-AKL but I would much prefer a stop somewhere in the middle.

Sometimes pain is generated while wandering

Fred

 

[drron]

What service do you think QF is not providing that others do? Is this a check-in thing? Somehow cabin crew not meeting standards? With my experience, I've travelled on many other carriers and QF crew are generally the best for 'service'. So many of the Asian and ME carriers are so robotic and all the same.

My experience is the opposite. On the last QFi flight I took to Japan I was asked what I wanted to drink with lunch. I asked what wine do you have. Answer was red and white.
I am having my 10th JAL flight in the last 9 months next week and I expect that I will be able to have a conversation with the crew just as I have on the last 9 flights. They are definitely not robotic.

 

[encryptededdy]

well, Qantas is claiming this is a first so no, not like every other flight ever.

I meant not getting a choice is like every other flight

 

[RSVKanga]

So, presumably the plebs in all the other classes won’t get a choice. So the airline deems you should be awake you will be encouraged to be awake and if you want to sleep well too bad.

What are you even talking about? "Plebs" already don't get a choice. All long haul airlines already turn off the cabin lights fully when they deem passengers should sleep, and most passengers respect that and sleep. So at the end of the day I think your statement leans heavily towards agendas disguised as pessimism rather than genuine concerns.

Qantas is just going a step further and introducing dynamic/creative lighting to improve the experience.

I also assume that this lighting thing means that passengers won’t have control over the window shades either.

I think most people will not only cope, but will appreciate it.

 

[encryptededdy]

I never have any issue with the friendliness etc. of Qantas crew. What I do often have a problem with (and it's probably not entirely the fault of the crew per se, could be how many crew Qantas decides to allocate etc.) is how LONG meal services take. This is especially annoying on the sub-9hr Asia flights in Business where you really want to get some sleep, but you're sitting there with your finished Japanese Meal Appetiser, and it takes 45 minutes for you to get your main (yes, I've timed it before). I don't really care on a day flight, but on an overnight flight it messes with my ability to sleep.

I've also often gone to bed with my (finished) main meal on the side table because I sat there for 5 minutes and nobody's come to collect it. Maybe I need to get over feeling bad about ringing the call bell.

 

[RooFlyer]

What are you even talking about? "Plebs" already don't get a choice. All long haul airlines already turn off the cabin lights fully when they deem passengers should sleep, and most passengers respect that and sleep.

Good grief. I should respect when the airline wants me to sleep and comply? Really?

Qantas is just going a step further and introducing dynamic/creative lighting to improve the experience.

Whether or not it’s an improvement would depend on the individual passenger wouldn’t it?

If it’s an improved experience, why are they giving first class passengers the option to control their own lighting? Surely they want to give first class passagers the best possible experience all the time and therefore control the lighting for them - because of course the corporation knows best, with all this research.

Or are you equating improvement with enhancement?

 

[justinbrett]

Good grief. I should respect when the airline wants me to sleep and comply? Really?


Whether or not it’s an improvement would depend on the individual passenger wouldn’t it?

If it’s an improved experience, why are they giving first class passengers the option to control their own lighting? Surely they want to give first class passagers the best possible experience all the time and therefore control the lighting for them - because of course the corporation knows best, with all this research.

Or are you equating improvement with enhancement?

No you've got it all wrong. QF plans to let all pax including Y control lighting.

It's just different for each class.

In Y, if the lights are on, lights can be darkened for individual pax by use of an eye mask. If lights are off, a reading light is provided.

It's an old system, but it works!

 

[JohnK]

I think it's fair to say that Project Sunrise will be a success with the business/corporate market who are not paying and want to get in and out as quicky as possible and the one/two stop's will continue to be a success with the leisure market who are paying.
I actually feel there is more then enough market share for both.

I'm struggling to understand the attraction of PER-LHR unless LHR was your final destination and its the cheapest option or you live in PER and it was the cheapest option.

As a business traveller non-stop is not a selling point just to save a few hours.

For someone that currently lives in Brisbane here are what I believe are the numbers

BNE-PER 5h20m
PER-LHR 17h35m

Assuming a 2 hour transit which would be tough to find for PER anyway then this would be 24h55m.

BNE-SIN 8h10m
SIN-LHR 13h50m

Assuming 2 hour transit which is easily doable then this would be just on 24 hours. I haven't done the numbers for Middle East but I'd say they are very similar.

So what's the attraction for PER-LHR or PER-anywhere non-stop for anyone other than PER residents? Or maybe even ADL residents?

Contrary to @p--and--t I love airports and I love flying but I hate being on an aircraft more than 5-6 hours. I remember waking up in middle of SYD-LAX and there were still another 7 hours to go. Please let me out for a break and start again.

 

[p--and--t]

I'm struggling to understand the attraction of PER-LHR unless LHR was your final destination and its the cheapest option or you live in PER and it was the cheapest option.

As a business traveller non-stop is not a selling point just to save a few hours.

For someone that currently lives in Brisbane here are what I believe are the numbers

BNE-PER 5h20m
PER-LHR 17h35m

Assuming a 2 hour transit which would be tough to find for PER anyway then this would be 24h55m.

BNE-SIN 8h10m
SIN-LHR 13h50m

Assuming 2 hour transit which is easily doable then this would be just on 24 hours. I haven't done the numbers for Middle East but I'd say they are very similar.

So what's the attraction for PER-LHR or PER-anywhere non-stop for anyone other than PER residents? Or maybe even ADL residents?

Contrary to @p--and--t I love airports and I love flying but I hate being on an aircraft more than 5-6 hours. I remember waking up in middle of SYD-LAX and there were still another 7 hours to go. Please let me out for a break and start again.

Not sure why you talking about going to Perth and project Sunrise in same post.

With Sunrise you don't need to go to Perth, but depart direct non stop from Melbourne, Sydney......

 

[p--and--t]

My experience is the opposite. On the last QFi flight I took to Japan I was asked what I wanted to drink with lunch. I asked what wine do you have. Answer was red and white.

I'm a bit confused. In many threads you have intimated you don't fly QFi or haven't flown them for decades, so I'm intrigued as to how long ago and how relevant was this "last" experience that disappointed you so much?

 

[MooTime]

I couldn't imagine anything worse than sitting in same seat for 17+ hours. Add on the pre take off, taxi-ing plus on arriving parking at gate waiting for all to up n get off, I'm calling it 18hours.

Not losing anything on a 4+ week holiday in Europe by adding couple hours stop each way, but gaining a stretch the legs break.
Yes business pax different story, I'm not one of those so can't comment.

Of course J makes it more doable, but still.

 

[RSVKanga]

My experience is the opposite. On the last QFi flight I took to Japan I was asked what I wanted to drink with lunch. I asked what wine do you have. Answer was red and white.

Hang on, don't you have a bizzare "policy" of not flying Qantas International which has been in place for 14 years according to you? So this QF flight you're talking about is from at the latest 2009 or 2010 if I am correct?

 

[SYD]

I'm a bit confused. In many threads you have intimated you don't fly QFi or haven't flown them for decades, so I'm intrigued as to how long ago and how relevant was this "last" experience that disappointed you so much?

Down the back about 20+ years ago it was red or white. “Long Flat Red or Long Flat White” (poured from 750ml bottles) and they’d wander down the aisle with a bottle of each doing top ups! You don’t see that anywhere now in whY!

Meanwhile, up front there’s always been a decent selection of wines for as long as I can remember. As you’d expect on most airlines - exception has been MH who invariably run out halfway to the destination…

I couldn't imagine anything worse than sitting in same seat for 17+ hours. Add on the pre take off, taxi-ing plus on arriving parking at gate waiting for all to up n get off, I'm calling it 18hours.

Not losing anything on a 4+ week holiday in Europe by adding couple hours stop each way, but gaining a stretch the legs break.
Yes business pax different story, I'm not one of those so can't comment.

Of course J makes it more doable, but still.

I did DFW-SYD for the first time last year. ~17 hrs and yes, it’s a long flight but up front it was quite manageable. Plenty of time to watch Oppenheimer without interruption….

I wouldn’t do it down the back however.

 

[TomVexille]

I'm a bit confused. In many threads you have intimated you don't fly QFi or haven't flown them for decades, so I'm intrigued as to how long ago and how relevant was this "last" experience that disappointed you so much?

Hang on, don't you have a bizzare "policy" of not flying Qantas International which has been in place for 14 years according to you? So this QF flight you're talking about is from at the latest 2009 or 2010 if I am correct?

Don't worry, I had a similar experience to @drron just last week on QF. Cabin crew have no idea what wines are on their trolley, and post meal, asked which one I was drinking for a refill and then poured the wrong one

 

[SYD]

Don't worry, I had a similar experience to @drron just last week on QF. Cabin crew have no idea what wines are on their trolley, and post meal, asked which one I was drinking for a refill and then poured the wrong one

Would that have been on an AY wet lease? My experience flying SIN-SYD a few months ago was subpar, especially compared to the great service on QF1 up to to SIN.

Yes, the crew don’t necessarily know what’s onboard until (or if) catering deliver it but IME, they will run through what they have when you ask “What do you have?”

I’ve been on plenty of other airlines where the printed menu will have specific wines, but they’re run out before the drinks service and it’s something else.

 

[exceladdict]

I did DFW-SYD for the first time last year. ~17 hrs and yes, it’s a long flight but up front it was quite manageable. Plenty of time to watch Oppenheimer without interruption….

I wouldn’t do it down the back however.

I did it twice last year in Y, per-syd-dfw-elsewhere in the states. Both times I chose it over the slightly shorter LAX/SFO legs over the Pacific because it was the most appealing overall schedule, especially time given the timezone changes. I do think that the schedule is a big factor, depending on your purpose of travel and somewhat regardless of class.

Those whose cities have access to a one stop via Asia or ME may very well prefer a stopover in the middle (as I did in another itinerary per-dxb-arn/lhr-sin-per). However, if you're already facing three sectors, say kgi-per-lhr-bhd, I can see why avoiding a fourth might be appealing, if you can get good connection timing etc.