QF business not what it used to be?

[love_the_life]

Ah- the parents who can't wait for a few years until their beloved offspring is old enough to properly fly and rather annoy the rest of the cabin with their screaming infants is one of my bug bears as well, especially in Business class. But that's probably to be counted under 'bad luck'- I started selecting seats towards the back of the J cabin lately, just to avoid the bassinet seats up the front.

And the lumpy lie flat seats are becoming more and more a product from the past. I wonder when QF will realize that these are due for a little cabin refurb?

You are playing dangerously with that comment Berlin. There are quite a few AFFers who regularly fly at the pointy end with small children

 

[Berlin]

You are playing dangerously with that comment Berlin. There are quite a few AFFers who regularly fly at the pointy end with small children

I'm aware of this- got into trouble for my views on this topic in the past. That's why I will wisely leave it at that

 

[Bundy Bear]

Having flown Y to the US and J home; I was very thankful to be upgraded for the flight home.

A good crew can make or break a good flight, had a great crew going both ways.

Business you have the space.

There are no longer any QF codeshares on the AA flights ex Sydney, only option would be to fly to New Zealand and take AA from there.

 

[Bilton]

I started selecting seats towards the back of the J cabin lately, just to avoid the bassinet seats up the front.

I suspect, from observation over several years on QF, that the thing to do to avoid encountering beyond-bassinet children on long haul flights is to also avoid the smaller J cabin area (if the aircraft has one).

It seems to me that is where the families with ambulatory children generally tend to get allocated..... probably because if the kids are going to be annoying, they will impact a smaller number of passengers :idea:

 

[TonyHancock]

I suspect, from observation over several years on QF, that the thing to do to avoid encountering beyond-bassinet children on long haul flights is to also avoid the smaller J cabin area (if the aircraft has one).

It seems to me that is where the families with ambulatory children generally tend to get allocated..... probably because if the kids are going to be annoying, they will impact a smaller number of passengers :idea:

Not sure if it is still the case but the first two rows of the forward cabin could only be selected by OWE's up to how ever many hours before take off it used to be. The third row was similarly only available to OWS's. (Hence my term Sapphire Shed for the cabin.)

Anecdotally QF WP's and OWE's chose seats in this cabin. In my 23 QF A388 sectors in J I flew in seat 12E 18 times :shock: ........however as upgrades were processed the cabin emptied and other pax were allocated seats in the shed.

I never had an issue with children running around in the forward cabin, although on one flight Richard Wilkins was in the forward cabin and the orange glow made it tricky to sleep.

I am unlikely to fly on the QF A380 again, after 84 sectors, and in some respects will miss it, but not the DroopBeds.

 

[RichardMEL]

if you ever get to fly the current UA J product you'll beg for your DroopBed on QF i can assure you

look this is like everything... all things decline over time - due to cost cutting and product changes, but also ddue to one's exposure to the product, flights etc. There's probably some rich so-and-so who is bored with EY's Residence or can find fault with it

And dare I say with reference to the OP, who is flying on the boss' dime, the most important factor should be ability to be productive if that is required on the flight (or to be able to sleep). Now this is where the noise issue (from children, crew, or whoever) comes in.. you can't pick your seatmates, but you can pack some good NR/NC headphones and find strategies to make the flight more acceptable.

I also agree with what others have said.. a good crew can make all the difference - on ANY airline (yes, even UA!)

my 2 cents

 

[esseeeayeenn]

if you ever get to fly the current UA J product you'll beg for your DroopBed on QF i can assure you

look this is like everything... all things decline over time - due to cost cutting and product changes, but also ddue to one's exposure to the product, flights etc. There's probably some rich so-and-so who is bored with EY's Residence or can find fault with it

And dare I say with reference to the OP, who is flying on the boss' dime, the most important factor should be ability to be productive if that is required on the flight (or to be able to sleep). Now this is where the noise issue (from children, crew, or whoever) comes in.. you can't pick your seatmates, but you can pack some good NR/NC headphones and find strategies to make the flight more acceptable.

I also agree with what others have said.. a good crew can make all the difference - on ANY airline (yes, even UA!)

my 2 cents

You're right about productivity but for me that's the most important area where suites have a huge advantage over older reclining products such as the skybed.
However good (or bad) they are as a bed, they can't offer the working space which you have in a suite.

 

[lathiat]

As far as J become more mundane with repeated exposure, that's also a common experience. A long-haul flight in Y is the usual cure for that malady.

Couldn't agree more, as someone who flies mostly Y on 15-20+ hour international trips from Perth, with the occasional J upgrade... just take a few Y trips and then go back to enjoying your biz

Having said that I have partially experienced what you mean and honestly it's all about the exact crew you get.. if you want a super consistent smiling face experience I would suggest flying the long way around on Emirates. No promises the happy smiles aren't skin deep though!


Best experience I had on QF was LHR-DXB with a fairly empty business on classic upgrade.. amazing flight crew.. was great.

 

[amaroo]

I've managed to get my kids allocated into 11A/B for a SYD-DFW flight we're doing in December. They're flying on a seperate PNR to us - as we'll be in F away from the kids

The agent had to send the request up the totem pole, and a few hours later they were allocated. They've held for around 8 months, who knows if they'll hold until boarding? They were only bronze back then ....maybe the cabin should be called the "Bronzed Aussies"

 

[RichardMEL]

The good news is for the LAX run, come Dec, there WILL be a Suite option available ex-MEL for QF flyers, so perhaps an option to consider.

 

[esseeeayeenn]

The good news is for the LAX run, come Dec, there WILL be a Suite option available ex-MEL for QF flyers, so perhaps an option to consider.

Good point. Given the suites, and the fact that the A380s lack the wow factor of a proper bar or showers like EK or EY, the 789 might be a very popular choice.

 

[Berlin]

789 might be a very popular choice.

Meh- I personally am not that impressed with the Dreamliner (or the A350, for that matter). I can see how it might make sense for the airline from a financial and scheduling perspective but as a passenger, I prefer the big bird any day. But I know that this is just my personal experience, everyone is different. Those smaller planes just don't do it for me, hence I have always HATED that damn 777. At least compared to the latter, the 787 is a step up

 

[esseeeayeenn]

Meh- I personally am not that impressed with the Dreamliner (or the A350, for that matter). I can see how it might make sense for the airline from a financial and scheduling perspective but as a passenger, I prefer the big bird any day. But I know that this is just my personal experience, everyone is different. Those smaller planes just don't do it for me, hence I have always HATED that damn 777. At least compared to the latter, the 787 is a step up

My point was not that the B789 was generally preferable to the A388, rather that the J hard product on the QF B789 will be much better than the current J hard product on the QF A388.
If they refurbish the A388s with the new business suites it would be competitive again, although I also noted they had so far failed to take the opportunity to incorporate a "wow factor".
Personally as soon as I am on a wide bodied aircraft I worry about the size of my personal space rather than about the size of the aircraft.
So while my seat of choice would be a first apartment on an EY A388, my next choice would probably be an F suite on an EY A340 (I haven't flown F with SQ so I can't compare their suites).
My reasons, which might seem bizarre to some, are the overall spaciousness of the F cabin and the huge luxurious central F bathroom (although no shower).
Having said that the higher cabin pressure on the B789 and A350 is a significant improvement in passenger comfort.

 

[Berlin]

My point was not that the B789 was generally preferable to the A388, rather that the J hard product on the QF B789 will be much better than the current J hard product on the QF A388.

Sorry, my bad. Totally in agreement then, the newer QF J seats would definitely get the A380 product up with the times again!

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Meh- I personally am not that impressed with the Dreamliner (or the A350, for that matter).

I have changed my opinion of the 787... whether or not it's slightly more noisy, you certainly arrive much more refreshed... no dry nose, sore throat, scratchy eyes. Waking up after a long sleep on a dreamliner is much better than the same on a regular plane.

 

[Flying mermaid]

Not sure if it is still the case but the first two rows of the forward cabin could only be selected by OWE's up to how ever many hours before take off it used to be. The third row was similarly only available to OWS's. (Hence my term Sapphire Shed for the

Ms FM and her husband were able to select row 13 without any issue and they were both silver/ruby at the time. This is both to and from LAX and 12 months in advance.

 

[TonyHancock]

Ms FM and her husband were able to select row 13 without any issue and they were both silver/ruby at the time. This is both to and from LAX and 12 months in advance.

I haven't flown QF long Haul as a QF FF for over two years now. So good to know the score these days and reaffirm why I do not choose them any more.

 

[Berlin]

I have changed my opinion of the 787... whether or not it's slightly more noisy, you certainly arrive much more refreshed... no dry nose, sore throat, scratchy eyes. Waking up after a long sleep on a dreamliner is much better than the same on a regular plane.

Yea, I would agree with that. All three of the newer models, the A380, the 787 and the A350 are better when it comes to less dryness in the cabin from experience. Therefore, I'd chose any of them over an A330 or a 777 if possible.

 

[ap_member]

I'm in Brisbane and looking at travelling to USA/Mexico next summer (June/July 2018). I'm hoping to score J reward seats there and back. I was looking at the 747 service for its convenience however I'm thinking the new 787 overnight flight from Melbourne might be a better choice. It will certainly increase the flying time by adding the additional sector but I'm starting to think it might be worth it. It would be great if they upgraded the existing BNE-LAX-JFK service to the 787 sooner rather than later, but think it's unlikely to occur before 2018 mid-year. Do you think it's worth going via MEL to pickup the 787 or should I just be happy with the 747?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

flat bed in 787 v angled lie flat (droop) in the 747. Better cabin air/humidity in the 787. New v old.