QF73/74 Equipment

[uzza]

Hi All,

Much to my disappointment I miss out on Qantas' A380 flight from SFO in January by 2 days However I am curious as to the type of 744 than normally does the route, is it always an ER or can the standard Longreach 438 make the trip without any trouble? (according to QF it's a 14.35hr return trip to SYD, strong winds = stop in Nadi with standard 400???). Missing out on the A380 sucks but heading back on the newer of the 400's would be a slight consolation. I came over here on QF25 run by the 743 - horrible flight, IFE broke from AKL until we were over Hawaii, heaps of galley equipment broken aprently, plus rude QF NZ crew took over and were more interrested in chatting to each other than serving PAX. Then to top it off we were parked at a remote stand and had to bus to terminal (although this happens often aparently due to construction and congestion at LAX - or perhaps QF didn't want the attrocious 743 prominately on display :mrgreen.

Cheers and thanks guys!

Uzza

 

[serfty]

Non stop LAX-MEL is really the only QF route when the ER is needed for full payload.

So SYD-SFO can be operated by either an ER or a "standard" 744 in "Pacific" Configuration.

http://www.qantas.com.au/infodetail/flying/inTheAir/ourAircraft/744-14P64J265Y.pdf

 

[NM]

Much to my disappointment I miss out on Qantas' A380 flight from SFO in January by 2 days However I am curious as to the type of 744 than normally does the route, is it always an ER or can the standard Longreach 438 make the trip without any trouble? (according to QF it's a 14.35hr return trip to SYD, strong winds = stop in Nadi with standard 400???).

SYD-SFO is slightly less distance than SYD-LAX, and QF has been operating LAX-SYD with regular 744s for many years and its very rare that they need to divert for a fuel splash and dash. The 744-ERs are most commonly used on the MEL-LAX route, which is about 500 miles more than SYD-SFO. However, the ERs do appear on SFO trips sometimes.

Note that the Ugly Sisters are generally used trans-Pacific. These aircraft have the GE engines which are slightly more efficient than the RR engines on the 747-438 aircraft, making them preferred for the trans-Pacific route.

But as far as a passenger inside the aircraft is concerned, few would be able to tell the difference between a 747-438ER, a 747-438 or one of the ugly sisters.

And the chances of an unplanned tech stop between SFO and SYD is very low.

 

[docjames]

Which a/c are you calling "ugly sister". You mean the GE engined (i thought those were the 438ERs)

 

[uzza]

Thanks Serfty and NM,

When talking about the pacific config is that the 2 class 744?

As far as I am aware the only noticeable difference between 744 and 744ER would be the ER has the newer style Boeing interior (seat covers shouldn't give it away as I believe the majority of the 744s have had seats updated to red...is this correct?) and of course the ER on the outside!

 

[serfty]

Thanks Serfty and NM,

When talking about the pacific config is that the 2 class 744?

As far as I am aware the only noticeable difference between 744 and 744ER would be the ER has the newer style Boeing interior (seat covers shouldn't give it away as I believe the majority of the 744s have had seats updated to red...is this correct?) and of course the ER on the outside!

No, this flight is typically 3 class.

The 3 class "pacific Configuration" has more J seats -64 or 66 and less (265) Y.

The 3 class "Kangaroo Route" 744 has 50 J seats and more (315) Y.

See the seat map I linked to in post #2 of this thread.

 

[uzza]

No, this flight is typically 3 class.

The "pacific Configuration" has more J seats -64 or 66 and less (265) Y.

The "Kangaroo Route" 744 has 50 J seats and more (315) Y.

See the seat map I linked to in post #2 of this thread.

Sorry! For some silly reason i thought 2 class was pacific!

 

[NM]

Which a/c are you calling "ugly sister". You mean the GE engined (i thought those were the 438ERs)

the ugly sisters are three aircraft purchased second hand by Qantas. They are:

VH-OEB, a 747-48E (ex Asiana Airlines)
VH-OEC, a 747-4H6 (ex Malaysian Airlines)
VH-OED, a 747-4H6 (ex Malaysian Airlines)

When they were first delivered they all had pretty poor quality interiors, but Qantas needed to put them into immediate service. It took some time before they were finally upgraded to a standard Qantas interior. Today you would not know the difference unless noting the registration or the GE engines and non-ER designation.

 

[docjames]

Well there you go - you do learn something new every day!

I'd thought QF had bought them all new.

Thanks for clarifying.