Would you book a 20 hour non-stop flight?

[Bilton]

Can't see anyone on leisure paying more for the privilege of being jammed in Y for 20 odd hours.

IMO, there are plenty of younger travelers who would. I don't think QANTAS would be provisioning Y class seating if they hadn't determined there would be a demand at whatever price point they intended to set for Y.

i've done SYD-DFW in J on a 747 couple of times and that was OK, but probably at the limit of what I coukd tolerate on that generation of aircraft. I could personally see 20 hours on a A380 or 797 level aircraft as being quite doable :idea:

 

[jgm]

Why would anyone in their right mind choose 24 hours flying time (eg MEL-LHR) with the longest leg being 20 hours, over 22 hours flying time with the longest being 14 hours?

 

[Assassin]

Why would anyone in their right mind choose 24 hours flying time (eg MEL-LHR) with the longest leg being 20 hours, over 22 hours flying time with the longest being 14 hours?

Two reasons: First, I hate Dubai airport (notwithstanding the great F lounge) - the feeling when you park at a remote gate and then need to take the 40 minute bus ride to the terminal. Second, with a morning arrival into LHR, the DBX-LHR is too short to get a proper sleep.

I would much rather hop across to Perth and then have a long leg into LHR with time for some work and a decent sleep. Of course, that assumes the PER-LHR will arrive in the morning.... and also assumes travelling in J.

 

[WLGFlyer]

I would be interested in the non-stop flights. I do prefer two night flights with a day in Asia in between, but sometimes time is at a premium and it would be great to eliminate the possible delays at the stopover point.

Having said that, I don't think anyone in QF operations is seriously considering non-stop flights to LHR from the east coast. It's a nice marketing soundbite that gets everyone's attention, but they might as well have said "we are exploring the possibility of supersonic flights to LAX, cutting your travel time by up to 7h". Then point the finger at Airbus and Boeing to develop a plane capable of that.

 

[Isochronous]

I would only fly that long non-stop in F. And NO, A330 J is NOT "mini First Class". It is an ordinary Business Class experience.

 

[drron]

Us old b***ers need a break.Besides we both love Asia and virtually all our long trips have at least 2 stopovers in Asia.

 

[RB]

Times have changed but we used to do a domestic from PQQ to SYD then hang around (had to allow a buffer just in case) before getting on a Y long haul. Now we have admitted defeat & get to the city the day before-have been managing to avoid Y also.
I enjoy being able to split a flight at BKK & get into Europe early morning

 

[bsb]

J or F non stop perhaps if it wasn't a massive $ premium BUT if I got to get out in HKG or SIN I'd go for that any day. Dislike DXB in the extreme.

 

[Austman]

Why would anyone in their right mind choose 24 hours flying time (eg MEL-LHR) with the longest leg being 20 hours, over 22 hours flying time with the longest being 14 hours?

Because the in-flight experience is vastly different? A 20 hours flight will have lots of mid-flight quiet time. It's great! All flights have around 1.5-2 hours of service disruption after take-off and before landing. That really cuts into relaxation time for many flights.

 

[Pushka]

Agree that the first 2 hours are a write off waiting for the meal service. It's why on night flights I only order a G&T then bunker down for sleep. I've usually eaten in the lounge. It's a shame not to experience dinner but these days sleep seems more important to me.

 

[Matt_01]

I would probably do it just say "done that" outside of that would go for a stopover.

Also the "done that" would only be in J or F (if available), would not do it in Y.

 

[juddles]

... Dislike DXB in the extreme.....

What is there to dislike?

- the disruption to sleeping on the plane?
- the chaotic airport?
- the internal security queues?
- the millions of tired and unhappy fellow travellers?
- the massive walking distances?
- the confusing levels / stairs / gates?
- the being in a very different and not exactly hospitable country?
- that even the F lounge is cough compared to my comfortable suite on the A380?

There are only two things I actually like about DXB. There is a smoker's lounge, where I get to wait out the stopover drinking bourbon poured by an Arab and merrily smoking myself to death. And when I await boarding in that VIP level there is a self-serve salad bar where I actually really enjoy the prawns - they are tasty and not thawed frozen ones.

To try to make my post on-topic, even flying F I do not enjoy DXB stopovers, so would love a direct flight.

 

[Pushka]

The DXB F lounge is excellent. I've not encountered any hostility in Dubai, quite the opposite.

 

[mviy]

I've found the food in the DXB FLounge to be a long way below the QF FLounge standard. I would prefer a direct non-stop flight provided I'm in J/F

 

[Pushka]

I've found the food in the DXB FLounge to be a long way below the QF FLounge standard. I would prefer a direct non-stop flight provided I'm in J/F

I guess it's personal preference. Had a wonderful risotto in Dubai recently.

 

[serfty]

Had a brilliant rare tbone at the lounge last year.

It was however a QF9 to QF1 transit and the lounge restaurant was not frenetic.

 

[defurax]

I would book it in Y or PE if QF was offering something similar to JL current configuration in Y and PE. In the meantime, as long as JL flies their 789 I don't think I'll ever step in a QF 789.

 

[JessicaTam]

I voted yes, but only as I am already doing close to that with LHR-PER next year.

I might revise my vote after the flight!

 

[ivanhoe]

For me, it comes down to where the non-stop flight starts and ends. As I live in Melbourne, I don't see any value at all in SYD-xx_ non-stop flights, unless there is no other way for me to get to xx_.

For instance, I would rather fly Melbourne to DXB / DOH / AUH / HKG / SIN and then on to Europe, than to fly first to SYD - especially with the problems in making DOM-INT connections in SYD. Missing a connection in SYD often means waiting until the next day to continue the journey. Missing a connection in DXB / DOH / AUH / HKG / SIN usually (depending on the airline) means waiting a few hours (or getting there a bit later through an indirect connection).

 

[JohnK]

No way in any class.

My preference would 3 x 7 hour flights or even 4 x 5 hour flights with a few hours on the ground.