Qantas began flying non-stop between Perth and London earlier this year. Back in March, AFF moderator JessicaTam wrote a scathing review of Economy class on QF10 from London to Perth. The conclusion was that the Economy seats were too narrow for a comfortable flight. But what’s it like at the front of the plane, flying QF10 from London to Perth in Qantas 787 Business class?
Qantas has been talking up the Dreamliner Business suites ever since the first aircraft was delivered. The airline claims the seats are so good, frequent flyers nickname them “mini First Class”. So, after flying Qantas 787 Business from London to Perth (and continuing to Melbourne on the same aircraft), does AFF member coriander agree?
The Business class seat itself is very similar to Qantas A330 Business Suite. Seats are arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration so every passenger enjoys direct aisle access. The legroom is good and, although coriander found the seat a little uncomfortable, it reclined to become an excellent lie-flat bed.
Legroom is excellent; I’m reasonably tall and sitting up at full stretch my feet would barely reach the small shelf at the front of the foot well. In addition, there was adequate vertical room for my feet once the seat was fully flat.
My impression of the seat was that it wasn’t really comfortable as a seat, but excellent as a quite firm fully flat bed. I could lie on my back and there was room in the footwell for my feet. Somewhere over Bucharest fell asleep and slept soundly for 8 hours (which was a record for me).
Unfortunately, the service on the London-Perth flight was not great. The London-based crew were noticeably reserved and slow to get started with the meal service. (Luckily, the Australian-based crew on the second leg from Perth to Melbourne were much better.)
While the voice from the cockpit sounded Australian, all the cabin were British employed by Qantas UK. The service was basic, staff were efficient but reserved – it seemed I was on a BA Euro flight in economy.
Cabin staff started interacting with the passengers about 45 minutes into the flight, taking lunch orders and special requests.
It took another hour before the table was set and bread and salad provided
The food was also somewhat lacklustre. The crab cakes starter is described as “appalling”, although the main course was delicious. Unfortunately, the champagne ran out just a few hours into the 17-hour haul, somewhere near Budapest!
After a solid sleep, a light meal was served before arriving in Perth.
Qantas flight QF10 continues to Melbourne. Passengers in transit from London can use the dedicated Qantas transit lounge in Perth. This is what coriander had to say about the Qantas Perth lounge:
Great coffee, bruschetta, soup, pasta all with great service from the lounge staff. There are showers available, but I didn’t have one. I did ask for a razor and was able to have a light wash and shave which made me feel quite refreshed.
Despite some service issues, coriander was left with a good overall impression of Qantas 787 Business Class on QF10.
I’m left thinking that the 787 is not as bad as people make out: the lie-flat bed is superior to the A380’s lie-drooped Skybeds, the plane is quiet, but I thought not as quiet as the Cathay and Finnair A350s we flew in last year. Whilst I love the A380’s spaciousness, I’ll not now go out of my way to avoid the 787 if in J.
Read the full trip report on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum: Oh Lord, Not Another QF10 Trip Report (Yes)
