Qantas - QFA > Reviews > 'Were flying in the air....'

Author's product rating:   

Food Quality	Good
Customer Service	Outstanding
Punctuality	Good
Space	Comfortable
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	Space, entertainment, crew
Disadvantages:	Little expensive

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Ill be the first to admit that i hate flying! Not so much the thought of being in the air (although the worry of crashing is always in the back of my mind) but more so the idea of being trapped up there for so many hours with very little to do.

Last year i flew to Australia and the thought if it was very worrying as the longest i had flown up to that point was around 11 hours - and that had not gone down to well! So knowing that to get to my desired destination i was going to have to travel about 16 hours did not fill me with joy. However as Australia was a place i was dying to visit i was willing to suffer through the flight to get there.

I booked with a tour group so as i didnt actually book the flights myself i cant comment on the booking process, but i can inform you of the rest, from my point of view.

Cost:

Having looked at prices constantly for Australia in he past ive notied that Qantas always seem to be one of the cheapest. Bare in mind that when you are travellng this far maybe the cheapest option is not always the best as comfort is a must! At an average of £580 they are pretty well priced and you get your monies worth.

Checking in:

I flew from London Heathrow and so had already stayed the night in London in order to get there for my early check-in. This meant that i was hoping to get everything smoothly sorted and on the plane with no fuss. Thankfully this was the case.

The checking-in process took no more than 30mins, which may seem a long time but when you consider how many people they have to check in for the amount of flights its not too long. There were many desks open and therfore it went a lot quicker.

Boarding the plane:

When it was time to get on the plane we were taken on a little bus across the tarmac to our plane. The plane was in good contition and the staff welcoming and seating us were very friendly, and very smartly dressed. There were also a lot of guy stewards which seemed a bit unusual to me as the majority of the time it seems to be women.

Sitting down the first thing you notice is the space, which is suprisingly quite a lot. I was sat in the section next to the back, but not quite in business. Leg room was comfortable and i had a bit of extra space (im only 5"4) so taller people would have room too. You get your own personal video screen and a guide explaining what is on when. There are around 11 channels for everyone, with 5 extras for those in business or better. Most of these are film channels, with up to date films, and the rest include a comedy channel, kids channel, documentaries, etc.

There are also around ten music channels catering for any taste you could possibly imagine.

I am i typical flight person - i board with about ten magazines and books, and anything else that i think will make the horrible journey go quicker, so as this was a longer flight i was extra prepared. I can honestly say that i left that plane without reading a page of a magazine and only having read a few pages of my book!!

You are also given a blanket, of a good size, and a pillow. Now if you are like me and cant sleep on flights these at least help to make you a bit more comfortable.

Flight:

Now there is no escaping the lenght of time you are up there! But with the extensive channels and games to play the time does seem to pass quicker than expected. However there are only so many films you can watch before getting adjitated, so its good to know that they are pretty lenient when it comes to walking around. There are many toilets spread around the plane so there i not too much worry about queues, although as many people seem to go directly after a meal is finished its a good idea to avoid this as queues are unavoidable at this point.

Food:

Now it doesnt take much to amuse me and as i sat down the cabin crew came straight round with a printed menu, stating exactly what was available, not only on my first flight, but on my connecting one too! This made it feel more like a restuarant, if thats possible, and also helped to save time, as there was no need for the crew to repeat the food to each individual person as the cart came down. You have plenty o time to viw the menu as the food is brought out after a few hours. You are well watered and snacks are given out in a 'small and often' kind of way, so you dont get hungry. Oh and all the food and drinks are free!!

Towards the end of the flight you are given a little ort of gym style bag with a selection of snacks in such as drinks, polos, biscuits, and chocolate. All brand named food menas that its almost guarenteed to taste good, unlike a lot of plane food.

Im admittedly the fussyist eater ever and am usually very unimpressed by the typical 'chicken or pasta?' selections available. Therefore it was a nice supprise to find the meals themselves were great tasting and varied throughout. And for once a managed to eat it without the horrible plane food smell that seems to stay the same no matter what is seved! This fod actually smelt.... like food!!!

As well as your food you are also given what i refer to as a goody bag (i already told you is doesnt take much to amuse...), containing toothpaste and brush, a blindfold to help you sleep, and other little emenities to kee you happy and clean.

Arriving:

The plane left on time and arrived slighly early so for me this was perfect as, sorry but no matter how great the service all i want to do is get there and get off!! The cabin crew were polite and friendly throughout the whole flight which, you have to remember, is as long for them as it is us. Each section of the cabin has four stewards and so keeping the same ones throughout means you are treated as friends and not as one of 700 strangers.

Return Journey:

Coming home was just as good if not better, and you all know how journeys go slower on your way home, as were all depressed and thinking about work/Uni etc. The flight admittedly was 3 hours late, and as we were now leaving at half two in the morning (and it was only half past ten!) i was not in the best of moods. But we were given meal vouchers and were kept comfortable so apart from the horrible time that it had occured it was not as bad as first expected.

Checking in was very quick and as the plane was not so full i was given three whole seats to myself (the check-in staff were very helpful in allowing us to be spread out) - you know what that means... SLEEP!!! With the extra pillows i slept for 9 hours and was as comfortable as in my own bed. And i didnt miss out on any freebies or snacks either, the lovely crew left them on the seat for me and even shut the blind for me when i fell asleep.

Overall i can easily say that Qantas have been the best company that i have flown with so far, and i have flown with a lot of reputable large companies. The flight is not only about the space and ime, its about how to are treated and how far the crew go to make sure your flight is as enjoyable as possible.

As a very tough person to please when it comes to flying, you can take my opinion as a pretty good show of how good Quantas are. Who said the Aussies werent the best people around?!!!! xx