After spending a few hours in the Sydney Airport it was finally time to board our Qantas flight from Sydney to Auckland to continue or trip down under. Although the flight awkwardly departed in the early evening my girlfriend and I specifically picked it because it was on one of Qantas’ Airbus A330 aircraft. Almost all of the other options involved traveling on a single-aisle jet for the fairly short flight. Instead, this flight meant that we could enjoy a twin-aisle jet, and one that featured a 2-4-2 seating arrangement.
Although we were flying in Qantas Economy class we were both able to visit the Qantas First Class lounge thanks to my OneWorld Emerald elite status. I maintain OneWorld Emerald elite status through my American Airlines AAdvantage Executive Platinum elite status. Similarly we were both permitted to use Qantas’ First Class check-in counters at Sydney Airport.
Qantas First Class Check-In Sydney
The First Class check-in area is closed off from the rest of the departures level thanks to a few very solid walls, one of which is made out of the familiar white marble found in the Qantas First Class lounge.
The other wall appeared to be made of metal and featured the Qantas’ First Class and OneWorld’s Emerald branding. As I mentioned above, that little Emerald placard serves as a reminder that those with OneWorld Emerald elite status can use the First Class check-in area.
Inside the high walls which separated the First Class check-in area from the rest of the terminal was a familiar sight. This area was home to a few different check-in counters each of which were staffed by extremely lovely Qantas agents.
Across from the check-in counters were some bright green leather chairs for guests to wait in the event all of the counters were full. When we checked in we were one of about three groups of passengers inside the check-in area.
Finally, after checking in with the exceptionally friendly Qantas agent, pictured above, we were directed to the “Express Path” expedited security lanes.
Premium cabin passengers and passengers with elite status have access to the express path which greatly reduced the time required to clear security.
Departing Sydney Airport
As I mentioned above, prior to our flight we stopped in the Qantas First Class lounge for a few hours while we waited for our departure. The lounge was exceptional and honestly it was a bit hard to leave. I’m starting to think the Qantas First Class lounge Sydney could now be my favorite lounge in the world.
Anyway, after departing the lounge we walked toward our gate, gate 35, to wait to board the aircraft.
As we walked to our gate I couldn’t help myself from admiring the lovely Boeing 747-400 “Longreach” parked across the hall from our gate.
That being said, the beautiful Qantas A330 parked at our gate was no slouch either.
After a short wait the gate agents announced our departing flight and began the boarding process.
Again, thanks to my OneWorld Emerald elite status both my girlfriend and I were able to board the flight to Auckland at the beginning of the boarding process.
Since we boarded first, we had a few extra moments to admire the gorgeous Business Class interior found on the A330.
Qantas A330 Business Class Cabin
Now, I was originally going to leave this part of the review out, but the more I looked at the photos from this cabin the more I felt as though I must share it. Looking back I still remember how overwhelmingly beautiful this cabin was when we boarded the aircraft.
While I can’t speak to passenger comfort, I can say that this is arguably the prettiest business class cabin I’ve seen in a while.
The cabin featured a staggered 1-2-1 layout found on other A330 and Boeing 767 aircraft, but featured finishes similar to those found on a Swiss Aircraft.
While I’m glad to have had the chance to admire the business class cabin on the A330 it only served as a reminder of a cabin that we weren’t flying.
Instead, for the fairly short flight to Auckland, we were stuck sitting back in Economy.
Qantas A330 Economy Class Cabin
Thankfully the economy class cabin on the Qantas A330 wasn’t too bad either. The economy cabin featured a familiar 2-4-2 layout again found on other A330 and 767 aircraft. I personally prefer this layout to the 3-3-3 or 3-4-3 arrangement found on A350, 787, or 777 aircraft.
The economy class cabin offers about 31 inches of seat pitch which is typical for long-haul aircraft. Our aircraft lacked an extra legroom section, but I personally found the pitch sufficient.
For the flight to Auckland my girlfriend and I grabbed seats J and K in row 28. We picked these seats in advance for free thanks again to the elite status I maintain with American Airlines.
The seats themselves were quite nice as they featured a diamond stitched cloth design. I personally found that the black seat and red seat-back visually appealing. However, the dark colors did make the cabin feel a bit dark, especially when compared to Finnair’s economy class cabin for example.
Above the seats both of us had a personal air-vent which on newer aircraft is becoming increasingly hard to find.
Finally, since we opted for seats by the window we ended up with fantastic views of the Airbus A330’s massive wing with the signature squared winglet.
Personally, I prefer window seats as the views out of the window never get old.
Qantas Economy Class In-Flight Entertainment
For those who don’t stare out of the window most of the flight, thankfully, Qantas offers seat-back entertainment in every economy class seat.
The IFE screens aren’t particularly large or modern, but the content and user interface is.
Like any good in-flight entertainment system the IFE screen come complete with a moving map which offers a ton of valuable information off to the side. You can also put the map in full-screen mode if you prefer.
As you browse the in-flight entertainment options you’ll also found a ton of movies and shows.
There were plenty of movies, both old and new, to choose from on our flight.
The IFE screens are touch sensitive which made navigating the pre-loaded content quite easy. However, Qantas, among other airlines, decided to build the IFE remote into the armrest. While I’m sure this design is quite efficient, I personally despise it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve accidentally changed the channel, turned on my overhead light, or rung the flight attendant call button thanks to this poor design.
About the only time I wasn’t worried about the poorly designed IFE remote was when the IFE system locked passengers out in order to play the safety video.
I quite liked Qantas’ simple and understated safety video. There’s been a trend recently to make music video style safety videos, many of which I find annoying. I also find these videos incredibly annoying when flying the same airline over and over again.
The Qantas safety video on the other hand was perfect and fit the overall mood of the onboard product; friendly.
Climbing Out Of Sydney
Our flight pushed back from the gate a minute or two before our scheduled departure thanks to an extremely efficient boarding process. As we settled into our seats the cabin crew performed a few last minute safety checks before finding their seats for takeoff.
After a short taxi to the runway we were in the skies above Sydney. As we climbed over the dense clouds which formed over the city in the late afternoon we witnessed a spectacular sunset. We were lucky to climb above the clouds just as the sun set below them.
The climb above the clouds was a bit bumpy, but nothing out of the ordinary. Before long we were above 10,000 feet at which point the crew sprang into action to prepare the in-flight meal.
Qantas Economy Class In-Flight Catering
That’s right, although the flight was just over three hours, Qantas still offered a complete dinner service. Shortly after leveling off at our cruising altitude the cabin crew began the meal service. This started with a short beverage service followed by the meal service carts. On our flight there were two dinners available, the first was a cold steak salad which came in a clear plastic container. This option also included a dinner roll and a frozen berry cream bar.
The hot food option was a chicken curry dish which again came with a dinner roll and a frozen berry bar.
Although the curry dish might not have been visually appealing I personally enjoyed the dish. Everything inside the serving tray was cooked well, the rice was nice and soft, and most importantly, everything was perfectly edible. Both dished on offer for our flight far exceeded anything I’ve had on a US airline operated flight.
Following the dinner meal service the crew returned for a hot beverage service. Passengers could of course order other drinks such as water, soft drinks, or alcoholic beverages, but the highlight of this particular service were the coffee or tea options.
The meal service began about an hour after taking off and everything was cleaned up about an hour later. In total, that left about an hour of cruising left in the flight in which the crew were extremely attentive and friendly.
Qantas Economy Class Service
In fact, to begin the meal service the flight attendant serving us stopped by our seats to thank me for my loyalty and welcome me to the flight. I’ve noticed this recognition of loyalty is common among various OneWorld carriers. While I personally find the interaction a bit awkward at times, it always leaves me feeling as though I made the right choice.
Similarly, the service on Qantas, even in economy class was exceptional. All of the crew that served us were extremely polite and friendly. Never once did I feel as though the crew didn’t want us to be there. In reality, the opposite is true. Throughout the flight we felt welcomed and taken care of. You could tell that the crew were truly proud of both the airline and the service offered.
Of all the OneWorld carriers I’ve flown, I found Qantas’ service to be my favorite. Cathay Pacific crew members are fantastic, but the service feels a bit cold. British Airways offers warm and welcoming service, but the catering is severely lacking. Finnair is in a similar boat airplane, in that the crew is friendly, but the catering is lackluster. Qantas it seems offers the perfect mix of professional crew and solid catering options.
Final Thoughts
Overall I was extremely pleased with Qantas Economy Class. This was the first time I’ve been fortunate enough to fly with Qantas and I hope it won’t be the last. Qantas is an extraordinary airline that offers an incredible all around product. From the moment you arrive at the airport to the moment you leave the airport at your destination, everything was perfect.
There are a ton of budget airlines that service Australia and the surrounding areas, but I was happy to have paid a bit more to fly with Qantas. Sure, my experience was a bit elevated thanks to my elite status, but that should be the point of elite status. When choosing to fly with an airline you want to feel as though paying the premium was worth it. I can honestly say, with Qantas, paying a few extra dollars was well worth it in the end.
