MarkJack - 12/09/2008 14:38 GMT
Be careful if considering Qantas business class for long haul travel. Advertising suggests that all longhaul flights are now equipped with skybeds in business class, which are, as Qantas claims, very comfortable. However Qantas periodically reintroduce non skybed equipped elderly 747 300 aircraft onto sectors served previously by more modern aircraft with skybeds. Aircraft of this type with old style seating and other 1980s features are for instance currently operating longhaul sectors QF 25 and QF 26 to LAX. Check carefully if booking
Couldn't agree more. My wife was due to fly on QF 25 MEL - LAX and by chance I spotted that a 747 - 300 had been substituted for the regular 747 - 400.
The 300 is usually used for Domestic flights such as SYD - PER and has a Business Class that is totally out of keeping with 2008 expectations, especially for a 14 hour flight.
Think pre BA Cradle Seat - more like the previous 40 inch seat pitch - and limited recline and you are gettting close
Worse still when I called Qantas to query this the people on the end of the 'phone had absolutely no clue about the seating - at one stage they tried to tell me that it was a 300 to Auckland ( QF 25 stops there on its way to LAX unlike QF 93 which is non stop) and then a 400 from AUK - LAX!
Only when I got them to look at their own seating plans did the penny drop. The seating plans clearly show more seats crammed into the same space than on a 747 - 400 which has the Skybeds
After much protesting - my wife is on a "D" class Onw World RTW ticket - I got her transferred to the non stop QF 93 with Skybeds
Definitely worth keeping an eye out for this, especially on flights that are one stop rather than non stop.
