Qantas Airways

I fly between Canberra and Brisbane quite frequently and have to say that Qantas are simply the best! The cabin crew are outstanding as are the aircraft they use on these sectors. Brand new 737-800's and the Qantaslink 717's. The entertainment is far superior than the competitor and the overall service and experience is just wonderful. I agree with a few other people when they say how lucky we are in Australia when it comes to service. You only have to fly on some other airlines to realise how fabulous Qantas is. My flights have always left bang on time and arrive on time if not early.

We flew premium economy with Qantas last year in August / October return Sydney to Dubai with ongoing and returning flights from Europe to and from Dubai in Economy with Emirates. We were very happy with the Premium Economy experience and if we could have flown the whole way with Qantas we would have been even happier. The seats were comfortable the food and wine great and the service very attentive. For those of us on normal incomes Business is unaffordable and not justifiable but Premium Economy makes the long haul flights less tortuous and bearable We were so happy with the flights that we have rebooked for our holiday this year but would have to say we are not looking forward to the economy sectors with Emirates because the legs to Rome and back from Paris were very poor in comparison.

SCL-SYD and SYD-HKG in business. Flight from Santiago to Sydney did not get off to a flying start due to a ridiculous check in system that took 20 minutes at the counter and another 10 minutes waiting in a line for a point to point journey. Unacceptable for business class. Flight was on-time and the Boeing 747 was complete with comfortable fully flat beds which while in a conventional forward layout were incredibly spacious and converted into a full length bed. IFE was AVOD had a good number of options which while not as extensive as some ultra tech savvy carriers like Emirates was wonderfully edited with excellent selections. The food was wonderful with a clear emphasis on fresh food that included a number of options prepared onboard. I loved the flexibility of choosing from an extensive menu at any time instead of the conventional set options at set times. The crew service was mostly exceptionally warm and attentive save for one crew member who seemed totally out of place. SYD-HKG was on an A380 and once again the check in time was far too long although the agent herself was efficient and friendly. Boarding staff greeted me in Hindi. A380 had the same seats and was immaculate. The small lounge area was a nice touch. The catering on this leg was excellent beating the high standards of the previous legs and I can safely say that it was one of the best inflight meals I have had. Crew were friendly attentive relaxed and very efficient. I was overall pleasantly surprised. There are some issues however particularly check in and certain crew and ground members that are marring the work of other staff who are going above and beyond and an airline that is trying to compete with the best in the business and seems to be pretty much up there particularly in terms of product quality. Overall better then BA Swiss Emirates and Qatar. I rate them at par with CX and perhaps just shy of sq. Hopefully their ongoing financial crisis will not let standards slip.

SIN-MEL (booked as EK8036). A surprisingly unfull flight on 29th December during the peak season with many passengers switching seats after takeoff. So I luckily had two window seats to myself. Attendants simply could not be bothered greeting passengers as they walked into the cabins (with one crossing her arms at the back of the cabin although she did turn out to be quite friendly). However service was friendly and attentive with smart use of torches to avoid disturbing passenger's sleep during the night flight. The medium size dinner and small size breakfast did leave me wanting for a little more food - although the crew happily gave me a banana on request. Inflight entertainment options were solid although screen was very small. Baggage was instantly available on the belt at MEL. Overall a satisfying flight although it lacks the sparkle of its competitor on this route Singapore Airlines which perhaps explains the high proportion of empty seats on this flight.

DUB-MEL / MEL-HBA / HBA-SYD / SYD-HKG. Superb as always. Comfortable seats plenty and tasty food very good cabin crew on all legs. Highly recommended.

Flew from New Delhi to Singapore to Melbourne to Sydney and then from Brisbane to Cairns. Delhi-Singapore leg was covered by Jet Airways and was a disaster - cramped seats ok food indifferent staff. Just before boarding our baby pram was taken from us saying it will be given to us in Singapore. The pram was not given to us in Singapore as we exited the aircraft. To collect the pram we had to cross immigration and collect it from the baggage carousel. Singapore onwards was covered by Qantas and was a dream. Ironically I had the best inflight Indian food on any airline and this was on the Qantas flight between Singapore and Melbourne. Seats were spacious in economy class throughout - to Melbourne and even within Australia. The cabin crew were always helpful - always enquiring if our 2 children (7 yrs and 14 months) were comfortable and if they could do something for us. All calls were promptly attended. If the flight had empty seats we were allotted seats with empty seats next to us to provide additional room due to kids. Inflight entertainment was excellent with latest movie releases and media content to address all age groups. On the return leg from Cairns to Delhi our Qantas flight out of Cairns was delayed and consequently we would have missed our international connecting flight out of Brisbane. When we reached Cairns airport in the morning the Qantas staff had already worked out 3 flight options for us. Based on our preference we were put on a Cathay Pacific flight. Brilliant work by Qantas staff across flight sectors.

Our trip from Singapore to Brisbane was very unpleasant. During our holiday we also flew with Emirates Cathay and Dragonair and all 3 were vastly better airlines to fly with. The seats on the 747 are the narrowest I have encountered and the armrests which could not be tucked away were an inconvenience a waste of space and made the seats all the more uncomfortable. The meals were pathetic and the flight attendants took forever to serve the meals. Furthermore our meal choice ran out quickly and the only available meal fish in kung pao sauce was spicy. The lack of a hot breakfast on the 7 hour flight was also disappointing and the breakfast of yoghurt and cinnamon scroll left us very hungry. The overall flight experience was awful. Qantas is simply incompetent and no competition for professional airlines like Emirates and Cathay. Will avoid Qantas at all costs.

We travelled to Noumea after Xmas with AirCalin code share on a Qantas flight - I thought we were lucky to be on a Qantas flight initially. The check in process was great the boarding Ok but the inflight meal was foul. The hot breakfast option was poached eggs-these arrived hard as anything covered in disgusting beans with hard boiled potato-totally inedible. The bread roll was hard and the tea was stewed! Thankfully one hostess offered me a fresh cup which was better but still not enjoyable. I was very surprised as I expected better service from Qantas than AirCalin. We travelled back with AirCalin and the service was so much better the meal was enjoyable the drinks bread etc was freely offered even brandy at the end of the meal. Qantas is off my valued airline list after this trip.

BNE-SIN-BNE. QF 51 27th Dec returning QF 52 6th Jan - very enjoyable experience on both legs. Staff professional and attentive. We were a little hesitant having read so many poor reviews and decided to comment as there needs to be more positive feedback for a job well done. We enjoyed ourselves and will not hesitate to fly with Qantas again.

Flew First from Sydney to Heathrow via Dubai on A380 and was impressed by nearly all aspects of the trip. Check in at Sydney was a little chaotic as the First Class check-in area was overwhelmed by large families of Platinum members using the facility but then having the usual priority immigration and security available to premium travellers I enjoyed the Qantas First Class lounge. An enjoyable spa treatment. The food at the sit down restaurant was one of the best lounge restaurants I have been to. On board service was indeed First Class with staff making sure they knew all passengers by name and able to respond to any queries. The seat itself is comfortable and infinitely adjustable although the controls for it are rather complex and take a little time to get used to. Made up as a bed it is easy to get sleep with adequate privacy and space to sleep on one's side and upright it is good for relaxing eating and working. Inflight pyjamas were better than those provided by other airlines and the amenities kit more useful as well. The massage function is enjoyable although a bit noisy. Quality of food for dining was excellent although it would have been helpful to know that the supper menu either side of the Dubai transit was nearly identical. Large range of food items although I thought the dessert selection was rather poor and the champagne in the lounge was better than that inflight. Inflight entertainment system excellent with a good choice and high quality screen and headphones. Transit at Dubai is pleasant at the enormous Emirates First Class lounge although at the time I travelled the spa was closed and it wasn't entirely clear when the boarding announcement would be. On arrival at London we had the same experience as other travellers and it took 20 minutes for bags to arrive - hardly priority. As an added touch it was good to be able to use the AA Arrivals lounge for a shower and a quick cup of coffee before heading into town. An excellent experience competitive with others but unclear if it is good enough to justify the price premium over business.