The brand new look cabins heading to Heathrow on the refurbished Qantas A380 aircraft

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• C says:

  7 Jan7 January 05:16

  You forgot to mention Terminal 3 and the lounges are far superior to the offerings in T5

• Mark says:

  7 Jan7 January 06:31

  O/T – I’m due to fly Virgin Upper Class Wednesday from SA to London. If there was availability on the flight for Tuesday would they let me swap? Just curious before I call there hotline from SA @ £2 per min.

  • Genghis says:

    7 Jan7 January 06:38

    What type ticket do you have? Use Skype.

  • XX says:

    7 Jan7 January 06:45

    Mark, it will depend on what fare you have paid and what the rules are regarding changes / fees.

    JNB contact – Reservations: +27 11 340 3400 (Open 24/hours day)

  • Lady London says:

    7 Jan7 January 11:39

    You could try using Skype to avoid that phone charge.
    This hint is from the one that once blew £120 calling BMI while travelling to change some flights before a deadline… and never got through. Despite racking up the £120 call charges. Then some kind soul mentioned I could done it on Skype using the lounge WiFi….!

• 304degreesofbikefaff says:

  7 Jan7 January 06:48

  Having just flown back from MEL on QF A380 F to SIN and then BA A380 F to LHR, I’d say QF is clearly above BA even before pre-refurb

  • will says:

    7 Jan7 January 09:01

    Done a couple of domestic flights on QF both in business and economy this week. Absolutely brilliant airline in every aspect as far as my experience has been, even the domestic lounges put BA to shame.
    Flew down in BA F 777, first sector really poor crew onward sector excellent. Really struggle to understand how the service level can vary so greatly.

• Alan says:

  7 Jan7 January 07:31

  Appearance looks nice but not a fan of foot cubby/coffin approach at all. Hated it on Swiss business and remember thinking on Finnair that I was glad it was only a short flight to Helsinki and not a long haul I was on – don’t like the feeling of not being able to easily turn over in bed when lying out flat. In fairness to BA CW legroom is unrestricted in that regard.

  • CV3V says:

    7 Jan7 January 07:57

    Did a mix of BA F and CW over the hols and concluded that the CW is my preference for getting a decent sleep, it lies flat flat and has some legroom to move. the bed in F seems to have an incline on the upper part and less foot space.

    • Nick_C says:

      7 Jan7 January 10:07

      Completely agree. I recently did NRT and back on the 787-9 and slept better in CW on the return than in F on the way out.

      The failure of the bed to go completely flat is very annoying as I like to sleep on my side with my arm under the pillow, but this was impossible. I ended up with my arm behind my back going down to the floor. This is an astonishing design fault for a F seat.

      BA F is better than Qantas in one respect – you get a 23″ TV screen.

      I was traveling with my Nephew on a 241. He had never flown F or J before and was very impressed, but interestingly said there wasn’t much difference between the two.

      We had excellent food and service in CW. The main differences were the quality of the champagne and the personal space and storage.

      • CV3V says:

        7 Jan7 January 10:14

        on all my BA flights i noticed a marked improvement in the food. On LHR to GLA in CE we were served a DO&CO meal.

    • Guesswho2000 says:

      7 Jan7 January 10:24

      Ah nuts really? I’ve flown CW a few times and it’s fine, despite all those who slate it (don’t get me wrong, it’s far from perfect, but a bed is a bed). My impression has always been that BA F is the best J product in the sky…

      I’ve got BA F from SIN-SYD in a few weeks, and was hoping for an improvement, I’d have flown directly home (MEL) without connecting in Sydney if I hadn’t specifically wanted to fly BA F…! Ah well, the experience should be worth it if nothing else, never flown BA F, there’s not many BA flights in this part of the world!

      • Alan says:

        7 Jan7 January 13:23

        Am sure you’ll still enjoy 🙂 I’ve got BA F return LHR-SYD coming up soon, must admit less excited about it given recent trips there have been in SQ Suites though!

      • Cat says:

        7 Jan7 January 16:47

        I always really love BA F personally – F&B offerings are great and I find the seat very comfortable.
        I hope you enjoy it too!

      • Polly says:

        7 Jan7 January 21:00

        We got F 241 coming up end Jan out to HKG, ret from KUL. It’s fabulous…

      • guesswho2000 says:

        8 Jan8 January 07:07

        Thanks for the reassurances all! Tbh the pics of the cabin look pretty good, though I’ve never actually bothered to have a proper look at it when I’ve been on a BA flight! The Club World cabin lives up to the photos (obviously knowing the photos are perfect for publicity’s sake) so it should be fine. Outbound is VA The Business and SQ Business, both of which I love, so this should round the trip off nicely!

        @Alan – Re SQ Suites, that’s definitely on my bucket list, I’m even toying with finally burning my UK Amex MR points to get a big enough pot of KF miles together! I’ve done the journey UK-AU in Y all the way a couple of times, and J/F makes a massive difference on any plane though, I doubt I could do it in Y now, and the Mrs certainly wouldn’t!

    • Ian M says:

      9 Jan9 January 09:49

      Yes, my last 4 flights BA F the seat has not gone fully flat. I’m sure it’s meant to but it simply doesn’t!

  • Nigel the pensioner says:

    7 Jan7 January 09:49

    +1

    • Mark says:

      7 Jan7 January 10:40

      I like F and consider it a good spend of the extra avois compared to CW, especially as I have no status, being able to book my seats for no extra costs is a major factor for me. I loved the seat on the 787-9 and didn’t feel the slope at all (maybe too much LPGS). I also like the direct aisle access and the extra attention from the crew. If you have the avois and no status I would always consider F if available.

      • Genghis says:

        7 Jan7 January 10:49

        I like the extra padding around the head in F, effectively acting as an extra pillow. In CW I use the pillow and now the blanket underneath to provide a bit more of a pillow.

    • Lady London says:

      7 Jan7 January 21:50

      +1

  • Lady London says:

    7 Jan7 January 11:41

    +1. Had it on the A350 on QR and never again.

• Vasco says:

  7 Jan7 January 08:01

  “Remember that Qantas flights can be redeemed with Avios[.]”

  Good luck doing that on this flight though. 😑🙁

  • Guesswho2000 says:

    7 Jan7 January 10:28

    It’s possible, I’ve flown QF10 in F on the A380, LHR-DXB-MEL on points (AA miles, but the point remains). That isn’t possible any more, as it’s now LHR-PER-MEL on a 787, so no F, but it’s defo possible to get from UK-AUS in F on points on a single coded flight!

    • Alan says:

      7 Jan7 January 13:25

      Yep, I did QF MEL-DXB-LHR a couple of years ago using Avios. Service on first sector was poor, second was decent. DXB First lounge setup excellent.

• Nick says:

  7 Jan7 January 08:26

  I would assume they’d prioritise LA over London to be honest… it’s probably their most ‘premium’ international market and can be served with 1.5 aircraft completed, rather than the 3 needed for LHR. But then I’m not a brexiteer and realise that the whole world no longer revolves around a tiny island in the middle of nowhere.

  • MattC says:

    7 Jan7 January 08:47

    Got to pick you up on your geography Nick. You shouldn’t let your politics lead you to use “alternative facts”.
    The UK isn’t in the middle of nowhere, it is just 22 miles off the coast of Europe and so (for now?) part of the largest trading block in the world. It would be hard to be a member of the EU if we were “in the middle of nowhere” e.g. Pacific Ocean.

    Post Brexit:
    The UK is just 22 miles off the coast of Europe, is the 5th largest economy in the world, home to the world’s largest financial centre, a world leader in science and technology, has a strong arts and popular culture scene, is a nuclear power and one of five permanent members of the UN security Council. So a few people might still want to visit if only to come to all our free museums.

    • Alan says:

      7 Jan7 January 13:26

      Agree re the geography and the other points apply for now but given Brexit I worry how long the other comments re economy/finance/science, etc. will apply…

      • Cat says:

        7 Jan7 January 16:57

        +1 Alan

    • Callum says:

      7 Jan7 January 17:15

      While I fall somewhere between you two, the fact you bring up being a “nuclear power” as a reason for people wanting to visit or trade with us is exactly the point they are making – an absolutely ridiculous point stuck in Empire times. You no longer make friends in this world with force… Look at China.

      Though as I’ve happily escaped the UK, and have my Irish passport as a backup, I’m quite happy to sit back and watch the chaos I think the UK deserves. Hopefully it will be a wake-up call.

      • Kipto says:

        7 Jan7 January 19:57

        I’ll be looking forward to buying beef from Argentina, tariff free. The Irish farmers will be the biggest losers in all this.

      • Callum says:

        7 Jan7 January 21:33

        Kipto – Right, and the British beef farmers will magically be immune I’m assuming?

        I always thought my opinion of the intellect of the average Brexiteer was hugely biased because I find them so reprehensible, the more I speak to them, the more I question that…

      • MattC says:

        7 Jan7 January 22:58

        Sigh.
        I don’t mention it because we are going to nuke anyone, but because although the UK is quite small is does have quite a lot of power and impact (of many types). Obviously if someone wanted to imply threat it wouldn’t be in the middle of a list of facts. It’s just a fact.

        If the UK is unimportant then so are France or Germany, or the 20 smallest EU countries that add up to about the same GDP. I don’t think any of those things is true – I loved living in Germany. But I do find it strange that it is so fashionable to talk your own country down.

  • will says:

    7 Jan7 January 09:06

    Indeed, it’s our geography that has played a huge part in our historical significance and continues to to some extent as a bridge between North America and Europe.

    As for Island in the middle of nowhere, tell that to Ireland if a hard brexit prevails, the vast majority of their trade both ways with mainland EU is trucked through the UK, destructive to play games on all parts and I would hope sense prevails and it doesn’t come to it but should there be delays at customs the last goods I would be clearing were ones destined for ROI if its a case of prioritising resources.

    • Callum says:

      7 Jan7 January 17:16

      Exactly the attitude that needs knocking out of this over entitled country – “do what I want or I’ll make you suffer”. I think a lot of you are forgetting that it’s not the EU who asked for this complete and utter mess (a strong trading arrangement without free movement, a strong border between Britain and the EU without a border between Britain and Ireland – it would be funny if it wasn’t so tragic!), it’s the British people… Well, a minority of them of course!

      • Evan says:

        7 Jan7 January 20:43

        Well that’s easy for you to say Callum seeing as you’ve already scarpered. Those of us of the 48% who are stuck with the situation still have to eat….

      • Callum says:

        7 Jan7 January 21:35

        Evan – My apologises! I can only suggest you do something about it, if the 48% cared strongly enough they could easily bring the country to a standstill and stop Brexiteer – I have no motivation to do so anymore and prefer to just sit back smugly!

      • will says:

        8 Jan8 January 00:13

        You’ve straw manned my argument very openly there Callum. I clearly stated that it would be in no ones interest to play games, but in the event that all sides maintain their current positions then you’d be foolish to prioritise movement of ROI goods through the UK above UK-EU trade in which case ROI will be put into a very tough trade position. That’s not punishment, it’s simply the practical reality of border checks and implementing leaving the EU by a process the EU itself created in the Lisbon treaty. Monaco’s trade arragements with the EU and third countries is interesting, certainly shows the EU can bend the rules when it wants (or in this case France, which has created a method of allowing super rich to live in it’s south tax free and pass ‘frictionless’ into the south of France to spend money).

        This concept of Brexit voters being educationally inferior to Remain voters is spurious. The Brexit vote was largely an older age demographic, the vast majority of which did not go to university but gained their skills in the workplace through experience. There are plenty of young people with x’ology degrees from the (for profit) university in the middle of no where who are struggling to reconcile that their very expensive piece of paper has not resulted in enhanced career earnings and indeed they are working in jobs completely unrelated to their degree which is without demand.

        We just want to be an independent self governing nation, the way that concept is vilified by certain elements of the remain movement is pretty awful, fine to disagree but to brand brexit voters as uneducated, delusional, racist xenophobes is pathetic. There are smaller independent countries doing incredibly well in the world, there are plenty of countries in the EU not doing very well at all and there is a worldwide realisation that mass migration and free trade are not universal goods for everyone. Even if they have worked for you or I it’s important to recognise those they have not served particularly well (if you believe in democracy)

      • J says:

        8 Jan8 January 11:18

        But we already are an independent self governing nation, but likely won’t be after brexit. We’re giving this up solely to try to have fewer foreigners in the country. That is now the reality of brexit, so for anyone still sticking by it, it’s hard to suggest the brandings aren’t appropriate – the delusional one at least.

  • John says:

    7 Jan7 January 11:56

    Australia is more of an island in the middle of nowhere than the UK.

    Réunion, an island in the middle of nowhere, is part of the EU.

• George says:

  7 Jan7 January 08:46

  Avios earning rate is much higher if you fly BA. More than triple the rate, in business at least. Depending on your Avios balance, that fact alone could tip the balance in favour of BA.

• Max says:

  7 Jan7 January 08:57

  What is the best way to book this on Avios for First especially if you want to have a 5 day stop in Singapore? Shame that there is not an alternative stop on the return.

  We have 750,000 avios so hopefully enough for 2 people.

  • will says:

    7 Jan7 January 09:12

    repost as I put it in the wrong place:
    Avios in either business or first to SYD are like hens teeth.
    You might well be better flying to SIN or HKG on BA (assuming you have a 2-4-1) and then onwards to AUS with qantas. This would give you more flexibility in terms of destination.

    Perhaps try playing with this even, BA to SIN, qantas to Australia, cathay to HKG then BA/cathay return:
    https://headforpoints.com/2018/12/11/avios-multi-partner-redemption-chart/

    Or if you’re GGL use a joker 😉

    • Max says:

      7 Jan7 January 09:36

      Only lowly Gold – not GGL.

      Problem is we tend to always pay cash for tickets and only fly for leisure. Have plenty of 2-4-1s – but usually end up letting them expire as we have no use for them. Got 3 currently.

      Have considered paying double avios for a trip in First – but not sure that is good value.

      Will look at the options that Will said as we would probably want to fly around anyway and certainly visit Perth.

      • Brian says:

        7 Jan7 January 11:28

        If you tend to pay cash for tickets anyway, then you might as well use the double avios for First – it’s better value than not using them at all!

      • Scallder says:

        7 Jan7 January 12:04

        Max – make sure to look at BA’s multi-carrier reward chart. Flying will’s suggested route would be 360,000 Avios in First per person (as 21,248 miles per GC map (in and out of SYD)), so you’d be able to do that with your 750k balance for two people. THat price is valid up to 25k flown miles, so you’d just under 4k miles to play with as well (enough for a one-way to JFK, so for the same number of Avios could also tack on a trip to the US (and could then pay for a return flight, assuming it wasn’t crazy as a one-way?)

      • Will says:

        7 Jan7 January 13:05

        Perth May well make your trip under 20k miles round, so 300k avios pp.

        You should be able to find availability to sin/hkg with relatively short notice.

        Once in Australia domestic flights are relatively cheap, I’ve been going round on Qantas using avios and it’s been peanuts. Domestic business is excellent.

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