Great deal with Qantas
Written: Sep 14 '09 (Updated Sep 20 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: 2 for 1 airfare, good staff, great food, great entertainment
Cons: Long haul flights in economy are never pleasant no matter which airline
The Bottom Line: We were on to a winner with our '2 for 1' sale airfare to South Africa and the flight couldn't have been better
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| hollynz's Full Review: Qantas |
After Qantas hitting the headlines a few too many times with little mishaps on flights I was prepared to give Qantas a very wide berth but I was seduced by a ' 2 for 1' sale and I just couldn't turn away from such a good deal .... two return flights from New Zealand to South Africa for NZ$3200 is unheard of so we snapped it up as fast as we could. A deal as good as this doesn't come around everyday so I just had to suck up any reservations I may have had and believe the mishaps were attributable to the bogus maintenance engineer they had fired in Australia a few months earlier. As luck would have it, our flight with Qantas went without a technical hitch - the best sort of flying experience one can wish for.
* BOOKING *
Easy peasy breezy - I received a newsletter from Qantas telling me about the super 2 - 4 -1 sale they were having and went straight to the website www.Qantas.com. From here it was a matter of following the easy instructions and entering dates and destination details. I found the dates that suited us and before long we were entering our credit card details and clicking continue. I printed off a copy of the confirmation page before closing the window ( just in case) but when I checked my email soon after, the confirmation email was sitting in my in-box. We printed off a couple of copies of the flight info and the E-Tickets and tucked them away in a safe place.
Closer to the date I also received a Reminder Email from Qantas and responded to confirm that we were still taking the flight.
* THE QANTAS EXPERIENCE *
CHECK - IN
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On all legs of our journey check in was a pleasant and carefree affair, just as I like it. We handed over our Qantas Frequent Flyer cards and that was that, no tickets required even though I did have our e-tickets printed off as back up. As we travel with one check in bag for two passengers we were allowed to exceed the baggage weight allowance without being charged any extra.
SECURITY
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Qantas had extra security at the boarding gate in Johannesburg for the flight back to Sydney. After going through the airport security to gain entry to the departure gates, it seemed like a bit of overkill having to line up at the boarding gate to get our carry on searched and go through the metal detectors again. I guess a mere inconvenience is worth it for a safe trip though.
INFLIGHT
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* Service *
The air crew made a good effort on the long haul legs of our flights to ensure everyone was comfortable throughout the long 12 hour flight. On the shorter flights between New Zealand and Australia it was a more laid back experience. As we departed from Wellington we flew in one of Qantas's smaller planes, not sure if this resulted in the more ' budget' feel to the flight but the air crew did seem a bit less professional on these legs, efficient but slightly more relaxed.
* Entertainment *
Excellent entertainment on the Australia - South Africa legs with a personal TV screen and a good array of new release movies to choose from, as well as a lot of old familiar titles. Plenty of TV shows ( mainly Australian though), documentaries and music on offer but very limited news coverage.
On the other hand the NZ to Australia leg left a bit to be desired , there was a good assortment of audio entertainment but only the one movie showing on the overhead monitors.
* Food *
The all important airline food was very good. We never received the same meal twice. Lamb casserole, rice and french beans for dinner followed by ice cream dessert and bacon and omelet with a hot bun and juice for breakfast. Along with fresh fruit, yogurt and tea and coffee ~ all good.
Snacks of cheese and crackers, packs of pretzels etc throughout the flight. We were given a snack pack half way through the flight with plenty of nibbles and a bottle of water, much appreciated too.
* Comfort *
Not good at the back of the plane but it seldom is. Unfortunately both legs were full so we had to share rows with strangers, I really dislike that but its one of those small discomforts of flying. Once seated and the passengers in front have reclined their seats there is absolutely no room to move. No footrests either which I would have liked as my legs and feet are my biggest problem when flying, legs seem to ache a lot - most uncomfortable.
* Amenities *
On each seat there was a blanket and pillow and a little bag which contained an eye mask, a pair of socks and a mini toothbrush and small tube of toothpaste. The toilets were well stocked with tissues and a nice hand cream.
* Cleanliness *
The air crew kept the toilets clean and restocked for the duration of the flights so no complaints there. They came through a couple of times to gather rubbish from the passengers so that reduced floor clutter as well.
TRANSIT
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We had a few hours to kill in Sydney airport on both legs. Arriving from New Zealand we walked straight through the transit area to the departure gate without having to go through any passport or security checks and as our boarding passes had been given to us at Wellington check in, it was straight on through. There were shops galore, food and bar facilities and vending machines a plenty and duty free shopping every few yards. Free Internet kiosks were scattered around but not near our departure gate unfortunately, we did find some not too far away though.
From Johannesburg it was a different matter and even though we had been given a thorough security check before boarding the flight, on landing at Sydney we had to do the x-ray the luggage and walk through the metal detectors again in the transit area. Once through there we went straight to the free Internet kiosks and updated our Bebo and Facebook sites. Our flight to New Zealand was delayed an hour so it was a long and very tiring wait at the boarding gate.
OVERALL
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The overall experience from booking on line to getting off our flights back home in New Zealand went very smoothly. No little hiccups, no hidden problems and no dramas. I would absolutely fly Qantas again but may consider flying out of Auckland next time to enjoy the added comforts of a bigger plane.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
hollynz
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 in Hotels & Travel |
 - Top 1000 |
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Member: Christine
Location: New Zealand
Reviews written: 144
Trusted by: 191 members
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~ In memory of Barbara ~
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