Airline review: 16-hour Qantas economy long haul leaves a bad taste

Airline

Qantas

Route

Sydney to New York via Auckland, flight QF3

Frequency

Four times weekly (will increase to six times weekly from October 6, 2024)

Sixteen hours in economy is always going to be brutal.

Aircraft

Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner

Class

Economy; seat 57K

Flight time

16 hours non-stop from Auckland (arrives 1 hour, 45 minutes ahead of schedule)

Checking in

My flight originates in Sydney, and on this Sunday morning the Qantas self check-in stations are chaotic. I’m travelling with an energetic two-year-old, and I must look stressed as a Qantas agent kindly swoops in and provides gold-star service – printing boarding passes, getting me a luggage cart and then helping me to the bag drop. Bags go straight through to New York. In Auckland, all passengers must pass through another security screening.

Baggage

One piece of checked luggage up to 32 kilograms for economy passengers, plus one carry-on bag up to seven kilograms and an additional personal item such as a handbag. When travelling with a child, two child items such as a stroller are also allowed. Unfortunately, my son’s car seat, which I checked in at the gate in Sydney, does not arrive in New York, an issue that the Qantas on-the-ground baggage agent at JFK acknowledges is serious. It is located a week later and returned to me.

The loyalty scheme

Qantas Frequent Flyer (part of the Oneworld alliance)

The seat

It’s a 3-3-3 configuration. A fellow passenger has the aisle seat, while I’m in the middle (57K) and my son takes the window seat. It’s a full flight and the cliche “packed in like sardines” certainly rings true. It feels cramped, especially at meal times when I’m elbow-to-elbow with my fellow passenger. Seat pitch is 32 inches (81.28 centimetres), width 17 inches (43.18 centimetres) and recline is 6 inches (15.24 centimetres). Each seat has a power outlet and USB/PC charging ports.

Entertainment + tech

There’s a wide selection of entertainment options available on the seatback screens.

A wide selection of movies, TV shows, documentaries and bingeable boxed sets on the 12-inch (30.5 centimetre) seatback screen. Wi-Fi is not available, although Qantas international will start to roll out free Wi-Fi from December 2024.

Service

The young New Zealand crew are friendly but they seem frazzled during peak times. My full-fare-paying son is not offered a bottle of water like every other passenger, and is again ignored when the welcome drinks cart comes around. At breakfast the tea is cold on two attempts so I give up. Despite these missteps, every request I make is met promptly and with a smile.

Food

My one-course dinner choice is braised beef and vegetables with a garlic bread roll. It looks sloppy and unappealing but is flavourful. Dessert (an ice-cream) is handed out later to seated passengers, but I miss out as I am in the bathroom. Tea and coffee follows. The meal is acceptable but seems a bit stingy, especially as Air New Zealand – which operates a rival Auckland-to-New York flight – provides its economy passengers with a dinner tray comprising a main dish, salad, cheese and crackers, bread roll, a sweet slice and dessert. For breakfast, I opt for fresh fruit, which is served with a choice of yoghurt or a not-so-fresh pastry, but not both. While Qantas is not alone in its cost-cutting measures, it leaves a bad taste.

Carbon emissions

716 kilograms for an economy passenger. Qantas matches dollar-for-dollar every contribution a customer makes to offset their emissions, plus 10 frequent flyer points for every dollar spent. It has committed to achieving zero emissions by 2050.

One more thing

The Dreamliner 787-9 has lower cabin altitude than similar aircraft, and also fresh air is drawn directly from outside the aircraft, meaning the air inside the cabin is of higher quality. This is believed to help passengers arrive feeling less fatigued and is said to help to reduce jet lag.

The price

From $1765 one-way from Sydney, economy class.*

The verdict

Flying long-haul in economy on a full flight is never pleasant, in fact it’s pretty brutal. But if Qantas’ new chief executive is serious about restoring consumer confidence, the airline could start by making its economy passengers feel valued, including improving food offerings (such as full tray service like the old days), better service and reliable baggage delivery. Despite a few frustrations, this flight is fast and convenient. It beats transiting through LAX any day.

Our rating out of five

★★★½

The writer travelled at her own expense.

*Fares are based on those available for travel three months from the time of publication and subject to change.

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