Qantas B737-800 business class

MELBOURNE–SYDNEY

BACKGROUND The Melbourne to Sydney route is busy. Qantas alone has more than 200 flights per week between the cities – not including those operated by its budget subsidiary, Jetstar – and the route is regularly ranked among the busiest in the world. This is a review of flight QF418 from Melbourne to Sydney, connecting from an international flight from Hong Kong.

CHECK-IN Travellers need to go through immigration, baggage claim and customs when transiting from International Terminal 2 to Domestic Terminal 1, so if you have a tight connection it may be best to travel with hand luggage only to save time. That said, this process is relatively seamless in Melbourne airport Terminal 2 – immigration can be done electronically for travellers with an eligible e-passport at one of the many kiosks, and Qantas also offers its international business class passengers Express Path passes to help clear immigration quickly. Terminal 1, Qantas’s dedicated domestic terminal, is to your left when leaving baggage claim. I had already checked in before my inbound flight to Melbourne at Hong Kong International, and since my connection time was an hour and 30 minutes I hadn’t checked any luggage in.

THE LOUNGE Qantas has two lounges at Terminal 1 – the Qantas Club and Domestic Business Lounge, the latter of which I had access to. Both were revamped and expanded in November last year, with the Domestic Business Lounge now about 40 per cent bigger. This is a spacious facility with distinct areas – an individual seating section overlooking the tarmac, a group seating area and a dining area. The facelift, by architectural firm Woods Bagot, has given a new, modern feel to the space, reflecting Melbourne’s dining scene and supper clubs. Large windows run along the right-hand side and overlook the tarmac. In the centre is a manned bar and coffee barista station, with another self-service coffee station farther into the lounge. At breakfast time the buffet featured hot dishes including sausages, scrambled eggs and mushrooms, as well as breads, fruit and the like. The lounge also features the Spice Bar, which serves Asian-inspired dishes, and a Quench bar offering a variety of fresh drinks (try the apple ginger mix). Not all seats have immediate access to a power point so you may need to hunt for one if you’re looking to do some work.

BOARDING This was scheduled for 0840, 20 minutes before departure from gate G4. This is at the other side of the terminal, although the information screens showed approximate walking times to each gate, none of which were more than six minutes. Boarding is announced in the lounge.

THESE AT Qantas’ s B 737-800 has 12 seats in the business class cabin, laid out in a 2-2 configuration. I was in 1A, the bulkhead seat by the window. These seats have slightly more legroom than in the rows behind, and don’t suffer from having someone potentially reclining into your space. That said, the recline itself is modest so shouldn’t pose too much of a nuisance if you’re on the receiving end of it in rows two or three. In general, these are good seats for a flight of this length (about an hour and a half). Upholstered in soft leather and with ample cushioning and support, they are 22 inches (56cm) wide with a pitch of 37 inches (94cm). That’s a good seven inches (17.8cm) more legroom and 4.8 inches (12cm) more width than seats in the economy class cabin. They also have an adjustable headrest – both sides can be bent slightly to offer more precise head and neck support – plus a 10.6-inch (27cm) touchscreen stowed in the armrest, and universal power and USB sockets. Some aspects of the seat were less impressive – the recline and leg rest buttons were stiff to press and a bit clunky, and I don’t think I would have missed either feature if they weren’t there.

BEST SEAT As a rule of thumb, I tend to avoid the back row as the recline can often be hampered by the dividing wall behind it. The bulkhead row is also a good choice for the extra room. The cabin was fully booked when I flew, so if you have a preference it’s best to select it as early as possible.

THE FLIGHT Shortly after boarding, I was offered still or sparkling water. Some travellers may balk at the idea of not being offered a bit of bubbly in business class but, to be fair, it was before 0900 on a Friday. While we didn’t take off until just before 0925 – about 25 minutes late – I couldn’t really complain seeing as grim weather in Sydney had already caused the cancellation of flights both before and after mine. I was simply happy to be in the air. About 20 minutes later, we were offered our meal choices. I chose a toasted chorizo, red pepper and cheese sandwich. This was genuinely good and surpassed many similar sandwiches that I’ve had in coffee shops on the ground. A pot of yoghurt and a tasty banana muffin were also provided.

The touchscreen in-flight entertainment system is simple to use. While the selection was sparser than that on Qantas’s long-haul service coming in to Melbourne, it still had a reasonable range of new films and TV series.

ARRIVAL After circling a little, we touched down at 1100, about 30 minutes behind schedule. Disembarkation was quick and smooth, and without immigration and customs to clear and no baggage to claim I was kerbside within a few minutes.

VERDICT This is definitely a comfortable way to travel between Melbourne and Sydney, particularly if you’re on the early morning run and want to snooze before you arrive. It should be noted, however, that this is a significantly more expensive option than Virgin Australia on the same route. Craig Bright

The revamped domestic business lounge is about 40 per cent bigger and has a new, modern feel reflecting Melbourne’s dining scene