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Tuesday, 1 December 2015

Qantas QF596 Perth (PER) to Brisbane (BNE) review

On August 21, 2015 I was presented the pleasure of traveling to Brisbane on a Qantas 737. I had never tried the airline before (source of shame as I am Australian!) and I was excited to experience such an Australian adventure! The flight departed from Perth (PER) at 0930 and landed in Brisbane (BNE) at approximately 1600 (local time). The total flight duration was around 4 hours. Overall, the flight was impressive and a memorable experience that I highly recommend!
 
Details:
Airline: Qantas
Aircraft: 737-800
Approximate age of aircraft: 2.2 years (time of flight)
Registration: VH-XZH
Airport of departure: Perth International airport (PER), domestic terminal
Airport of arrival: Brisbane International Airport (BNE)
Date of flight: August 21, 2015
Overall experience: Great
 
At the airport

My flight, QF596 departed out of Perth domestic terminal (PER). We were slightly late on arrival to the airport due to traffic congestion in and around Perth. At the domestic terminal, I found check in to be slow and we were waiting for a while. There were also check in counters that were closed. In Perth domestic terminal, there was a range of entertainment prior to the flight including shops, coffee etc. Which I believe is important. There was also abundant opportunity for spotting! Some aircraft I spotted are noted below:
 
Qantas 737, displaying a special lively to represent Australia's indigenous culture. 
Registration: VH-XZJ
 
Qantas 737 which I saw from my window once seated.
Registration: VH-XZI


Prior to  Take off/boarding  
 
The aircraft was late to arrive in Perth as it arrived late from Darwin.The aircraft was fairly new, at 2.2 years and the registration was VH-XZH. It was also a 737-800. The aircraft was clean, modern and appeared to be well treated.
 
My flight, VH-XZH 

The boarding process was prompt and not tedious. The crew upon boarding were presented as polite and friendly, along with the crew onboard. Headsets were distributed once on board the aircraft and in addition you could retrieve them yourself upon boarding. There was a bucket just outside the boarding gate. My seat was 27F, near the rear of the aircraft. As we boarded the aircraft, there was a silent, but funky pop music to relax passengers into the mood. In my opinion, I think it was small but a nice introduction to the flight.
 
 
My seat 27F (window seat)
 
The boarding process.
 
 
Take off
 
Prior to take off it was mandatory for the cabin crew to conduct a safety brief. I appreciated how they employed traditional methods combined with modern ones. The crew physically put on life vests, demonstrated oxygen masks and other elements of a safety briefing. Simultaneously, they displayed a safety briefing video on each PTV. Take off was commenced a little bit later than predicted due to the aircrafts late arrival. At the time the meteorological conditions didn't seem ideal (dark clouds and suspected rain), so I had prepared for a rough take off, and take off was indeed a little bit rough. It didn't take long however to settle into a smooth and enjoyable flight path. At the time of take off the Boeing sky interior was lit blue, which I found relaxing.
 

Entertainment
The entertainment on board the flight was good in terms of easy operation (electronic touch screen), a variety of entertainment was also available. The Screen offered a variety of films, TV shows, flight information and more. It would certainly be impossible to get bored! A PTV was provided to every passenger, and this was a device that was easy to use, as it was touch screen and additionally, it had a remote attached to the seat in order to make adjustments to volume and channel. 
 
 
Home screen of entertainment system.
 
 
My headset.
 
My headset out of the packet
 
My handset for my PTV  
 
Comfort
 
In regards to comfort, the flight ranked sufficiently high. The legroom provided to me was ambient, and as a result there were no issues such as leg cramping. The seats were moderately comfortable. They were also clean and seemed to be new. The seat did have the ability to decline, although for the sake of other passengers I refrained from declining. The Boeing 737-800 has a Boeing sky interior feature, which was evident on this flight. The illumination of the cabin varied between different colours, blue for most of the time. This enhanced the overall comfort of the flight by creating a relaxing atmosphere.
 
 My legroom.
 

 

The cabin in the duration of the flight, note the cool sky interior.
 
Food and beverages
 
The meal service provided on this flight was lunch, which makes sense regarding the flight was between 0900 and 1400 Perth time. In the meal service, a main dish was served which included; pasta, cheese and crackers, water, bread roll and spreads. It also contained cutlery and other additions such as salt, pepper, sugar etc. In addition to all this, desert and a option of tea, coffee and/or a range of beverages such as soft drinks, juice water etc. were also provided. Overall, the food was of a good quality. Desert was my favourite, being a Mars bar ice cream.
 
My meal. Contents included pasta, roll, cheese, crackers, water, napkins, additives and spreading's. It also included desert and a beverage option.

Desert, it was Mars bar ice cream.

Spices such as pepper, salt and sugar.

Tic Tacs, part of the meal!

Cutlery

The pasta provided

Water

Cheese, crackers and butter
 
Conclusion
 
My flight, QF596 was indeed highly enjoyable. The airline provided me with excellent service from the cabin crew, a high quality of food and beverages, comfortable seating and legroom and Qantas ensured the entertainment was of highest quality. From my experiences, I can conclude Qantas is an amazing airline and I recommend them 100% to anyone.
 
If you want to see more details from this flight, please visit some of my IG or watch my YouTube video.
Instagram: @aviationlover19
 
Thank you!!

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