Airline review: 16-and-a-half hours on Qantas’ new long-haul route
The Flight
QF4 from New York’s JFK airport to Auckland, aboard “Billabong”, a new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. This new route takes passengers non-stop from New York to Auckland and then on to Sydney. It’s the first time Qantas has flown to the Big Apple in three years, with Auckland replacing Los Angeles as its stopover city.
You’d have to be a giant not to feel comfortable in Qantas’ business-class seats on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
When I board, the new route has been operating just over a week. Departing JFK at 7.30pm local time on a Friday, the flight is delayed one hour on the tarmac, but we arrive in Auckland slightly early, disembarking before the scheduled arrival of 5am with a non-stop flight time of 16 hours and 28 minutes.
The loyalty scheme
Qantas Frequent Flyer (Oneworld alliance).
Carbon emissions
The CO2 passenger contribution for this route and class is 1302.3 kilograms. Qantas offers passengers the chance to offset their carbon emissions by contributing to pro-environmental projects via their Fly Carbon Neutral program. The airline matches each contribution dollar-for-dollar. It also aims to reach zero net emissions by 2050.
Checking in
Check-in is a breeze at JFK’s newly renovated Terminal 8, and Qantas business-class passengers can use American Airlines’ Greenwich Lounge, which has great facilities including showers. In Auckland, transiting business-class passengers must go through another security check, before accessing the old Qantas lounge which also has showers and good food. The lounge has been slated for a complete overhaul to place it somewhere between a first and business-class lounge later this year.
The seat
I’m seated in front row 1K, directly behind the bulkhead. Together with 1A, it’s arguably one of the most coveted and private window seats on the plane, also offering a little more legroom, with slightly less storage space – a sacrifice worth making, as there is plenty in the overhead cabin. With a 46-inch (117-centimetre) pitch and a doona, mattress and pillows provided, you’d have to be a giant not to feel comfortable in this cosy cocoon, with ample room to stretch out in lie-flat mode with two metres of length. The only issue with 1K is that the crew use the cupboards in front quite frequently, but it’s a minor quibble, as most of the service is conducted from the central galley. Rebecca Vallance has designed the limited-edition, super-soft pyjamas and amenities kit, which includes sustainable products (such as a bamboo toothbrush). The Australian-branded Li’Tya skincare doesn’t measure up to the higher-end products used by other airlines, so I bring my own.
The Qantas Dreamliner features 42 business-class seats.
Baggage
Two pieces of checked luggage up to 32 kilograms each. Carry on is two pieces weighing 14 kilograms, with one single piece weighing no more than 10 kilograms.
Entertainment
A 16-inch (41-centimetre) screen with a user-friendly interface and remote control is loaded with bingeworthy box sets such as White Lotus, House of the Dragon, The Last of Us and Succession, as well as popular movies The Whale, The Banshees of Inisherin and She Said. For the moment, Wi-Fi is unavailable on Qantas international flights.
Service
While the Kiwi crew seemed friendly and efficient to start, the wheels fell off after a delayed start and proceeding turbulence pushed the meal service back almost three hours from boarding. I felt like there was some pressure to close service as soon as possible to get the passengers to sleep, similar to what is often seen in economy cabins. Basically if you wanted a dessert wine to accompany your pecan pie, you were going to have to chase it up (or forget it). And whatever happened to adjusting sleep time to your destination?
Food
While Neil Perry’s special New York-inspired menu was a hit on the inaugural flight over, I found some missteps coming back. The smoked-salmon salad entree was flavourful and zingy, but the accompanying vinaigrette on the salad was all oil, and we receive a useless, rock-hard disc of Pepe Saya butter with our warmed fresh sourdough. General Tso (sweet, spicy, deep-fried) chicken was beautifully presented with crispy broccolini, but the chicken itself was too dry. In the morning, my breakfast toast was merely warmed bread served with a single patty of Vegemite. On the upside, the mid-flight mushroom and cheese toastie was perfection, and the pecan pie dessert was also good.
One more thing
All preconceived notions of timing sleep around Australian east coast time are thrown out the window as I crash post-dessert, sleeping for around six hours and waking up about five hours before landing. And a good night’s sleep is what you hope for on these flights.
The verdict
LAX or Auckland? No one in their right mind is going to choose the former, when you can now make this smooth, seamless transit via New Zealand.
Our rating out of five
★★★★
The writer flew as a guest of Qantas
correction
An earlier version of this article incorrectly referred to the flight from New York to Sydney via Auckland as “non-stop”. This should have said the flight between New York and Auckland was non-stop, with the flight continuing on to Sydney.
Sign up for the Traveller newsletter
The latest travel news, tips and inspiration delivered to your inbox. Sign up now.