Trans-Tasman travel is back and roaring, with Qantas regularly running Boeing 737 flights between Auckland and Brisbane. The four-hour hop is popular with tourists and business travellers alike, with Auckland being New Zealand’s largest city and on the picturesque harbour.
In the interests of research, Point Hacks took to the skies to see how Qantas Business stacks up from A to B: Auckland to Brisbane.
Check-in, lounge and boarding
As I arrive at Auckland Airport, I’m pleased to see no queue at the Qantas counters. Even better, my check-in takes all of 60 seconds to process. With my vaccine paperwork and Australian Digital Passenger Declaration in hand, my checked bag is promptly accepted, and I’m on my way.
But the time I save at check-in is lost in line at security. A Qantas Business boarding pass is supposed to provide access to Auckland Airport’s Express Lane. But they hadn’t bothered to open it. In fact, despite the departures hall being completely filled with people, they’d also only thought to open one security screening lane.
It takes me 45 minutes just to get through. Not the best start to the Qantas Boeing 737 Business experience from Auckland. I’m not sure it’s a ‘COVID’ thing, either. Every time I’ve flown through Auckland before the pandemic, it’s been the same scenario too. The takeaway? Arrive early.
But once I’m through the formalities, the journey is back on track. Currently, Qantas is using the Air New Zealand International Lounge at Auckland Airport for all eligible passengers. It’s certainly unusual for a Qantas Business boarding pass to unlock a Star Alliance member lounge, but here, it does just that.
It’s a great space being Air NZ’s home hub and flagship lounge. There’s everything from a barista counter and cocktail bar through to an indoor/outdoor terrace for some fresh air. If there’s a game on during your stay, you can also be sure it’ll be screened in the cinema room as well.
From there, it’s off to board, where passengers in Qantas Business are invited forward first. It’s always nice to skip the queues, and it gives me just that little bit of extra time to settle in for the journey ahead.
Qantas Boeing 737 Business seating
As on domestic flights, the Qantas Boeing 737 Business experience from Auckland offers reclining seats on either side of a single aisle. With a 2-2 configuration, there are no dreaded middle seats here. Everybody has an aisle or window, so take your pick.
While row one looks great on a boarding pass, I’ve now come to prefer those further back. That’s because you can keep bags within reach during take-off and landing. Whereas up front, everything needs to be up in the locker.
As I settle into 3F, I take a moment to survey the cabin. At first, it seems I might have this side of Business to myself. But as boarding continues, every seat fills up. Not to worry, as there’s still plenty of space at each seat.
While the Boeing 737 doesn’t have the flatbeds of the Airbus A330, seats still recline and have a swing-up leg rest. There’s also AC and USB power for each passenger, keeping devices recharged and travellers productive.
Certainly, the Airbus A330 is the choice pick where it’s available. But on a daytime flight where you aren’t going to put the bed down anyway, the Boeing 737 is just fine in my book. Especially if it means you can fly to your destination non-stop, rather than transit somewhere like Sydney.
Read: Qantas Airbus A330 Business review (Sydney-Auckland)
Qantas Boeing 737 Business food and beverage
While I’ve not experienced their return on domestic flights, this international hop begins with a pre-departure drink. A glass of Duval-Leroy Champagne does nicely as an Auckland welcome to the Qantas Boeing 737 Business experience. It’d be nice if every flight in Qantas Business began like this, but small steps I suppose.
Being a late afternoon departure with a mid-evening arrival, this flight times perfectly for dinner. And that’s exactly what Qantas provides. There are no printed menus, so options are described verbally by the crew as below:
- Beef lasagne with carrots and peas.
- Pork scotch fillet with potatoes, peas and broccoli.
I choose the pork, and it’s nice and tasty: particularly with the well-seasoned potatoes. Travellers with dietary needs can also pre-order an appropriate meal via the Qantas website before travel. This includes vegetarian options, along with religious and other dietary meals such as gluten-free.
One thing I do miss about not having a printed menu is that there’s no wine list. I’m able to determine there’s a ‘Shiraz’ on board, so I sip a glass of that with dinner. It’s certainly drinkable – but coming straight from the galley, there’s also no chance to sneak a peek at the label.
For dessert, there’s a boxed chocolate cake. Presentation-wise, it’d certainly be nicer if this were plated. Serving a course in a cardboard box feels a little more ‘domestic flight’ than international Business Class. But it’s sweet and rich all the same.
Qantas Boeing 737 Business service and entertainment
As I step aboard in Auckland, I’m greeted at the door on this Qantas Boeing 737 Business journey with a cheerful ‘welcome back’. During the flight, Customer Service Manager Tracy also makes time to stop by each seat and make every traveller feel welcome. (And thanks for reading Point Hacks, Tracy! Glad you find our stories helpful).
Other than the personal hello, crew keep glasses topped up throughout the flight and keep fresh beverages coming when a switch is in order.
On the entertainment front, this Boeing 737 sports seatback screens. That’s not to be expected on every Qantas Boeing 737 flight, as some jets have streaming entertainment instead. But those with screens are more likely to pop up on international routes like this one.
It’s great to have some different content to enjoy versus what I’d pre-downloaded on my tablet. That said, some of the selections are slim. The ‘comedy’ movie category has literally one title, for instance. Still, I’m able to kick back with Marry Me.
Noise-reducing headphones are provided, and they’re certainly better than what you get in Qantas Economy. But I always travel with my own true noise-cancelling pair, and they plug straight into the system with ease.
Mood lighting on the flight also helps create a relaxing atmosphere, especially as the sun sets and we continue into the evening. After my meal and movie, it’s not long before landing. Immigration at Brisbane Airport is a breeze, particularly as we’re the only flight pulling in at this time.
Summing up
Between Australia and New Zealand, Qantas flies both the Airbus A330 and Boeing 737. And yes, if you can get on the Airbus A330 and it suits your travel plans, then that’s the plane to book.
But the Airbus A330 doesn’t gel with every journey. If I’d booked it here, I’d have needed to fly through Sydney to get home. That would mean adding hours to the trip. Not to mention having to collect and re-check my bags, change terminals, go through security again, catch another flight, and pick up my bags a second time.
By choosing the Boeing 737, I was able to fly straight from where I was to where I needed to be. And given my time is often limited, that suited me just fine. Ultimately, by saving several hours of hassle in transit, I arrived at my most relaxed: which is really what flying Business Class is all about.
Also read: Auckland is calling! Jet there in style on points
Photography by Chris Chamberlin, who travelled at Point Hacks’ expense. Feature image courtesy of Qantas.
Stay up to date with the latest news, reviews and guides by subscribing to Point Hacks’ email newsletter.
You never know if your 737 will have IFE screens.
You have limited personal space.
You are totally stuffed if you need to speak to somebody in a call centre without a long wait and call back that sometimes never happens. Oh and the non Aussie call centre folk have no bl–dy idea what they are doing.
You are totally f—cked if you try to get a refund because they are going to make you wait for weeks for your money or points back (in that current circuit personally at the moment).
If you are connecting to an international sector it can be very nice to have an international grade business lie-flat class seat, not a low grade domestic one during daylight hours. Stop making excuses for a distinctly lower grade product.
So if BNE is your destination, better to take the Air NZ 787 on the AKL-BNE when it returns in mid July.
Get real Point Hacks – all of these gushingly pro-QF articles are sickly stuff.
Yes you are right. And I am taking account several recent QF articles.
But (directed at the Point Hacks team) what is the top rating? Is it 4 stars, 5 stars, 10 stars, etc.? You have to look at other articles to try and work that out and presume that just because you never see a rating above 5 stars that the maximum is 5 stars.
And what does that rating mean anyway? Is there a value element (in which case is that rating based on a discounted AUD600 one way fare or a full AUD1500 fare)? Is there service element (and would that, for example, include showing the customer the wine bottle so they know what they are drinking)? Is there a status element (different customers will experience different service levels – seat allocations on 737s with just 3 rows of business class can be vexing if you are a humble Gold and impossible if you have no status – call centre access is a nightmare if you are below Platinum)? What’s the scope of that rating (is end-to-end real life customer experience presumed – what happens if you need to ring the call centre or cancel / refund)? If the 737 product itself differs (no back of seat IFE on some aircraft), does the rating still apply? To what extent does the rating depend on subjective factors (Chris doesn’t care about lie-flats during the day – others do)?
Without that context the rating means nothing to the reader. In other words is there any objective standard against which to nominate a rating?
Meanwhile, is there a broader context to the issues raised in the article? If QF does not offer the superior A330 product on the AKL-BNE sector (noting that it certainly used to) and that justifies selecting the lesser B737 product, does that make relevant the information that a better product is (shortly) available on that route (or are we too QF obsessed or stuck in a very formulaic approach to writing reviews on travel blog websites?)? Is not showing the wine bottle the new normal on QF? Has QF stepped down a notch on its business class wine offerings or not?
My last A330 flight on QF was a shocker – crew members were all in a huddle after meal service from including the CSM – when I needed to excuse myself to pass through the group to get to the bathroom they ignored my presence and kept talking through me – they did that several times and also to my wife. Would @ Chris call out such rudeness, or not be bothered by it, or decide to take a position based on his collective experience (to be fair QF cabin crew rarely behave that rudely so I won’t mention it in the review)?
It’s great that this was a flight not paid for by QF. It’s useful to glean information from flight reviews. But it’s superficial stuff – so, can the mould be recast? Or is that beyond the funding model for this enterprise?
For how long are we going to tolerate airlines making COVID-related excuses for failing to get their shite together? QF received BILLIONS of taxpayers money.
Airlines are taking the piss (noting that call centres were already destuffed way before COVID) – are we going to sit back and feast on sickly reviews or show some pushback?!
(It’s worth pointing out though that even while Air NZ has flatbed seating on the route, they don’t stock the mattress cover etc on trans-Tasman flights, reflecting that almost nobody puts the bed down when the sun is up and there’s little time for a nap beyond that for the meal itself. While some travellers, such as yourself, appreciate that amenity, it’s not something expected by most. If this were an overnight flight, however, it would be very different.)
In terms of upcoming aircraft changes, you’ll find those updates in our news coverage when they’re notable enough to report, and resourcing on our part allows. On another note, for us as a points-centric publication, Qantas does have an advantage on the Auckland-Brisbane route as it’s generally quite easy to secure a Business Class reward seat. Compare that to Air New Zealand, which almost never makes Business Class reward seats available to partners (e.g. KrisFlyer), and although that flatbed alternative exists, it’s primarily reserved for those purchasing their seat with dollars. We certainly do cover the ‘earn’ side as well by flying on paid tickets too, but this flight was a ‘burn’ using points, and Qantas was easiest for that.
I’m sorry to hear your own travel experiences with Qantas haven’t met your expectations. We’re unable to include reader observations such as yours within our reviews, as we have no way of independently verifying such comments. The only experience we can verify and report on with assured accuracy is the experience our team members have personally.
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and experiences. We always value reader feedback, and we hope to be able to review Air New Zealand soon.
(To add a personal note, China Airlines was also a great way to fly Auckland-Brisbane before COVID, particularly on the Airbus A350. Even in Economy Class, the food was great, entertainment was solid, service was attentive and the cabin was beautifully designed and modern. Combine that with very affordable and all-inclusive fares, and it’d be great to see Taiwan’s home carrier return to the route as time goes on, to keep even more competition in the skies.)