The Boeing B 737-800 has been the mainstay of the QANTAS short- and mid-haul network and the only narrowbody in the fleet for many years. However, the airline has recently started receiving its first Airbus A 321s, of which it has ordered 48 frames to eventually replace some of the older Boeing B 737-800s in the fleet.

Routing

> ZRH LH Y FRA A319

> FRA AF C CDG E195

> CDG AF C SIN B77W

> SIN SQ C CNS A359

> CNS ZL Y ISA SF34

> ISA QF Y TSV DH8D

> TSV QF Y CNS DH8D

> CNS QF C DRW E190

> DRW QF C SYD B738

> SYD KE C ICN B781

> ICN KL C AMS B789

> AMS KL C FRA E175

> FRA EN Y BSL E190

QANTAS has two daily nonstop flights between Darwin and Sydney. There’s the red eye QF843 that leaves Darwin at 01h35 in the morning and arrives in Sydney at 06h25. And then there’s the much more civilised QF841 at 13h05, which reaches Sydney at 17h55. Obviously, I have no intention to take the night flight to Sydney. However, the drive from the Cooinda Lodge in the Kakadu National Park back to Darwin takes between three and four hours, which is why we’ve decided to spend another night at the Mercure Darwin Airport Resort. Like that we don’t have to leave the Cooinda Lodge too early and we’re not in a rush to bring the car back either.

Before we bring back the car, the evening before we go down to the Darwin Trailer Boat Club to have dinner while we watch the sun set – which is good fun and a nice opportunity to see the locals in their natural habitat.

Getting to Darwin Airport

The next day I check out of the Mercure Darwin Airport Resort at 11h00 and make my way across to the passenger terminal. It’s a walk of about five minutes and you really cannot get lost on the way. Overhead a group of F/A-18s are doing circuits over the airfield and making a lot of noise as they go.

QANTAS Business Class Check-in

Check-in is very efficient at Darwin Airport and fully automated. There is just one manned counter for Business Class passengers. The airport is quite busy. Just before our departure to Sydney there’s a flight to Brisbane and a Jetstar flight to Denpasar. The security check takes a while, mainly because people don’t seem to get that up to five passengers can stand next to each other at the belt to put their stuff through screening – and there simply isn’t enough staff around to guide and manage the queue.

QANTAS Club Lounge Darwin

Behind security at ground floor level are gates 1 and 2. Other than that, there’s nothing else down here. The other gates and the QANTAS Club Lounge are all located one floor up. The entrance to the QANTAS Lounge is off to the right, at the top of the escalators.

The lounge is rather large for such a small airport. However, despite its size, there is only a very small seating area with a somewhat restricted view of the ramp – but I’ll take it. Once I’ve found a place to sit, I head over to the buffet to make myself two small cheese sandwiches to tie me over until they feed us on the plane. I really like the spread they put on in the domestic QANTAS lounges. There’s usually a cold selection and one or two hot dishes as well. As a nice additional feature, they also have an attended bar where you can get a good flat white, although from what I can observe during my stay in the lounge here, most patrons are more interested in the alcoholic beverages.

QANTAS Business Class Boarding

Just after 12h30 the young man at the lounge’s reception announces that QF841 to Sydney has started boarding, which is actually ten minutes ahead of schedule. Boarding is from gate 4, which is the very first gate closest to the QANTAS lounge. Passengers in boarding groups 1 and 2 board through the airbridge, whereas passengers in the other boarding groups are required to take the stairs down to the apron and then board the aircraft through the rear door. At the gate on our left, the QANTAS flight to Brisbane is already in the final stages of boarding. Meanwhile, on our right, an Embraer Brasilia has just been towed onto its stand in preparation of its next mission.

QANTAS Business Class Cabin & Seat

The aircraft I’m travelling to Sydney on today has already been retrofitted with the new Space cabin interiors. According to the QANTAS inflight magazine, the refurbishment of the fleet is expected to be concluded by 2027. As far as I can tell, though, the seats are unaffected by the upgrade and are the same ones that QANTAS has always had on the B 737-800.

The seat is comfortable and very spacious. It’s rather wide and has an adjustable headrest, which comes is very handy later on during the flight when I find myself dozing off… The pitch is generous at 37 inches. However, if you’re on the aisle seat, the box for the inflight entertainment hardware is right in the middle of the space under the seat in front. It’s not a major issue and doesn’t cause much of an inconvenience, but the leg space is definitely better on the window seat.

QANTAS Business Class Service & Crew

There are four female cabin crew on this flight. They’re all rather senior, and the service in the Business Class cabin is done by the inflight service manager, aka the lead stewardess. The first impression is that the crew are in a rush. For example, one of them starts handing out small bottles of water. She manages the first row before she’s interrupted and has to go do something else. A short while later she returns and continues handing out the bottles. The same thing happens with the distribution of the earphones. It’s not a big deal, and to her credit the cabin crew actually remembers that she hasn’t finished – but it just seems a bit uncoordinated.

In any case, we push back on time, run through the start up sequence and taxi to the holding point for take-off in a southeasterly direction. On the opposite side of the airfield, which is used for military purposes, there’s a line-up of F-16s that look as though they’re taking part in a military exercise, and an Antonov AN-124. Our flight time to Sydney will be relatively short at three hours and fifty minutes.

QANTAS Business Class Meal

The meal service on this flight is different to the one on the QANTAS Link flight from Cairns to Darwin – presumably also because this flight has a block time that is twice as long. We start with a round of drinks that are served with a small packet of mixed roasted nuts. Before the actual meal service begins, the crew clear the glasses and trash away.

The tray consists of a small salad with vinaigrette as a starter, and a main course. The salad is rucola, shavings of parmigiano, and prosciutto crudo. I manage to fish out all the prosciutto. There are two choices for the main. One is beef in gravy, served with mash and green beans, whereas the other is chicken breast in a miso glaze served with rice. I decide to have the beef. On the one hand, I’ve glad that the meat is so flaky that I don’t even need the knife to cut it. However, I would say that about 50% of the chunk of meat on the plate is fat, which is not so nice. I will say, though, that the veg and mash are very nice. The crew serve a slice of bread and crackers with a nice piece of cheddar and butter. For dessert there’s a small bar of Koko Black white chocolate, which is nice but rather sweet. With that I request a coffee with milk.

The crew on this flight work really hard. Throughout the flight they’re constantly checking and taking orders for drinks. And then about ninety minutes out of Sydney, just as I wake up again, they pass through the cabin offering small tubs of chocolate and salted caramel ice cream.

Arrival in Sydney

It’s an enjoyable flight this afternoon. Ground visibility is good intil about 45 minutes out of Sydney, when it starts to cloud up. Eventually, the cockpit crew ease back the throttle and we start our descent into Sydney. And we’re in luck. Approaches this afternoon are from the North, bringing us in right over the city, with the harbour bridge and and the iconic Sydney Opera House clearly visible.

Conclusion – QANTAS Domestic Business Class

This was a pleasant flight with QANTAS from Darwin to Sydney. Coming from Europe, it feels like quite the luxury to have such a nice seat and so much much personal space. I also appreciate that the crew on this flight were at the top of their game once the rush to get off the ground was over. Even after the conclusion of the lunch service, the kept patrolling the cabin, making sure passengers were comfortable and topping up drinks. They were not necessarily overly friendly, but they were certainly competent and professional. I think the only real downside for me was the food. If they’re already offering two options, it would be nice if one of them could be without meat.