This was published 1 year ago
Airline review: Qantas, Airbus A330, business class, Sydney to Bengaluru, India
By Julietta Jameson
The Qantas A330-200 has 28 business seats.
THE ROUTE
Flight QF68, Sydney to Bengaluru (Bangalore), India. This is a new scheduled flight on the first non-stop route between Australia and southern India by any airline. It cuts almost three hours off the previous fastest travel time from Sydney to Bengaluru. Nicknamed India's "Silicon Valley" Bengaluru is a growing IT hub. But it's also close to bona fide tourist destination Kerala and a great entry point for many other Indian destinations.
THE AIRCRAFT
The A330 "Business Suites" recline to a fully flat bed and gives direct aisle access for every passenger with a a 1-2-1 layout.
Airbus A330. Qantas currently uses A330s for Asian, Hawaii, New Zealand and key domestic routes.
THE LOYALTY SCHEME
Qantas Frequent Flyer with One World alliance partnerships. This flight also marks the beginning of a partnership with India's largest domestic airline, IndiGo. The partnership currently includes codeshare on 11 Indian cities beyond Bengaluru and Delhi (where Qantas flies direct from Melbourne) with plans for more. You can use and earn Qantas Points on these flights.
CLASS
Business, seat 2E.
DURATION
The 9350-kilometre flight to Bengaluru takes off at 9.30am and is scheduled to take 11 hours, 51 minutes. It arrives in the capital of the state of Karnataka around 5pm local time, making it the kind of flight that makes sense to my body clock, though the 4.5-hour time difference does have me waking up at 3am in India. The return flight is a night service.
CARBON EMISSIONS
On average flying from Sydney to Bengaluru generates 691 kilograms of CO2 per passenger. Qantas' Fly Carbon Neutral offers the chance to offset carbon emissions by contributing to pro-environmental projects. The airline matches each contribution dollar-for-dollar. Tick the box at final payment stage or ask your travel agent to include the offset.
FREQUENCY
The service operates four times weekly, departing Sydney on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
HEALTH
All travellers to India must complete the Air Suvidha self-declaration form before departure, uploading your vaccination certificate or a negative COVID-19 (RT-PCR) test along with it.
CHECKING IN
Yes, I am that person – I have overlooked my Air Suvidha form. (Talk about out of practice …)
Just as well I arrive 2.5 hours before take-off and fortunately, I had applied for and got my e-visa in plenty of time. After a quick panic, I complete the form online – but it makes for a point of anxiety while travelling – Indian authorities require hard copies of documents. I only have the Air Suvidha on my phone.
Fortunately for me, again, it isn't a problem at the Indian end, but I don't recommend anyone else be as careless. For peace of mind, make sure you've got all required documents early and carry them, including e-tickets, in hard copy form. Also, don't leave your boarding pass behind when disembarking. Someone may want to see it and stamp it as you enter the airport.
THE SEAT
2E is an inside row seat. The Qantas A330-200 has 28 business seats and 243 in economy. The A330 "Business Suites" recline to a fully flat bed and gives direct aisle access for every passenger with a a 1-2-1 layout. Introduced in 2015, these have a 23-to-24-inch seat width, and a minimum bed length of 79 inches with plenty of personal stowage options.
BAGGAGE
The standard checked baggage allowance for business is 40kg, with up to 14kg across two pieces of carry-on, one being no more than 10kg. There are higher allowances according to Qantas Frequent Flyer membership levels.
ENTERTAINMENT
There's no Wi-Fi on this flight, which is, on one hand a disappointment on a day flight during which many are likely to be working, but also a blessing. Uninterrupted, I get plenty done and squeeze in a movie, finally getting to Top Gun: Maverick which is new to the onboard movie offering and looks and sounds pretty good on the Qantas entertainment system. (I have the need; the need for volume and turn it right up.)
FOOD
It is a pleasure seeing white tablecloths and napkins return to Qantas's premium service. as they serve a menu offering both Indian- and western-style dishes for lunch and dinner service. Snacks, including fruit, chips and cookies and drinks are available in the galley throughout.
SERVICE
As per pointy end privileges, the flight attendants address passengers by name. For all the troubles Qantas has had recently, it's worth noting the airline still maintains some of the best flight crew in the air.
ONE MORE THING
Our flight home is delayed by about 11 hours due to mechanical failure of the aircraft in Sydney – a stark reminder of the difficulties the airline continues to face since COVID wreaked havoc on international travel.
THE VERDICT
Terrific – for the business class comfort, but also for the great scheduling and non-stop nature of the flight. A group of women travelling to an ashram in Kerala in the economy cabin are very happy to have a direct flight to the south of India, rather than having to hop via the likes of Singapore, Malaysia or Hong Kong.
OUR RATING OUT OF FIVE
★★★★★
The writer flew courtesy of Qantas, see qantas.com
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