Trip Report: Qantas Domestic Business Class MEL to SYD Boeing 767-300

QF 426
MEL to SYD
Depart: 11:00am
Arrive: 12:25pm
Duration: 1h 25m
Aircraft: Boeing 767-300
Seat: 4A

After being impressed by the Qantas Domestic Business Class Lounge, I headed to my short flight from Melbourne to Sydney to check out Qantas’s domestic business class in-flight offerings.

I was immediately impressed by the cabin. 2-2-2 seating in business class with pretty comfortable seats, although the pitch was pretty tight. The cabin was completely full.

I was offered a pre-departure beverage of water or a cranberry drink, but it was offered so late that I had less than a minute to down it before they collected the cups. There were iPads located in the seat back pockets for in-flight entertainment, but I didn’t understand how to operate it, so I got a flight attendant to reset it (I am potentially incompetent, but my seatmate also could not get hers to work). Once it was working, however, the system was responsive and had a pretty good selection for a domestic flight.

Unlike US-based airlines (but similar to most airlines everywhere else), there was a meal service in business class on this very short flight. There was a choice between sweet corn chowder, something like a Waldorf salad, and a ham and cheese sandwich. I selected the chowder, which was pretty tasty for airline food. And the sourdough bread accompaniment was better than most airplane bread, even in first class (main exception off the top of my head: JAL first class bread), and it was given out generously. The dessert cake was also good. Overall, this meal was tastier than any meal I’ve ever had on a domestic US flight.

Pretty soon, we were flying into Sydney, and we got to enjoy some awesome views of the city prior to landing.

Overall, I was very impressed by Qantas domestic business class: comfortable seats, good in-flight entertainment, a genuinely tasty meal, and courteous service. Not sure what else I would ask for on a short hop like Melbourne to Sydney.