Qantas. (Southbound).
Old B744 aircraft. Interior was clean but the interior was so dated, that the signage was written in hieroglyphics. Cabin crew could only be described in these terms: professional, friendly, slick, confidence inspiring. Captain made the usual PAs and sounded like an articulate industry veteran. It was a great relief that he could provide flight details and avoid the dull and hackneyed "sit back, relax and enjoy the flight" (which makes me cringe every time that I hear it).
Economy class food was not the Rockpool level, but was ok. I didn't eat the white suff with yellow fruity looking thing on the top that was apparently 'dessert' but the Roast Pork main was fine as was the Sav Blanc served by the friendly and helpful CC named John. In-flight entertainment was not as user friendly as on Virgin B777 and had less movies but was ok. Drinks were served at regular intervals and we were happy.
The price for each sector was pretty much the same, Southbound with QF a little cheaper. In their own way, the product by each carrier was fine.
Quoted from Anthill
Nice to read. Qantas are a class act in the cabin, I simply don't get all the comments about surly staff and poor service. They are far superior to the Air NZ product (which is still generally adequate) but also compare very favorably to their Jetconnect cousins, another area where they often receive unfavorable (and unfair) comparison. The food in the economy cabin is excellent (although Air NZ has the wood on them in J). I really hope they find a way out of the current crisis, it would be a sad day without them.