Best of JAL/BA/QF......

[EasyBaby]

Hi guys could i ask for some advice about traveling out to Oz?

Im heading out again late next year but have looked at a few choices on TouchDown which look quite good but they are with carriers i have not flown long haul with before/ in a longtime.

The choices are:

1. Air China, via Bejing.

2. Cathy Pacific, via HGK.

3. Gulf Air, via Bahrain.

4. JAL, via NRT.

5. British Airways.

6. Qantas.


There are a few others i have looked into including Eva Singapore and Virgin but im on a budget.

Air China is by far the cheapest (£500) but that alone scares me!
BA and QF are the more expensive but is it worth paying the extra compared to the other carriers? Will the service and comfort be that different by paying and extra £200?

Thanks for your help!

EB;)

[outofsynch]

Just been through this process. I am going shortly on Cathay, as I think they give the best price vs service.
Just My humble opinion.

[NZLeardriver]

I would go Cathay or JAL. Maybe Gulf.

[cossack]

Have you thought about Malaysian?

Good service and relatively cheap. Been a few years since I flew with them, but am using them again next year from EWR to BNE via ARN and KUL. 27 hours in the air so they'd better still be good! They were C$1000 cheaper per person than QANTAS and have more legroom.

[Manchester Exile]

I've flown Syd-LHR 4 times in the last 12 months, on both BA and QF. QF have the better economy-class product, in my opinion. The food is marginally better, and they come round and give you a nice bag of goodies to get you through the night (Eg, bottle of water, packet of mints, bar of chocolate, bag of nuts, etc). The entertainment in Qantas economy is better too - you have a news feed, and games, which you don't have on BA.

In business class, BA are better than Qantas.

BA also have World Traveller Plus, which QF don't have. If you're on a budget, this class may be out of your reach, but it's a bit more comfortable than economy.

[Jerricho]

I've done the JAL flight from Brisbane via NRT to LHR several times (although, the last time was in 1998). The service wasn't bad at all, although they do manage to pack the pax in (and I'm 6 foot 1.......a little on the sardine side)

Do they still do the "stop over" in Narita where they put you up in a JAL hotel?

[Globaliser]

Manchester Exile: I've flown Syd-LHR 4 times in the last 12 months, on both BA and QF. QF have the better economy-class product, in my opinion.
...
BA also have World Traveller Plus, which QF don't have. If you're on a budget, this class may be out of your reach, but it's a bit more comfortable than economy.Ah, someone else a bit like me - I thought I was the only person mad enough to do several trips a year out to Oz in the back of the bus.

I agree that between BA and QF, it's a case of swings and roundabouts. QF cabin crew are probably the weakest element of their product, but it doesn't stop me choosing QF over BA where there's a choice for a number of reasons, including the very personal one that I fit into a QF economy seat better than into a BA seat.

The real value of the BA/QF combination is the scheduling and routing flexibility, which I find valuable, but EasyBaby may not need that. One other related thing: All BA and QF tickets are valid on both airlines' flights, and most BA and QF flights between London and Oz carry both airlines' codes. And I think that you'll find that BA and QF prices are identical to each other. So really, you should regard BA/QF as one choice rather than two.

And finally, this flexibility means that you can often mix and match economy and World Traveller Plus, as cheap WT+ is often priced at a simple supplement to the cheapest Y fare. So even if you didn't want to pay for WT+ for the whole distance, you could for example fly SYD-SIN in Y and then SIN-LHR (the long sector) in W.

Because I'm always doing BA/QF on this route, I don't have any recent experience on any of the others. But I personally wouldn't book GF or JL. I'd be perfectly happy on CX and wouldn't have any qualms about flying CA even though the cabin service may well be weak.

[skyman771]

Easybaby,
I too am off to Oz in 2006 & have done some research, have travelled BA long haul any number of times in Y and as referred to by many it's a fairly consistent product. Basically you know what to expect, with your own personal IFE and a 31" seat pitch (note QF is 32")
I always feel though that little bit more inferior when you are travelling Y in a four class configuration, and am very tempted by the World traveller plus option on BA, the extra 7" pitch & x2 vs x3 seating provide worthwhile comfort on any "overnight" sector & I have been offered individual sector upgrades for £150 each on a mix & match basis.
It may be personal choice but I prefer 777's to 744's & I rather think that on certian BA 777 config.'s you get an extra 1" on the seat pitch. But I believe it's all 744's on BA's LHR -SYD routes.
I may be going via NRT and if so on JAL, do JAL now use 777's on some flights ?, if so I beleive that they offer between 32"-34" in Y which could if correctly selected give that extra bit of comfort.
I did also review China "whoever" airlines product & I got the distinct impression that you were only getting 1990's tecnology as regards IFE, ie no personal screens & on a longhaul sector of c. 12 hours, to me that is no longer acceptable. But if it's "get there at any cost" then it's certainly the cheapest currently advertised product.
Whilst I'm on this thread, perhaps someone may be able to assist me. I have to travel LHR - KIX (Osaka) on JAL soon & the route is all 744's. I have researched the seating config's for the 744's and there are an incredible 8 variations, including some that have "Y" in the "hump". Does anyone know as to what config's are normally on this flight ?
Thanks

[EasyBaby]

I've also looked at Royal Brunei, they seem to offer a fairly reasonalble price and schedule. Anyone recommend them?

Thanks for the replies so far!

EB;)

[Hotel Mode]

Only thing with Roayl Brunei is the tech stop in Dubai. It splits the long sector and may stop you getting a solid nights sleep.

[Globaliser]

Don't know if this matters to you, but I believe that BI are "dry". (Will be happy to retract if I'm wrong about this.)

[skyman771]

Don't know if this matters to you, but I believe that BI are "dry".
They are!, though a colleague of mine that flew on BI to Aus, year past last, as it was the cheapest "club" option did say that you could take & drink your own alcohol on board without any issues from flight attendants. Though he didn't ascertain this fact until airborne & as a result was of little use to him... !