QANTAS - Working on the A380
 

I am interested in any of our colleagues who are already working on the A380. Can you please tell us what life is like:

1. Is there any truth to the rumours that meal service times are taking forever???? Perhaps the company needs to revise service timings/service flows?

2. Have the flights been full/half capacity?

3. Do you find that the working environment on the A380 is better than the B747 in terms of galley, crew rest, seating config etc.

An Early Suggestion
 

It was suggested to management, even before the A380 arrived,that the successful operation of all cabins required 2 CSSs.
Ahh but they know better..they are management.
Keep writing reports and get the FAAA in on the act.It will also be good for promotional opportunities

Thanks ABP for the info.....very good to know this stuff so I can squash any bad mouthing that is currently going on in the galleys of non-A380 aircraft. A lot of people think that the A380 crew are taking hours to complete the service...I had no idea that this was because of all the things that you mentioned. Thanks for info....I will let others know about the truth re: the fact that it is still work in progress.

Can I ask....why are crew not allowed to use the front stairs? It seems very bizzare forcing crew to walk all the way to the back and then up around again. Is it because P/C is at the front on the main deck and that the company do not want crew to be using that as a traffic lane? I can understand pax not being allowed to use front stairs....but crew?

Wow! Hosting someone for dinner...that's awesome....love the innovation. I suppose if one is paying so much money to fly P/C then by all means they can have whoever they want.

The aircraft must be so quiet inside to have P/C pax complain about crew walking upstairs. Can crew use the stairs in an emergency, say if they needed to bolt upstairs to get something in an emergency or see someone? Or are the stairs TOTALLY forbidden?

Screw forbidden! If it's an emergency then who cares if you have to wake up the pax... even if they are P class... 'safety above service, always' remember! :E

Great info on the A380, I had been wondering about some of the exact issues you've brought up. Does it seem a fairly two-way process at the moment, I mean, is the company receptive of your suggestions as operating crew for improvements? And I guess it's not really like A380-operating airlines can workshop on it, they've all got such different layouts and approaches to it...

Slighty OT... did they have a full crew comp onboard for Nancy's flyover yesterday, or was it flight crew & gingerbeers only?

Hardly an innovation! Been able to do that in BA in First Class for about 10 years:rolleyes:

Hate to show my age, but it is 15+ years :eek:

Keel Beam

You are probably right - it was when the flat beds were introduced into first that the buddy seat started. Was it back in 1994? Time flies .....:\

ABP
Quote - "the aim is to get the possible results for our passengers"

How refreshing to hear such a great and positive attitude from CC to pax. Far better than the alternative cynical attitude.

You will go far in your career but more importantly enjoy going to work each (most) days. Don't become cynical like some others - it will destroy said enjoyment. Most crew and most pax are decent people who if treated as such will respond.

Thanks for that ABP, glad to hear things are going relatively well. It's always tough getting a new type into service, even with people who've been flying for years! Happy to hear the pax like it too.... you know the usual media beatups you get.

Hope to get a look around one of the A380s soon....!

What's your favourite feature so far? And least favourite??? Just curious!

With regards to the Yclass self service snack bar in the rear of M deck, do you find that people congregate or just come and go? Oh how I love the picture of the "toddler" like gates at the top of the rear stairs leading to U deck at end of W. Hilarious!

I have a quick question, i was admittedly very sad and had a quick look on seat guru to see how the different airlines had config their Whale....erm A380...and noticed that Qantas are the only airline that have a seat missing in the main deck Y section row 69D/70D.

Can i ask why? Is it a hatch from the crew rest? Or is there just one really lucky person who wins this extra leg room seat before takeoff??

Also how are the pax in the Premium Economy Cabin finding things? Whats the privacy screen for those next to the toilets in 38/39 DEF working?

Just thought i'd ask......

Qf Crew Config
 

How many CC do QF have in each class on the A380?

Does this compare with the other 380 flyers ie EK and SQ

I believe it's...
 

1 CSM
1 CSS
3 First
8 Business
2 Prem Y
7 Economy

I also believe Qantas has more cabin crew than EK and SQ, with less seats overall.

Which crew seats are designated for the CSM/CSS?

So, let's look at how efficient it is when it come to utilising cabin crew.

Qantas A380
450 passengers
22 cabin crew

Qantas 747-400, 2 class 56 J/C , 356 Y/C
Total 412 passengers
14 cabin crew

so for an extra capacity of 38 passengers you get 8 extra crew.

Just wondering, what exactly do all these extra crew do??

Give us extra crew on the 747-400 instead of taking one away and an IFE system that actually works and we could easily give the A380 a run for it's money as the new Queen of the skies.

Work 30 % more hours for 30% less pay and they probably will Shazz-zaam

VA has 13 for 361= I FA per 27 PAX
QF 747 1FA per 29 PAX

Comparing total passengers and total crew for different aircraft doesn't work when you have different numbers of classes and different numbers in each class.

The best comparison that highlights the difference is looking at J class on an A380 and a 744P.
A380 8 crew for 72 J class 1:9
744P 6 crew for 66 J class 1:11

As I said in a different thread, they could easily lose a crew member in J on the A380, but unfortunately the crew are not experienced enough to get the job done in reasonable time with 8, and as PattyStacker said, the crew are cheaper on the A380 so it is not as big a saving to remove someone.

PattyStacker,I know what you are saying but the horse has long bolted and it's far too late to close the barn door now.So you might as well forget about it.

This depends on what sort of fighting gear the crew have to work with but if the QF crew have similar equipment and there are about the same number of crew then QF will have no excuses in competing with SIA and EK on a service level.

Having inexperienced crew is not a problem because it depends on how many you have at the one time.