Another day, another trip report based on an aircraft I’ve seen arriving or departing LAX! This time it’s an aircraft that I’ve only ever seen arriving there, and from Brisbane at that. Currently, Qantas occasionally send the 787-9 to Los Angeles, augmenting its A380-800 service, one of two A380 flights to LAX with the Aussie superjumbo. However, the Dreamliner is set to take over entirely in Melbourne due to Qantas planning on concentrating A380 operations in Sydney. I caught this shape of things to come a week and a half ago on Friday, May 9th at the famous Sepulveda Boulevard In-N-Out, and quickly added it to my itinerary. Hope y’all enjoy this one!
Server: Solo
Airline: Qantas
Aircraft: Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
Origin: Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles, California (LAX)
Destination: Melbourne Airport, Tullamarine, Australia (MEL)
Flight Number: QF94
Route: KLAX-YMML
Seat: 7A (Business)
Time En Route: 15 Hours 30 Minutes
Sitting in the boarding area for our aircraft at Gate 207 at the Midfield Concourse after spending much of the evening at the Oneworld Business Lounge over at the main Tom Bradley International Terminal. We’re once again flying on VH-ZNA, the appropriately-named “Great Southern Land”, Qantas’s first 787-9. Qantas has been connecting Los Angeles and Melbourne since 1984, just in time for that year’s edition the Summer Olympics in L.A. Initially operated by the 747-300 with a technical stop for fuel in Auckland, additional flights were added first with the 747-400, which could fly the route non-stop, albeit with some amount of payload restrictions, and then with the 747-400ER, a subvariant of the 747-400 ordered specifically to fly the MEL-LAX route non-stop without restrictions. The A380 came along in the late 2000s around the same time the last 747-300s retired, eventually becoming the main aircraft on the route as the 747-400s and -400ERs began to exit the fleet. By the 787-9’s debut in October of 2017, the writing was on the wall for the Queen of the Skies in Qantas service: all non-ER 747-400s were to retired by 2019, with the -400ERs to follow within a few years. When the route resumed in 2022 after COVID, it was initally flown with QF’s low-density A330-200s, operating at the very limits of their range, before the mantle was once again taken up by the A380 and 787. Now it’s the A380 whose days are numbered at Melbourne, as Qantas plans to shift all transpacific flying out of MEL to the 787.
Taxiing to Runway 24L as a Delta Air Lines A321-200 starts its takeoff roll for Atlanta as DL783. We’re the third aircraft overall and the second Qantas one in line for departure, as we’re right behind an A330-200 going to Brisbane as QF16. Our seat tonight is in Qantas’s excellent business class, a couple rows ahead of the port No. 2 exit door.
Holding short while QF16 starts rolling on 24L. The cabin crew has just dimmed the overhead lights for takeoff. As we prepare for departure, we’re getting situated in oir seat for the 15 and a half-hour flight to Melbourne.
Taking a shallow climb angle out of LAX tonight. The GEnxs are powering us airborne by the West Remote Stands, which have largely emptied out of their afternoon occupants, save for a China Southern Airlines A350-900 that diverted here from Mexico City.
After a delicious dinner, we’re settling in for a nice, long sleep over the Pacific. Qantas’s business class menu is top-notch, with a wide variety of options. We had the seared Barrington Hinterland beef fillet with potato gratin, red wine jus, and green beans, a very satisfying meal.
It’s still dark out when we wake up south of New Caledonia. Sleeping on Qantas is, as usual, a wonderful experience thanks to the comfy seat and bedding. The amenities, which include a sleep mask and earplugs, helped a lot, too. However, the seat is not without its quirks, such as having to be moved out of recline to put our shoes on if we have to answer the call of nature, whereas other lie-flat seats on other carriers can be kept completely flat. Fortunately, we slept without having to get up at any point, so this wasn’t an issue for us.
Descending over rural Victoria. When we reached the coast of New South Wales, we ordered a fruit salad with yogurt for breakfast, washed down with a tall glass of apple juice. Again, Qantas’s business class catering pulled through, with the meal we were presented with both looking and tasting better than the breakfast spread at many mid-market hotels stateside.
Arriving in Melbourne with the first rays of pre-dawn light on Runway 16. Our flight crew greased the landing, with even the roar of the thrust reversers and the jolt of the touchdown and deceleration not rousing some passengers from their sleep. Of course, we did decelerate rather gradually, as opposed to suddenly being thrown forward.
“And on behalf of your Melbourne-based crew, g’day and welcome to Melbourne!”
Pulling into the ramp for Terminal. The airport is currently rather still in terms of heavy traffic, with most such aircraft currently idle at the gates.
After a longer than normal deplaning process, we’re off to get our bags and go through customs. Our aircraft is currently finishing unloading baggage and cargo here at Gate 4 before going to spend a few hours on a remote stand to get cleaned in preparation for an even longer journey to Dallas, Texas. Qantas’s long-haul business class once again has lived up to its reputation of being the all-around best way to get from the U.S. to Australia. While the hard product isn’t without its issues, the cabin service and the dining were outstanding. Definitely a worthy successor to the 747 and soon the A380 at MEL!
