Review of Alliance Airlines flight Port Macquarie Brisbane in Economy

Airline Alliance Airlines
Flight VA2982
Class Economy
Seat 10G
Aircraft Fokker 70
Flight time 01:05
Take-off 24 Sep 17, 18:25
Arrival at 24 Sep 17, 19:30
QQ 3 reviews
ZacharyClark
Published on 17th October 2017
Firstly I want to just let you all know that this is my first flight report and that I do intend on improving as I get more experience.

So this flight was a very exciting one for me as this was my first ever flight on board a Fokker F70. A little background info on this service. Virgin Australia recently pulled out of the Brisbane to Port Macquarie sector due to the reduction of the ATR fleet. With that came the closure of the Brisbane ATR 72 base. As the sector was originally operated by the ATR 72 it meant that VA would have to end this service. Circa a month after the BNE ATR base closure was announced it was announced that this sector would be continuted by Virgin Australia but would be operated by Alliance Airlines. This meant that we would have two jet services to Port Macquarie but that thought was short lived with the announcement that the other jet operator Jetgo, was pulling out of their Melbourne to Port Macquarie sector due to low demand. The inaugral QQ flight to Port Macqaurie was on the 17th of July and I was there to see it first touchdown. So with that I knew I had to experience it and I am lucky enough to have to travel to Brisbane quite regularly. I am used to flying on ATR 72s but this is a fantastic change. So lets get into the details.

Airline: Alliance Airlines on behalf of Virgin Australia
Aircraft: Fokker F70
Rego: VH-JFB
Age: 23.3yrs
Departure: 1823L
Arrival: 1928L
Seat: 10G

photo dsc_0023 5

So this flight being VA2982 is the Sunday evening flight. The daily flight to Brisbane departs at lunchtime and this was the only day that the flight was in the evening. Which I was somewhat dissapointed about but I didnt care that much as I was trying a new aircraft for the first time.
I left home at the usual time which is circa an hour and a half prior to departure giving me plenty of time to spare and even see the late afternoon VA and QF flights to Sydney.



A few grey clouds east of the field. Hopefully it makes for some bumps because we all love bumps :).

photo dsc_0021 6

My boarding pass.

photo dsc_0025 6

A VA ATR 72-600 (VH-VPJ) preparing for departure to Sydney operating flight VA1192.

photo dsc_0026 5

Here she is! my ride to Brisbane.

photo dsc_0028 3

The flight was delayed by only around 30mins or so. So boarding was called as soon as possible.



The first thing I noticed once I sat down was how comfortable the seats were. And the amount of legroom.

photo dsc_0045photo dsc_0044photo dsc_0047

Boarding was very quick and I was one of the last people to board. I was originally given seat 3G but elected to move to 10G as the aircraft was only around 40% full. 10G does offer a good view of the wing.

photo dsc_0046

As it was a night flight. I didnt take any photos outside the window until our descent into Brisbane. You can view the departure here: https://youtu.be/2oxqexUvqAw
The takeoff from runway 21 was uneventful but the climb was very very bumpy as we made a left hand turn to intercept our track and climbed to FL280. The flight time was due to be a very quick 56min which is very different to the ATR on this sector that flew it in 1hr 22min.
The food service was quick to begin due to the short flight time.

photo dsc_0063

I decided to get up and take a pic of the lavatory and the cabin as this report wouldn't be a report with out those :)

photo dsc_0067

As this pic shows. The flight was barely half full. I hope this inst the norm as It would be a shame if they had to cancel this service.

photo dsc_0070

Not long after that we begun our descent into Brisbane. Here are a few bad quality shots of our arrival on the CG1A STAR.



The landing was uneventful with a low decel and no reverse. Note the spoilers are actually called "lift dumpers" on the Fokker 70/100 which can be seen in this pic. You can view the landing video here: https://youtu.be/jjyyf_GEdvo

photo dsc_0097

We taxied to our arrival bay which was 49.

photo dsc_0099photo dsc_0104

The engines were shutdown and everyone disembarked. I had to wait because I had to visit the flight deck. Its a thing that must happen on every flight for me :)



I had a nice chat with the crew and left them to finish their business and I disembarked and walked via the tarmac to the terminal. One last shot of JFB on bay 49 having finished her day of flying.

photo dsc_0112

A few gates at the end of the concourse.

photo dsc_0113

A few VA 737s at their bays.

photo dsc_0115

All in all I was impressed by the service that Alliance Airliner provide on such a short flight. The seats are really good and comfortable. Legroom is bigger than the previous ATRs that VA provided on this route. The crew were quite friendly and accommodating. And I look forward to travelling on QQ on my next trip in January.

photo dsc_0117

Thanks everyone for getting this far in the report hahaha I know it may not be a top notch report but as I stated at the beginning. This is my first every report. Feel free to leave a comment with any improvements that I can make to ensure my future reports are top notch.

My flight radar 24 log: https://my.flightradar24.com/zac77w

Cheers everyone
Zach Clark (clarkeyaviation)
See more

Verdict

Alliance Airlines

7.5/10
Cabin10.0
Cabin crew10.0
Entertainment/wifi5.0
Meal/catering10.0

Port Macquarie - PQQ

8.8/10
Efficiency10.0
Access10.0
Services10.0
Cleanliness5.0

Brisbane - BNE

10.0/10
Efficiency10.0
Access10.0
Services10.0
Cleanliness10.0

Conclusion

Related

7 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !
  • Comment 416516 by
    cheapflyer.JP 58 Comments
    Thank you for the great report of Alliance Airlines.
    I have never experienced AU domestic flight, however, a meal service looks great despite an hour flight. And This report is one of the few English reports of the Fokker 70.
    I'm looking forward to your next report.
    • Comment 416551 by
      ZacharyClark AUTHOR 4 Comments
      Hi
      Thank you I am glad you enjoyed reading. Yes the meal service was quite surprising as I was only expecting a small snack kind of offering. Feel free to check out the video tripreport here: https://youtu.be/QCkfhJB4hmM

      Thanks for reading
      Cheers Zach Clark
  • Comment 416540 by
    joaointhesky 68 Comments
    Welcome to FR, Zach. And what a great report! The F-70 is just lovely.
    Does Alliance belongs to Virgin Australia?
    Bye bye
    João
    • Comment 416552 by
      ZacharyClark AUTHOR 4 Comments
      Hi
      Thank you for your kind words and welcoming me to this site. I 100% agree that the F70 is lovely. Alliance Airlines are not owned by Virgin Australia but they operate a few services for VA out of Brisbane in replacement for the ATRs. QQ also have operated a few services for Tigerair earlier this year. Feel free to watch the video trip report here: https://youtu.be/QCkfhJB4hmM

      Thank you for reading
      Cheers Zach Clark
  • Comment 416549 by
    KévinDC TEAM SILVER 6668 Comments
    Nice job on your first report! And it's the first report on Alliance Air on the site, plus it's on a rare F-70! Always nice to see reports in Australia. Thanks for sharing
    • Comment 416553 by
      ZacharyClark AUTHOR 4 Comments
      Hi
      Thank you for reading. Yeah its the first report on QQ which is quite surprising to be honest. The F70 is quite rare nowadays worldwide. In Australia we have quite a few flying around but they are quite rare here on the east coast as they mainly fly on the west coast out of Perth.

      Cheers Zach Clark
  • Comment 418326 by
    Pilpintu TEAM 997 Comments
    Hi, Zachary!

    Thank you very much for this well-written report!

    this is my first flight report and that I do intend on improving as I get more experience.

    What on earth are you talking about?? This is a master piece!! My first report was so bad that I had to delete it!! XD

    Which I was somewhat dissapointed about but I didnt care that much as I was trying a new aircraft for the first time.

    Been there! :D You wouldnt believe the sacrifices I have made for trying a new aircraft!

    because we all love bumps

    You bet! :D

    Thanks for sharing. I never heard about Port Macquarie before now. Keep the good job! Will be looking forward to new reports! ^^

Login to post a comment.