Review of Qantas flight from Cairns to Brisbane in Business

introduction

Hello and welcome to the 3rd review in this series.

We usually try to take advantage of our son's breaks from preschool to take a trip. We hadn't been back to Australia for 8 years, so winter break in February was a perfect time to leave the northern hemisphere for summer down under!

After spending several amazing days in the Cairns area, it was time to head back down to Sydney for the weekend before heading back to the US. We'd never been to Queensland before, and the tropical north did not disappoint! Between the lush rainforests, majestic green mountains, picturesque beaches, and of course the Great Barrier Reef—one of the great natural wonders of the world—our time spent in Cairns was the highlight of the trip. You'll find some bonus pics at the end of this review. 

routing

Reviews in this series:

check-in & Lounge

We arrived at the Domestic terminal about 2 hours before departure. Check-in was super quick as there was absolutely no one waiting for the Qantas Business class counters, or even the Economy line. 

Security was a breeze. It seems to go pretty fast in domestic terminals in  Australia, in my limited experience. 

We followed signs for the lounge, which took us to the upper level. 

The entrance to the Qantas Club is located immediately to the right coming off the escalators. 

Though Cairns has a large Qantas presence it is not technically a hub so there is no separate Business Lounge, but the Qantas Club is quite large and there was plenty of space as it wasn't very crowded. 

The decor is more basic than Business lounges, but it's still quite pleasant and there were nice views through the large windows. 

There is a very large and well-equipped playroom that also has some nice seating for parents by the windows. I always appreciate when there's a play area for kids in a lounge. 

Food options were mostly basic, but there were several fresh options, including a hot dish. And of course, it beats most domestic lounges in the US. 

The AvGeek in me enjoyed watching the aircraft movements as we waited for our flight. 

Watched a Qantas 737 in retro livery land and come in to the gate.

Turned out it was our gate! The "Retro Roo II" would be taking us down to Brisbane today, nice!

Also watched the daily Jetstar 787-8 depart for Tokyo

boarding

As we didn't have far to go, we left the lounge right at boarding time. Boarding had already begun, so we were able to go right on through the Business/Priority lane. 

Getting on the Roo!

No surprises when it comes to the cabin, as the Qantas 737 fleet is pretty uniform. The main difference is about half of the fleet has in-seat entertainment monitors, while the other half has streaming entertainment to personal devices. 

The leather Cradle Recliner seats are laid out in a standard 2-2 configuration with 37" of seat pitch and a 21" width between armrests. The seats feature adjustable headrests and legrests and have a decent recline for making a comfortable cradle position—though the seat pitch is a bit tight and I generally avoid reclining on day flights. 

As we got to our seats, one of the cabin crew welcomed us on board and handed my 5-year-old son a cool Qantas "Joey Club" magnetic drawing tablet!

I really love how kid-friendly Qantas are. Between the playroom in the lounge and the children's gifts on board, I'm very impressed with how welcoming Qantas are to families travelling with children in premium cabins. 

The 37" seat pitch is pretty standard and comparable to domestic First/Business in North America. 

Each seat has access to a 110v AC outlet and a USB port. 

Qantas is one of the rare carriers that provides noise-cancelling headphones on short-haul. An amenity that I definitely appreciate as I hate carrying around my bulky over-ear headphones anymore and usually just have my airpods. 

Qantas' complimentary fast Viasat Wi-Fi is available from gate-to-gate.

The streaming IFE is also available through the same portal in the Qantas Entertainment app. 

There a good amount of content including movies, TV shows, documentaries, audio books, music, and children's programming. 

the flight

As I've said before, I find that Qantas cut it too close only boarding 20 minutes before departure, so I was not surprised that the flight was running a few minutes behind, despite the inbound having arrived on time. 

We pushed back from the gate about 15 minutes behind schedule. 

Taxi time was very short and there was no queue for takeoff. 

We took off over the lush green and swampy coast. 

It wasn't long before we were over the beautiful turquoise waters near the Great Barrier Reef. 

Fitzroy Island on the inner reef, that we had visited a few days prios. 

Shortly after takeoff, information about the free Wi-Fi and streaming entertainment was played on the overhead screens. 

It's nice to have IFE options, of course, but the scenery outside was way more interesting. Flying over the Great Barrier Reef is amazing—the beauty of the colours and vastness of the reef are breathtaking. 

Miles and miles and miles of beautiful reefs. 

A news programme and TV shows were played on the overhead screens during the flight. 

My son's pre-ordered child meal was delivered first, which is always appreciated and convenient. The main dish was a cottage pie, perfect for a kid. 

We continued to follow the coast of Queensland on our way down to Brisbane. 

For the adults, there were two hot options, one of which was Paella! I don't think I've ever had Paella on a plane—even on Iberia, who I fly several times a year. I was intrigued so went for that. 

It was actually pretty decent with good flavours, if a tad bit dry. 

Again, the catering was a bit light compared to meals in the US, as there is no appetiser and desert was a small chocolate; however, the quality and creativity was generally better. Qantas seem to prefer quality over quantity, which is just fine by me (that was almost a tongue twister).  

The nice scenery continued outside as we made out way further down the coast. 

Cabin crew were very friendly and attentive, keeping drinks topped up throughout the flight. 

There's lots of content on the streaming IFE to keep you entertained, I just wish there were eye-level device-holders in the seat-backs. 

Soon enough we were starting our descent. 

After miles and miles of green landscapes and ocean, Brisbane came into sight. 

The size of the urban area was more impressive than I thought it would be. 

We had great views of the CBD on landing. I picked the right side of the aircraft without knowing it!

Another Fokker! They're everywhere in Australia. 

Despite the 15 minute delay on departure from Cairns we arrived at the gate on time. 

Tourism Bonus ⬇