Flight check: Qantas’ first flight from Brisbane to Manila in business class

TO: Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Manila, Philippines

Departure Airport Experience: The vast majority of passengers on my flight from Auckland to Brisbane were Australians arriving home, and I was the only one who turned left rather than right and headed to the international connection instead of baggage claim. My business class ticket gave me access to the Qantas lounge, which is where I headed. This was quite exciting as it was the first Qantas flight to fly directly from Brisbane to Manila – a revamped route that adds 100,000 seats a year between Australia and the Philippines. The Qantas lounge offers views of the lower floors of people waiting for their flights, and from the front seat there is a view of the storm front that has arrived and loomed over the airport. For about an hour it caused a powerful torrent of rain, lightning and a clap of thunder. It was an impressive sight, but they closed the airport until the storm subsided and moved on. As a result, our onward flight was delayed by almost three hours.

Seat: 3A. I was located next to the window in a separate small capsule that turned into a bed. Qantas provided me with a seat cover, blanket and pajamas for the duration of the flight. I was already pretty tired after the early flight from Auckland and the delay at the airport, but despite the fact that it was almost midnight according to my body clock, dinner was waiting for me, which I could choose from the menu.

Passengers: Closest to me were members of other media and Qantas employees celebrating the inaugural Brisbane-Manila flight. My heart sank a little when I saw the baby sitting in the boarding house with her extended family, but the little girl settled in almost immediately and became the perfect angel for the seven and a half hour trip to Manila.

Crew: Absolutely wonderful: friendly, talkative, knowledgeable and happy to help.

Food and drinks: Business class includes a menu and I started with pumpkin ginger soup, followed by Bannockburn roast chicken with polenta and green beans and finally a selection of cheeses and crackers for dessert. We could also snack on fruit, biscuits, chips and chocolate, but I was already 20 hours awake and it was time to touch the seat controls and move it to the horizontal position for a few hours.

Entertainment: On the first leg of my Auckland-Manila trip, I watched the first episodes of the HBO series. White Lotus and now I have the opportunity to finish the first series. Fatigue prevented me from watching longer feature films, but I went to bed happy, knowing who died and who did it.

Best moment: Graceful curves that turned my comfortable seat into a bed. The leg stretched out and the back part stretched down like a cat in the sun, and I followed suit. I wrapped myself in a blanket and fell asleep before our arrival in Manila at three in the morning.

It was also very interesting to be one of the first passengers on the first flight. The four-times-weekly service allows the Philippines easier access to Auckland and Christchurch, providing a quicker and more convenient stop in Brisbane instead of Sydney and cutting travel times by at least an hour. I think the new connection shows respect for the Filipinos who bring their much-needed skills to all sectors of our economy.

The worst: I’m trying to think of one. I can’t.

Final verdict: The ability to fly to the Philippines from Brisbane instead of Sydney will make this gorgeous island country more accessible and, hopefully, more visible to New Zealanders. The business class seat certainly makes the flight more comfortable and luxurious than my usual economy class seat, but the shorter flight is better for everyone. And the planned updates will add comfort to pilots of all classes.

qantas.com