Qantas penny pinching becoming more obvious

We just took two Qantas flights: from Melbourne to Tokyo Narita return. They were very much a mixed bag, as you expect from the airline nowadays. 

First the positives. 

Both Airbus A330 flights were on time, boarding was well organised (no silly groups) and the cabin crew were smart and efficient despite both 10-hour-plus flights being pretty full. 

With Qantas being a full-service airline, you get a pillow, a blanket and headphones in your seat. And a bottle of water is delivered soon after take off.

So far so good, But unfortunately, there are several other elements that reflect the Australian national carrier's relentless commitment to cost cutting. 

That bottle of water is all you get. If you want it re-filled, you can head to the back of the plane and use a tap. 

The wine selection, in 187ml plastic mini bottles, contains several options that are not only not very good, but barely fit for purpose. 

Budget is clearly the defining factor here, not quality. Sad when Australia has so much good wine sitting in tanks. [A very good Seppeltsfield Vermentino was an exception].   

The food ex Melbourne was tasty and warm, with three choices (including one vegetarian option). 

Decent enough, but on the return flight the food, again three choices but two that sounded decidedly unappealing) was less than average (and I'm being kind). 

It is clear Qantas consultant chef Neil Perry has zero say in what is served in the economy cabin. And that's a fail. 

The seats are cramped and uncomfortable, but that is almost a given nowadays. Amenity kits: forget it.  

Then there is the entertainment. Qantas has once again placed the almighty dollar ahead of customer comfort. Whatever you want to watch you'll need to sit through some turgid advertising first. It's like Channel 9 on steroids. 

There has also been a lack of attention to the compilations. Not even a moron in a hurry could think that Cold Chisel should be listed under "Country Music". But they've probably made whoever did that job redundant. 

Even though we paid for our own fares, I wanted to list a factbox with the stories I wrote, giving details of all Qantas flights to Japan, prices and timings etc. 

I emailed the Qantas media team three times asking for those details, but did not even get the courtesy of a reply. Maybe they are too busy addressing complaints, or just don't give a damn. 

Strange when there so many competitors on the route. 

But so much about Qantas is strange nowadays. 

Factbox: Qantas failed to supply details of its flights to Japan despite repeated requests. But the Qantas website tells me return flights from Melbourne to Narita start from $1,202 return until June 2025 and operate four times a week. I hope that info is still current. Maybe Qantas will let know.