QantasLink A319 Economy Review

Hobart Airport is celebrating the re-launch of direct Qantas flights to Perth, and naturally, I booked myself a seat on the very first flight. Although originally operated by Boeing 737 aircraft with Business Class, the route is now flown by the all-economy QantasLink A319, which has the same seats as Jetstar planes. This means passengers are paying Qantas prices for a budget airline seat.

QantasLink’s A319 jets were purchased from the loathed US budget airline Spirit, and then reconfigured with additional seats and one more row. Safe to say, I was not looking forward to the onboard experience.

I booked this flight using Qantas Points, given the high cash fares when the route was announced. Although sale fares can now be found at a better rate, my flight was going for a criminal $738 in Economy. Because I booked before Qantas’ recent devaluation, I paid 18,000 points plus $75 in taxes. That’s 3.683 cents per point, which is solid value for Economy.

Hobart Ground Experience & Lounge

Check-in was a breeze at Hobart Airport, with no one in the priority line when I arrived, making the process super efficient. Security screening was also a breeze, thanks to Hobart’s brand-new screening hall, which features CT scanners so passengers can leave everything in their bags.

Now this wouldn’t be a proper review without me bashing Hobart Airport, although I did expect to have zero negative comments. That was until I entered the Qantas Club, which was so overcrowded I had to immediately exit after failing to locate a seat. The terminal was also extremely full, but luckily, I was able to purchase a coffee and find an empty wooden church pew to sit on.

There wasn’t much fanfare for the new flight, apart from a Quokka mascot in the terminal. That likely comes down to the delayed arrival of the inbound aircraft, which touched down over an hour late. Thankfully, because of the extra-long turnaround time for media events and staff training, the ground crew were able to minimise my delay to just ten minutes.

QantasLink A319 Seating

There’s no getting around the fact that QantasLink’s A319 seating is not what anyone would expect from a full-service airline. These are the same slimline seats that Jetstar uses on some aircraft, and they’re very much like sitting on an ironing board. Seat pitch is set at 28in, which is also the same as some Jetstar planes.

I was lucky to secure an exit row to myself for free by checking in online as soon as it opened. These seats were available at the time of booking for $70, which is a bit expensive, but the legroom here is enormous.

I also checked out the legroom in a standard seat right at the back. It was pretty good, but still not what I would expect from a full-service airline.

The seatback contains space for in-flight literature at the top, with a tray table and storage net below.

Other than that, there isn’t much to say about these seats. While I wouldn’t call them appalling, there aren’t many good things to mention.

Onboard Dining

Qantas’ new Hobart to Perth service is actually the only flight out of Hobart that is catered locally. Even Air New Zealand don’t receive catering on the ground in Tassie. With that in mind, I wasn’t expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised.

The meal cart rolled down the aisle promptly after takeoff, with some form of chicken curry the only item available. While quite small and looking a bit like microwaved dog food, I found my meal very enjoyable. A bag of mixed salted snacks accompanied, in addition to a choice of beer, wine, soft drink, tea, coffee or water.

The crew were super proactive in bringing around another tea/coffee service shortly after meals, with a further soft drink/alcohol service following that. Throughout the flight, drinks services continued, in addition to a final KitKat snack offering.

For domestic Economy, the catering offered was about as good as it gets.

Entertainment, WiFi & Amenities

Unfortunately, there is no WiFi on the QantasLink A319, nor are there any charging ports.

There is in-flight entertainment, which is accessed via the Qantas Entertainment app or website after joining the “Qantas Entertainment” WiFi network. The selection is actually very impressive, and the same you’d find on any other Qantas flight. There is also a limited in-flight map, which displays flight location data, but not an estimated arrival time, which is a shame.

Service

Qantas is one of those airlines where you either get a very average crew, or one that blows your expectations out of the park. These flights are operated by Network Aviation, and being an inaugural flight, it was evident Qantas had arranged some of their best crew. They were friendly and efficient, delivering a wonderful service with the limited amenities the A319 offers. As I have often found, QantasLink crew outshine mainline Qantas crews, even in worse conditions.

A real display of stellar service came shortly after takeoff, when the emergency exit door beside me began to make a loud hissing noise. Although I am by no stretch of the imagination an aircraft engineer, I do fly enough to realise it was abnormally loud, and given recent events, was slightly alarmed. I alerted the Cabin Manager in the forward galley to avoid freaking out other passengers, who calmly informed the pilots and onboard engineer. They came to check things out, and confirmed it was louder than normal, but perfectly safe to continue as the door had previously undergone maintenance.

I was asked if I would prefer a different seat, which I turned down, and was offered some Qantas Points for being such a "good Samaritan", which I naturally accepted with a smile. Situations like this are a real test of average versus amazing crew, and I am pleased to confirm I had the latter.

Summing Up: QantasLink A319 Economy

I was very fortunate to be on a flight that was barely 60% full, and considering my luck in securing an entire exit row, I had quite a comfortable flight. But if the cabin were full, I would probably spend this entire review moaning.

At the end of the day, if I was looking to book Economy seats, I would consider taking this flight again for the time it saves connecting in Melbourne or Sydney. While the crew went above and beyond my expectations, there is no getting around the fact that this seat is not what Qantas should be offering on a nearly five-hour service.

Featured Image - Bailey @baileyhb_media