🇦🇺Hello Retro Roo2, Hello Adelaide (Qantas QF673 economy class review Melbourne-Adelaide)
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I took this flight on 23 Dec 2023.
At the beginning of December I finally knew what my Christmas plans would be. Due to my lack of annual leave, I would simply use the 4 days of my Christmas holiday to visit somewhere else in the country, and I had never been to Adelaide, so I planned to visit. When I looked at airfares, I found that most one-way economy class tickets cost more than $200. However, my early flight QF673 was an exception. It cost me 777 CNY (160 AUD) on Trip.com.
My flight leaves at 6.30am. At first I thought I would use the car-sharing service to get me to Southern Cross station and catch the first Skybus. When I asked my mate Nick, he recommended I book a space in the airport's Value car park and drive there.
Parking costs AUD 12 a day, which is a good option if you're leaving Melbourne for a few days and you're not travelling alone. You need to enter your car's estimated arrival and departure dates and times, pay the parking fee online and enter the car park using the QR code sent to you via email.
Once you have parked and locked your car, wait at this type of bus stop in the car park. The shuttle bus runs approximately every 15 minutes and stops at various terminals within Melbourne Airport.
I arrive at the Terminal 1 of Melbourne Airport.
I remember this kiosk used to provide printed boarding passes. But it doesn't any more. What a pity that is.
Once I've checked in, it's time to drop off my luggage.
Check-in is done, now it's time to go through security. The whole process is a piece of cake as it is so early in the morning. The liquid is allowed to pass through here, which is unimaginable in my home country.
Changes have been made to the site immediately after the security check. This place looks a lot better than it did 2 years ago.
A Qantas Boeing 737-800 in standard livery.
It is still early in the morning and the airside of the terminal is very quiet. Only one flight to Sydney leaves earlier than my flight to Adelaide.
Two Qantas Link Boeing 717-200s are parked at the remote gate area. With the introduction of the Airbus A220-300, we'll be saying goodbye to them one by one.
Arriving at the gate, I'm surprised to find that this Retro Roo 2 (VH-VXQ) will be operating as QF673, taking me to Adelaide this morning. The Retro Roo 2 first joined Qantas in May 2003 and received its livery in late 2015.
Not long after the sunrise, boarding begins. It is Christmas and the flight is almost full. Both front and rear doors are used to speed up boarding. I board the plane through the rear door.
The economy class cabin is in a 3-3 configuration. Look at the ceiling, it shows the age of the plane.
There is a control panel for the audio programmes on the armrest.
In the seat pocket I find a safety information card, an airsickness bag and the airline's magazine.
The seat pitch is 30 inches, which is standard for economy class on a narrow-body jet.
Although this is an old bird, some modifications have been made. For example, there are two USB ports under every two economy class seats. Very handy in this digital age.
The safety demonstration video is shown on the overhead screens. Eh, the resolution of the screen is really lagging behind.
There's not much traffic at Melbourne airport in the early morning, and the plane is soon off and running.
This Boeing 737-800 has in-flight Wi-Fi, which is free for economy class passengers. The speed is actually quite good.
The in-flight entertainment is also provided via Wi-Fi, with a wide range of films, TV programmes and music.
Despite the short flight, a hot breakfast is provided. A scrambled egg and bacon sandwich. Breakfast comes with apple or orange juice, tea or coffee. I choose a cup of apple juice.
Shortly after breakfast, the plane begins its descent into Adelaide Airport.
After landing, the plane taxies for a short while before parking at a gate.
An Alliance Airlines E190.
Once you have entered the terminal, to get to the baggage claim area you will need to walk a few minutes to get to the security checkpoint. Then you'll find a staircase nearby that will take you down to the baggage claim area.
After picking up my luggage, I take the bus to the city centre.
Steve Says
All in all, flying Qantas from Melbourne to Adelaide is a pleasant experience. The departure time is a bit early, but that's OK as the flight costs less than other flights during the day. Check-in and security are efficient. Not being able to get a boarding pass is a shame.
Boarding is well organised even though the flight is almost full. I'm lucky to be on the retro-roo 2. The plane is a bit old, but I'm pleased to see that some modifications have been made, such as the USB ports and the in-flight Wi-Fi.
The weather is great, so the flight is smooth. The in-flight Wi-Fi is free and the speed is great. There are also a number of programmes available on the wireless in-flight entertainment system.
The crews are very informative and efficient, they have served breakfast despite the short duration of the flight.
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