QF15 Brisbane (BNE) to Los Angeles (LAX)
Check in at Brisbane airport is pretty straight forward and non-eventful, as long as you have the appropriate formalities completed such as your ESTA. We were travelling business class and had always used the standard staffed check-in facilities. Qantas now funnels all their premium customers through self-check before you can deposit your bags. Service personnel ask the mandatory questions about whether you packed your bag yourself, did anyone give you anything to pack on their behalf, has the bag been out of your sight and so forth, before ushering you to one of the self-check-in kiosks where further personnel proceed to give you a crash course on self-check.
Most of Qantas’s flight depart for the 80’s gates at the international terminal and the Los Angeles service usually from gate 86. Boarding commences 45 minutes prior to departure, and like many airlines, there is a separate boarding lane for premium customers. There is only one aerobridge used for boarding in Brisbane and is connected to the second door in the middle of business class.
Qantas 787 – 900 Dreamliner Seat Map
We sat in 3A and 4A which are good business class seats. Traditionally the front row of a premium class was always the most coveted by the frequent traveller such as 1A, not anymore, the best rows on the Qantas 787 business class would have to be 4, 5, 6, 7 in the forward business cabin. I have not yet experienced the smaller business cabin which contains row 10. 11 and 12 and is immediately forward of the premium economy section. Disadvantages of travelling in rows 1, 2 and 3; row two (first row of the centre seats) is the location of the bassinets, all centre seats in those three rows have no overhead lockers as the locker space forms part of the crew rest area. Therefore, all passengers in the first three rows share the lockers above the window seats.
Forward Business class cabin. Taken from 3A
In-flight service is always of a good standard with Qantas with a choice of three entree’s, three mains and three desserts. Be sure to fill out your breakfast card, served two hours before landing, shortly after boarding as the flight attendants will collect them prior to departure. The inflight entertainment system is a virtual Nextflix in the sky, the choices are endless but sleep is a smart option, and the best advice I can give as your arrival into Los Angeles is 6:00 am, you have a whole lot of day to enjoy on arrival.
Immigration at LAX can be tedious and as several flights are arriving around the 6:00 am time slot, expect delays. Our transition from aircraft to baggage claim was one hour, and the queues were building behind us. If you have an onward connection after collecting your bags (and your bags have been through checked) follow the signs for transit passengers up a ramp walkway into a small hall and deposit your through checked baggage with the attendants who will scan your bags and place them back onto a conveyor for your next flight. You will then need to proceed to the terminal where your next airline departs from and clear security once again for onward travel.
