Sydney to Singapore in Qantas economy: is the Boeing 747 or Airbus A330 better?

Terry, fair point. Do you recall besides the K seats whether the entertainment unit was present under any of the other seats as well?

undertheradar, would you be any chance know which of the B747s have this issue as well?

From memory the IFE boxes alternated between the J/K seats in each row. I think that there will boxes in every row, it just depends if it is on the window or the aisle side.

During the flight I moved to 25G and this seat did not have a box and I was able to stretch out and get some sleep.

Yikes, not sure I like the uncertainty of the placement of the entertainment units.  Thanks for your response.

the older IFE 747s are OEB,OJL,OJM,OJA,OJC,OJI

Ah great, OJA,OJC and OJI will be the planes serving the SYD-SIN route, according to the aircraft configuration the call centre operator mentioned (B747-400RR). Do you know which seats I should avoid, undertheradar?

EVERY seat 'block' has a box...the middle block has two..they are under the D and G seats BUT on the 'aisle side' of the seat anchor points..there will be a difference under 'first row/exit row seat because a pull out AVOD screen/arm has to also fit under the seat..so the boxes need to be placed in such a way that may encroach the foot space of the pax behind.

it is a very 'individual' preference..also the total environment/ 'illusion' of space can influence the 'comfort' of a seat ..i  prefer the 2-4-2 seating on the a330...and i find the flexible headrest to be more padded/soft ..i use it to keep my head in place if i 'snooze'...and more specifically a 'K' seat  because i tend to turn my body to the right, so at least im facing a window/wall...and not another face!! lol...and in the back cabin of Y because it isnt as 'en masse' as the forward larger cabin.. the IFE/AVOD is the older 'square' screen (the norm 10yrs ago) ...but content/variety/options are still good..i mostly use the window as my IFE..DAY OR NIGHT..and use the IFE map to gain some perspective on 'where i am' in this world!!! occassionally watch tv 'stuff' ...i cant sit thru a movie ANYWHERE..even at home...without flicking thru the channels! lol... i would still choose the a330 over ANY type 747 on this sector....so sorry...i was trying to avoid a loooong post...just my opinion...go with your 'preferences' ...and happy flying

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Economy seating on an un-refurbished 747 is shocking! It is hideously cramped. God knows how we managed the trek across to Europe a decade ago (maybe we have collectively gotten fatter??)

A330 is much better. But get your meal in the lounge and sleep through the flight because there is nothing redeeming about the experience other than the frequent flyer points/status credits you will be accruing (which incidentally now that OZ/SIN is a point to point sector, is one of the lowest $/mile rate for point accrual if you're able to get those cheap O or S fares)

The meal will be a stodgy stew or a fishy dried out fish steak, served on a tray with hard roll and some limp lettuce. The cabin crew will be your uninterested and jaded medium haul crew, who resent not going to Los Angeles. The entertainment will be decidedly retro.

Get a good book and sleep is my advice so that you can hit the hawker centres in Singapore and get some proper grub.

The meals aren't that bad, but then again on Sunday I'd been waiting in the Domestic QP with pancakes galore. The roll was actually not hard - you could poke it with a finger and it gave way. It was surprisingly good.

That said, the moment you hit the ground in SIN get to a hawker centre. If you've got little luggage (no more than one roller and a backpack/handbag), take the MRT to Bedok and hunt the Bedok Food Centre. Excellent Singaporean food.

Thanks for your comments, TheRealBabushka and watson374.  Unfortunately I don't have any status with QF so it will just be landside or airport food for me before the flights.

Yes, food in Singapore never fails to disappoint!

If you are flying a lot in a 30-day period, you could enrol in AAdvantage and cough up USD 99 for a 30 Day Admirals Club membership. It gets you into all the same lounges as Qantas Club access does (i.e. Qantas Clubs where available), but only on QF-coded flights.

Still, if you're flying SYD-SIN-SYD, you can do quite well for both landside and airside eats in the terminal. Especially at SIN - that Terminal 1 staff canteen is a gem!

I wish I were flying a lot! But no, this is just a one-off trip to take advantage of the consecutive Easter and Anzac Day long weekends coming up in April.

Am now contemplating Dubai and Maldives as possible destinations for the break as well... Made all the more tempting by the fact both are a (relatively) short direct flight away from Singapore.

Singapore is a very nice destination in and of itself.

A330 has a nicer layout - 2-4-2 vs. 3-4-3, but the A330s invariably have the old Economy seats, whilst the B747 has the off-chance of a refurbished plane with the Marc Newson seat, which is a far superior seat. (If you REALLY want the 747 with new seats, fly via BNE on QF 51. It shouldn't cost much more - for me on Sunday it was cheaper than QF 81 - but it's the worst for delays.)

Honestly, though, they're all still pretty meh. You're best off choosing by schedule.