• Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
Live and Let's Fly
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
Home » Trip Reports » Review: Qantas 737-800 Economy Class Melbourne to Canberra
Flight ReviewsQantas

Review: Qantas 737-800 Economy Class Melbourne to Canberra

Matthew Klint Posted onMarch 9, 2018November 14, 2023 5 Comments

a sign on the front of a building

The plane went up, the plane went down. The point of this 293-mile economy class flight review is to ask whether Qantas is worth the premium over its low-cost competition.

Qantas remains a full service airline, even on short Australian domestic routes. Our flight left in the middle of the afternoon and landed less than an hour later. Even so, Qantas still managed a full service in economy class aboard the fairly full 737-800.

QF 856
Melbourne (MEL) – Canberra (CBR)
Monday, June 03, 2013
Depart: 02:15PM
Arrive: 03:20PM
Duration: 1hr05min
Aircraft: 737-800
Seat: 14F (Economy Class)

a map of a country

After a nice lunch in the Qantas domestic lounge, we were amongst the last to board the 737-800.

a row of chairs in a airport

We were assigned an exit row (14), which featured extra legroom. Standard legroom on the Qantas 737-800 is 30 inches.

a group of people sitting in an airplane

a safety instructions in a seat

After takeoff, FAs sprang into service offering complimentary beverages and snacks.

I enjoyed a bottle of water, hot tea, a delicious green apple, and great cookie. Not bad at all for such a short flight outside of a traditional meal window. I liked that Qantas provided a personal garbage bag for each passenger.

a green apple and a drink on a table

a green apple and a bag of cookies next to a green cup of water

During the short flight, a TV show I did not recognize played on the overhead IFE screen. Headphones were not offered.

a group of people sitting in an airplane

I enjoyed the views as we approached Canberra.

the wing of an airplane

an airplane wing and a landscape

an airplane wing and a city

an airplane wing and a landscape

Canberra airport was remodeled in 2013 and is quite modern. We were stuck using taxis during my trip, but Uber is now legal.

a sign in a building

a row of chairs in a airport

a group of chairs in a terminal

a group of chairs in a building

a building with a glass roof

Is Qantas Worthwhile?

Take a look at pricing on this route (date picked at random): you can see that Qantas commands a premium.

a screenshot of a computer

Is it worthwhile for a seat with more padding, a complimentary snack or meal, IFE, free checked baggage, and a generally more pleasant experience?

I used British Airways Avios to pay for my flight. The flight was 4,500 miles plus $27.25 in taxes. I value Avios at 1.5 cents each, meaning that 4,500 points was theoretically valued at $67.50. Thus, my one-way flight was about $100. I could have traveled on a budget carrier for about $65. We had only carry-on baggage.

But what made it worth it for me was the lounge access. At the time I had Platinum status with American Airlines, which granted me complimentary Qantas lounge access even though I was traveling in economy class on the short domestic flight.

Without this access, I likely would have opted for a low-cost-carrier.

CONCLUSION

The afternoon flight on Qantas was pleasant and comfortable. But was it worthwhile? That’s for you to decide.

Get Daily Updates

Join our mailing list for a daily summary of posts! We never sell your info.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Previous Article The “Real” Reason United is Changing Bonus Program
Next Article American Airlines’ Pilot Attacks Ground Agent, But Did She Attack First?

About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

Related Posts

  • a room with chairs and tables

    Review: Cathay Pacific Business Class Lounge London (LHR)

    March 22, 2025
  • a room with chairs and tables

    Review: Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge London (LHR)

    March 21, 2025
  • Qantas Janna Christmas

    Mrs. Christmas Works For Qantas

    December 25, 2024

5 Comments

  1. Dom Reply
    March 9, 2018 at 4:27 pm

    As Canberra is the capital it commands a premium most of the year. Budget carriers rarely operate from the biggest cities as they’re owned by the big two premium carriers (virgin/qantas), meaning it’s too lucrative to give to their low cost siblings given the volume of premium political-traffic. Sucks for those with family or who live in Canberra!

  2. JW Reply
    March 10, 2018 at 3:26 am

    Tiger is such a small player compared to Jetstar in Australia that Qantas could almost create premium demand just by adjusting the fleet utilization.

  3. John.S Reply
    March 10, 2018 at 8:23 am

    The TV show you didn’t recognise was the Big Bang Theory. How, I will never know.

    Onto the flight, CBR flights always command a premium (public servants $$$), and with an effective duopoly, Qantas keeps Jetstar off the route. No one flies Tiger, unless they desperately have to. They’re trash.

  4. Keda Reply
    March 12, 2018 at 7:21 am

    “”Monday, June 03, 2013″”- if this is not a mistake,why a review almost 5 years later?

    • Matthew Reply
      March 12, 2018 at 9:41 am

      See introduction to trip report for an explanation.

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Search

Hot Deals for June

Note: Please see my Advertiser Disclosure

Capital One Venture X Business Card
Earn 150,000 Miles Sign Up Bonus
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Earn 100,000 Points
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Earn 75,000 Miles!
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Earn 75,000 Miles
Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
Earn $750 Cash Back
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
Earn 120,000 Membership Reward® Points

Recent Posts

  • LOT Polish A220
    LOT Polish Airlines Announces First-Ever Airbus Order June 16, 2025
  • a row of seats in an airplane
    If You Abuse Company Travel Policy, Expect To Be Fired! June 16, 2025
  • Favorite Airline Commercials
    My 10 Favorite Airline Commercials June 15, 2025
  • two men hugging in a room
    American Airlines Flight Attendant Who Kicked Off Blogger Has Quite A Facebook Profile… June 15, 2025

Categories

Popular Posts

  • Qatar Airways Economy Class Breakfast
    Economy Class Breakfast On Qatar Airways June 7, 2025
  • Favorite Airline Commercials
    My 10 Favorite Airline Commercials June 15, 2025
  • Qantas Lounge Review Hong Kong
    Review: Qantas Lounge Hong Kong (HKG) June 14, 2025
  • Aegean Airlines Feast
    A Feast Fit For A King On Aegean Airlines May 23, 2025

Archives

June 2025
M T W T F S S
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
30  
« May    

As seen on:

facebook twitter instagram rss
Privacy Policy © Live and Let's Fly All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Live and Let's Fly with appropriate and specific directions to the original content.