Article written by Dave Goodwin
“We know you have a choice when choosing who you fly with and we thank you for choosing us” – is a common phrase we hear from airlines on landing. And when flying “across the ditch” (Australia – New Zealand) there are quite a few choices of airlines, however, for many living in Australia and New Zealand those choices are perhaps not always obvious with Air New Zealand, Qantas, Virgin and Jetstar dominating the route. Did you know you can also fly China Airlines, Emirates Airline and LATAM Airlines Group non-stop to New Zealand?
Why is this variety of airlines important? Apart from providing competition which helps keep prices down, it also means that more long haul international wide body aircraft are included in the mix.
To experience the two international wide body aircraft, I flew in business class for the 3-hour flight from Sydney to Aukland on a LATAM airlines group Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and returned on a Qantas Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
So how do these two airlines compare, being that they are identical aircraft? Let’s look at LATAM vs QANTAS Australia – New Zealand.
Flying LATAM Australia to New Zealand Business Class
Soft product
LATAM provided a basic amenity kit containing eye shades, socks and a toothbrush and paste. Soft doonas and pillows were provided to augment the seat.
Food and Drink
There was no welcome drink served upon boarding or bar service prior to the main meal service. As it was a midday flight the food served on this flight was lunch. A written menu was waiting on the seat upon boarding. The crew came around prior to take off to introduce themselves by name and take orders, with 2 main course options and 2 dessert options on offer. I chose the steak and fruit salad.
After take-off the crew pushed a trolley down each aisle and served the food on a tray. Wine was recommended to accompany (although there was a range of other and alcoholic options and non-alcoholic options), and I chose the recommended Chilean red Camenere wine.
While the food presentation was not amazing, it was of high quality and tasted great. I chose a pumpkin seeded bread roll to accompany and tried this with the Chilean olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette which made it even more delicious. A side salad of mixed leaves was also served which was adequate rather than outstanding, along with a small Whittakers chocolate. However the streak was delicious, and accompanied by some very tasty grilled potato, tomato and onions. Overall I enjoyed the meal immensely as I did the red wine. I did note that after clearing the meal service the crew did not come around to proactively offer any other food or beverages or check in with passengers until landing.
Hard Product
The flight I was on was LATAM’s older Business class seat in a 2-2-2 configuration. While there is plenty of room in these seats, which recline to a fully flat bed, they do lack privacy. However, they are a significant step up from the business class recliners that ply the route aboard Boeing 737s and A320s. The Inflight entertainment system was extensive with quality headsets provided as well. LATAM partners with Paramount, HBO and Disney and as a result has many ’00 of movies and shows on offer.
Flying QANTAS New Zealand to Australia Business Class
Soft product
Soft doonas and pillows were provided to augment the seat. No amenity kit was provided.
Food and Drink
Champagne, orange juice or water was offered upon boarding. This was a morning flight and breakfast was served. A written menu was on the seat on boarding and offered a choice of 3 juices, fruit salad and a bakery item followed by a choice of 3 main choices. Crew came around to take orders prior to take off.
The main offering was relatively uninspiring. I wanted the Egg, haloumi and spinach roll, but having had similar rolls for breakfast on other Qantas international flights I knew it sounded better than it would be in reality. Instead, I chose the bacon, cheese and potato frittata.
The food quality was average. While the fruit salad and yoghurt and croissant were standard the frittata was on the smaller side and bland.. Overall I found the meal was disappointing and low quality. However, unlike LATAM, the presentation, while basic was a little neater.
The berry juice was tasty and the accompanying coffee (I take it black) was poured from a French press in front of me and of high quality.
An hour before landing the crew handed out a Choc Fudge Brownie. I found it very very sweet was not a fan.
Hard product
The seat on the Qantas Dreamliner is one of the latest business class seats and intended for their long-haul flights. It’s a comfortable seat, with lots of privacy, storage space and once again, a major step up from the recliners on their Boeing 737. It’s also a much newer and hence better seat than that on the LATAM aircraft. The infight entertainment system had a large range of choices but while I didn’t count every movie of TV show available it did seem to be less than LATAM.
Final words LATAM vs Qantas Australia – New Zealand
Overall looking at LATAM vs QANTAS, these two business classes on Dreamliners offered more comfortable flights than the overall experience on the narrow body Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 fleets that sell for the same price.
I would happily fly either airline again on the Australia – New Zealand route and rated them overall very similarly. LATAM had the edge for the quality and taste of its food (and wine), however Qantas had the better seat and hard product.
It’s worth noting that both airlines use the Qantas lounges in Sydney and Auckland respectively, so the ground experience is the same.
