The Qantas Dreamliner experience

We never thought we would be writing about a Qantas flight like this.

Christine and I were on the inaugural Qantas Deamliner 787 flight to Perth from Rome on the 23/24 June after our trip to Todi for the commencement of art classes in Italy for Art Class Italy. The trip was a revelation.

As many Australian travellers would know, the trip to Europe can take 27 to 42 hours depending on the number and length of lay overs (or stops) on the way to or from any European country. This is a hellish experience for older travellers who might experience swelling legs, back ache and sleep deprivation. The real cost of economy class travel!

Well, for those of you who want to travel but feel they just cannot justify the Business to First Class luxury expense, Qantas has just launched the Perth to Rome route with their new Boeing 787 Dreamliner that is literally a dream come true!

The trip is 16 hours 25 minutes – no stops. On the way to Rome, stopping in Perth is a better stop over and gives your legs a stretch from the initial 4 hour trip from Sydney. If you stay a couple of days in Perth as we did , its a doddle.

Honestly, the “Qantas Dreamliner” experience of the long economy class flight from Rome was a joy. We didn’t sleep at all. We were quite comfortable with the extra leg room compared to other international carriers. The service was really good, even compared with Emirates.

There were two meals rather than the usual three or four. One was early and one was late in the journey with lots of water and snacks including nuts and fresh fruit in between – as much as you wanted. This seemed to make all the difference. We don’t do much walking or exercise on the flight, just due to the need to stay out of the way of others, and yet, this changed approach to flight nutrition seemed to work much, much better for us. Our jet lag was minimal.

Compulsory masking is still the order of the day, but as long as you have international vaccination certificates handy and complete any paperwork before getting on the plane there is very little to be concerned about. Italy stopped its green pass requirements for access to certain businesses in March 2022 and practical mask wearing is minimal. Next time we will take half the amount of clothes, as summer in Italy is shorts ,T-shirt and sandals weather. Easy washing between wears.

We will recommend Qantas travel from Perth to Rome return, and do so proudly.

P.S. This is definitely NOT a paid advertisement!