Qantas is Australia's flagship carrier as well as its largest airline. While visiting Australia, I took a side trip to Hobart on Tasmania. I took Virgin Australia to Hobart, but wanted to try Qantas on the return back to Sydney. On this route, QantasLink operates flights rather than the mainline. Of the three airlines (Jetstar/Qantas/VA) that fly this route, Qantas seems to have the highest fares. But I found a decent fare online on the flight I was looking at, so I decided to book it. If possible, try to book your flight on an online travel site rather than through Qantas. Buying the ticket on the airline's website will incur a credit card surcharge fee. Though I avoided this surcharge when booking through Qantas by buying an airline voucher and using it for part of the fare with the remaining amount paid on my credit card. At Hobart Airport, all of the airlines have check-in counters next to each other here since the airport is small. Check-in was quick and easy as there was no line. Once through security, you wait for your flight in a large waiting hall. There are a few restaurants and shops here, as well as a Qantas lounge to the right side of the departures area. Since the airport is small, you need to walk to the airport tarmac to board your flight. The QantasLink planes used on this route are Boeing 717 planes with a 2-3 configuration. I got an A window seat on the left side. While I like that there are only 2 seats on the left side, the A seat has less room in the carry-on baggage space below the seat. I would recommend stowing your carry-on above if the aisle seat next to you is occupied instead. As for in-flight service, I feel that Qantas offers a better product. Unlike VA which only gives you a snack, I got a meal on this hour and a half flight. The meal was a meatball panini which was decent. The meat did seem reminiscent to the filling in a Hot Pocket, but it was a nice to get a hot meal. And unlike VA which offers up entertainment through an app you need to download before your flight, Qantas offers an iPad entertainment tablet in every seat. The entertainment options on the tablet is good with a selection of movies, music and TV shows that are current. Though the short flight time makes it impossible to watch a movie in its entirety. While I enjoyed both of my flights to and from Hobart, I prefer Qantas over Virgin Australia based on their in-flight experience and service being a bit better. Though I am not sure I would fly Qantas if there is a huge price difference between the two. I would probably use VA if that were the case. If you can find good one way fares, I would suggest trying out both and seeing which airline you prefer. For me, Qantas is the best airline in Australia. read more

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