New Caledonia is less than three hours from Australia’s east coast, making it a perfect holiday spot without the long-haul jet lag. Its capital, Nouméa, is also served by Qantas from Sydney and Brisbane – offering Business on its Boeing 737 jets.

Here’s what to expect on the relatively quick hop home from Nouméa.

Check-in, lounge and boarding

Nouméa’s La Tontouta International Airport is quite far from the city itself, so I allow plenty of time. After a pleasant drive, I head through to Qantas check-in exactly three hours before departure. There’s nobody else in the Business queue, so I get my boarding pass quick smart for my Nouméa-Brisbane Boeing 737 flight.

I wasn’t sure the counter would even be open this early, so I’d held onto a portable Wi-Fi hotspot I’d hired at the start of the trip. I figured I could at least stay connected if I needed to wait around. But with that boarding pass in hand, I zipped out and returned the gadget to the store. After all, I was about to clear immigration, right?

Wrong.

It turns out that security and passport control only let people through two hours before departure. Now, I’d arrived three hours early. Had the Qantas check-in agent mentioned the timings, I could have at least made better use of the spare hour by returning my hotspot later. Alas, after 60 minutes of barely usable Wi-Fi over the airport’s own network, I’m through immigration. There’s a fast-track channel for Qantas Business, at least. And here’s where the fun really begins!

Qantas uses Aircalin’s Hibiscus Lounge in Nouméa, and it’s a lovely space. I would have liked to spend more time here, but it is what it is. Airport screens and the Qantas app say my flight is on time, so I leave the lounge a few minutes early to avoid rushing.

Boarding is ultimately delayed by about 10 minutes, but with the priority queue served first, I’m settling into my seat soon enough.

Qantas Boeing 737 Business seating

With Nouméa-Brisbane flights a similar distance as Cairns-Brisbane, Qantas uses its Boeing 737s on this route. After all, being a daytime flight of fewer than three hours, nobody (reasonably) expects a bed.

So how’s the Boeing 737 seat? In a word, it’s comfortable. With 12 seats across three rows in Qantas Business, everybody gets either a window view or an aisle seat. But take it from me – this is one flight where you’ll want the window to enjoy the view.

Qantas has a few different styles of Boeing 737 cabins. While I could get technical for you, here’s the drill in simple terms:

• There is what I’ll call the older plane, blending fluorescent lighting with tablet holders in the seatback instead of personal TVs.
• Then there’s better plane, with the same older-style lighting but TVs at every row.
• Nicest of all, there’s aptly best plane, with TVs for all and nice mood lighting. These jets – the ‘Boeing Sky Interior’ birds, to be precise – also have more modern and spacious overhead lockers.

While I often see the ‘older plane’ style on my regular hops between Brisbane and Sydney, my flights to and from Nouméa were on Boeing Sky Interior jets. Calming blues, later turning into warmer colours to match the sunset, really make the cabin experience feel nicer.

To the hardware itself, each seat adopts a generous recline. Headrests are adjustable in height, with the edges folding in to provide sturdy wings – great for supporting your head while taking a nap.

A leg rest appears at the press of a button, with a metal frame folding out to provide an additional footrest. There’s also a handy central table for beverages, an international-style AC power outlet, and a USB-A charging socket for each Business passenger.

Qantas Boeing 737 Business food and