After landing in Sydney, I turned right around the next morning and flew back to Los Angeles on the A380 in first class on Qantas. The flight was solid, but Qantas falls short in two key areas.
Qantas A380 First Class – My First Impressions
First, let’s talk about what Qantas does well. The ground product is above average and I enjoyed an invigorating spa treatment (facial) followed by a hearty breakfast with superb coffee before my flight. The first class lounge in Sydney has not changed at all since before the pandemic and that is a very good thing.
Onboard, the first class seat is extremely comfortable and the bedding is also excellent. I ended up sleeping for more than half of the flight and found the seat ideal for sleeping (and with a large personal air vent and a cool cabin, it was great to snuggle up under the blanket).
I like the A380…I went up stairs and thought the lounge area was probably wasted space, but it does hearken back to a different era of aviation.
The food beat my expectations. From the canapés to the cheese, each course was decadent and also nicely presented.
The tomato soup with crab was very nice but the runaway highlight of the meal was the lamb cutlets, which were perfectly cooked (medium) and covered in a savory herb crust.
Coffee onboard was a treat and I had an affogato for dessert and a double shot flat white before landing. Qantas gets coffee right (even in premium economy).
Breakfast was also quite lovely – I had an egg white omelet and avocado toast. Fresh-squeezed orange juice and cold-pressed Pink Lady apple juice as well.
Finally, the pajamas were great…I took them with with me and am wearing them at home.
But there were two shortcomings, one major and one more minor. The major shortcoming was the service, which was well-intentioned but was not on the first class level. It was slow…with 14 seats in the cabin it took two hours for lunch service to even begin after takeoff.
But more importantly, the service was not attentive. Dishes were not promptly cleared, glasses were not refilled, and when I woke up from my sleep it took a flight attendant nearly 30 minutes to notice. Even American Airlines and British Airways are not that bad in first class…
The flight attendants were extremely busy during the last hour of the flight and perhaps they did notice I was awake but ignored me because too many other passengers were ordering breakfast. Even so, a quick “good morning, can I get you something to drink?” goes a long way. Passengers were never addressed by name, but perhaps that is a not a thing on Qantas?
During the lunch service, a flight attendant spilled balsamic vinegar on my tablecloth and my napkin. She just shrugged and left it. On Lufthansa or Air France or Singapore Airlines, the tablecloth and napkin would have been immediately replaced. I think the same would have been true on most carriers in business class…
As for the minor shortcoming, it is almost 2024 and Qantas still has not installed wi-fi onboard its A380 jets. As much as it is nice to unplug sometimes, that is simply not competitive and it stressed me out to get all my work done ahead of the flight because I knew I would be offline for 13 hours.
CONCLUSION
At current staffing levels, it appeared to me that the 14-seat first class cabin on Qantas is too large: the service onboard resembles an average business class, not first class. But everything else about the product was nice and indeed first class: great food, seating, amenities, and bedding.
A disclaimer is perhaps necessary. I was flying first class…yes, it was wonderful compared to economy class. I’m incredibly thankful I get to fly at all. But since I do fly and review first class products, the comparative criticism is not meant to make a stink, but to help you understand what to expect, especially if you are used to flying first class.
I will have a lot more details in my full review and also would not hesitate to fly Qantas again. But Qantas First Class is not in the top-tier if my flight was a typical one.
On my flight from Melbourne last week too it took 2 hours for lunch to start, beyond the canapés. However, I’d eaten plenty in the lounge and did not mind. I was Row 5 and last to be served however.
My flight which left Sydney 4 hours late had much quicker service (tho I was in 2A). Food was better departing Sydney in my case as well.
Glad you got to try it! Looking forward to the full review…
“the comparative criticism”
Which is valid, especially if you’re on a route where other first class products are available and choose. Going to and from the US, it’s arguably the best product on offer, and maybe the only first class one, now that AA is phasing or phased out it’s first class…
I’m not really sure the service would be better than on AA.
Overall, though, I think the product is stronger.
what champagne was on offer?
I choose Negronis over Champagne, but Piper Heidsieck Rare Millesime 20o2 was on offer.
True, though I’d say Qantas is ahead on food overall and a better seat. My comment about AA was more that Qantas is maybe the only first class product offered to and from the US, whereas going to Asia/the Middle East/Europe you have plenty of choices for first class. Bit still, any competition is always good.
Matthew, you comments are consistent with my experience. A few years back I was traveling on QF nearly on a monthly basis from LAX and domestically across OZ. I was always disappointed with the cabin service in both F and C between continents, but actually found the F/C service domestically top notch. A late start of the dinner service was a standard experience for me each flight. It is sad to hear that nothing has changed. I much prefer UA over QF for the crossing.
No need for a disclaimer.
I had a similarly poor service on LH F (twice!) where I was in a cabin with just one other person and I was completely ignored, I even had to ask them to make up my bed after sleeping (I was seated at another seat for dinner). Worse, one of the FAs left a toilet paper not flushed when I went in! Really bad service and unfortunately, not an exception for me.
These posts tend to be widely read and I post this for new readers to the blog who might wonder from what planet I come from.
I think you’ll find the long meal start a deliberate choice / strategy by QF to help break up the flight which is daytime so no one’s rushing to get to sleep. They should / do offer drinks and canapes pretty quickly in my experience. I compare that to SYDLAX on AA in business where they practically threw the food at you when the landing gear was retracted and then the attendants disappeared for 13hrs until breakfast just before wheels down.
But I agree on the disappointing service levels – unfortunately Qantas forced out almost all the well experienced premium FAs, so it’s just newbies for the most part now. The old guard used to address by name and title pretty consistently. They now are consistently mediocre.
Good objective post. Thanks Matthew
Qantas will have wifi once the APAC Viasat 3 launches (but there have been problems with the first of the 3 launches and who knows if this will impact them – 2025 is the ‘scheduled date’). Qantas want to ensure everyone has a fast connection (as they offer domestically) as it will be offered for free and thus hundreds of pax wanting to access the internet will require quite a hefty level of bandwidth. I do wonder if they will switch to Starlink though. The meal service on the daytime flight is deliberately slow to start, but departing LAX it is much quicker for the overnight journey to SYD / MEL. QF first lounges are fantastic, as is the spa and even the check in area is pretty decent. Did you notice you were allocated in a special first class dining area? The lounge can get very crowded so it is nice they offer this distinction from other Oneworld Emeralds. Great review!
Recently I flew QF SIN-PER-SIN in J and was addressed by name (sur is long and difficult, so after one attempt, we agreed that first name was fine, but that’s another matter) on both flights – so I don’t think it’s policy not to do it.
And no hot towels on my LAX SYD flight last month. I wasn’t impressed
That is true – I also had no hot towels. Is that not a thing any longer on QF?
I think this is a more than fair assessment of the product. I flew LAX-MEL the other day in Business. I found the service to be excellent, and food more than acceptable. I dont believe there’s a huge difference in breakfast between Business and First and the crew worked like machines to get freshly scrambled eggs, and coffee to everyone. I love the fact that even on Qantas business, you can ask for a freshly made espresso. Service was very friendly and I had no issue with the crew calling me by my first name. Its been a while since I have flown QF First – but agree, being without wifi for 13+ hours is not something I want to do too often…
I flew business from Melbourne to Singapore and asked for an espresso and was told not available but clearly stated on the menu. The food and service on my flight were average. A bit disappointed.
Great review which is exactly what I experienced from LHR SIN SYD.
The mattress topper was amazing and probably some of the best sleep I’ve had onboard.
But… First world problem I realise…. The service on both legs was so slow. Not just the food but drinks too, so it must be strategy and/or not enough staff. I’ve done QF in business on the A380 and it was never that slow.
I completely agree. Although i have never flown first qantas. All my business class flights with qantas have been so disappointing compared to almost any other airline. Service and food preparation is extremely slow like painfully slow.. . Staff are not attentive and meals are so sloppily prepared.
I simply cannot understand whether it is the training of the staff or whether it is poor systems that lead to it being so slow.
Summarizes QF F perfectly. Flown it 2 times between LAX and SYD (once and SYD to LAX in past few months. Lounges are great for food, service etc and they def seem to try onboard but the comment about inexperienced crew and something lacking is accurate. On my flight 2 weeks ago the FA was lovely but clearly wasn’t knowledgeable about the product…I had to remind her to unlock the Toilet (about 2 hrs into flight) , the screens weren’t put up until about 7 hrs into the flight, she didn’t know anything about the seat and entertainment and service was so slow I ultimately pushed the call button thinking I was forgotten in 1A…something I never do.Food is ok but little difference than J. Anyways it’s still great but yeah, needs some refinement to b considered a truly great product.
I flew Qantas Business Class from Melbourne to Singapore last week and it wasn’t very nice. The food I had on board were average. Asked for a cappuccino as it was listed on the menu and was told not available. The staff were not that friendly either. My friend asked for a champagne and they totally forgotten her so I asked one for her and it took about 10 minutes.
I also thought the Business Class lounge at Melbourne International was below average.
Did you at least get a good coffee in Qantas lounge? That’s my favorite thing about the lounges.
While I haven’t flown Qantas 1st class, I flew Singapore Suites from Singapore to Sydney. Pretty good product all round. Many people like me often eat in the Lounge & don’t mind a later service. But in the morning after wonderful sleep they didn’t offer the dumplings i wanted till after the other breakfast, that I wasn’t fussed about. The Qantas plane lounge at front Business cabin a good spot to ‘stretch legs’ a bit on long flights. I flew that also on the Sydney to LA leg.