Review: Qantas A380 First Class Dubai to London

This first class flight report is a continuation of Qantas 001 which travels from Sydney to London Heathrow with a stop in Dubai for a crew change. You can check out Part I from SYD to DXB here.

Just to note, this review is from March 2015. I publish older reviews because they have never been previously published, changes are actually minimal (and noted) between then and now, and because they provide a better context for how I evaluate more recent flights. 

I’ll structure this report chronologically rather than elementally/categorically as I usually do.

Arrival into DXB was delayed by 45 minutes due to strong headwinds and busy afternoon traffic in SYD. An extra 45 minutes in first class is never a problem, though! Upon arrival it was necessary to deplane and re-clear security.

The late arrival meant a late departure as well, giving me a few extra minutes in the Emirates First Class Lounge. You can check out my full review here.

Re-boarding was directly via the Emirates First Class Lounge:

Qantas 001
Dubai (DXB) – London (LHR)
Tuesday, March 17
Depart: 2:25 AM
Arrive: 6:20 AM
Duration: 6hr,55min
Aircraft: A380-800
Seat: 4K

Onboard a new crew welcomed me. I mentioned the young crew on the flight out: this crew was a bit more seasoned, but very professional and friendly as well. Like the Hong Kong to Sydney flight, the first class cabin happened to feature only male FAs on this flight.

I popped into the flight deck on my way to my seat. I did not want to bother the pilots, but come on…it’s like a kid in a candy store. The flight crew was also very friendly and obliged my request for a picture.

Since this flight featured not only the same seats and amenities, but the same aircraft, I will only mention differences in this report from the previous flight. For detailed photos of the seat from several angles, see here.

Fresh pajamas and a new amenity kit were waiting on our seat. Almonds and a choice of beverage were offered prior to takeoff. No olives on this flight.

More Delicious Qantas Food

A new menu was distributed. Tonight’s 7hr, 45min flight would feature a supper course and full breakfast prior to landing.

I didn’t eat anything in the lounge so I ordered polpettini (mini-meatballs) and a green salad. They were delicious! The snack was small enough that I did not feel stuffed and was able to fall asleep directly after. I also had a small plate of sliced fruit.

After the meal a FA cheerfully made my bed while I used the restroom:

I again underscore how comfortable this seat was in the sleeping position. The high-quality bedding and air nozzle (notice it above the headphones) provided ideal conditions for sleeping.

A bit over an hour outside London (I appreciated the extra time to sleep), lights came on and breakfast was served. I began with a smoothie and cappuccino:

I followed that up with a small bowl of macadamia muesli with cranberries:

Knowing that I could have a hearty English breakfast in the Concorde Room in London, I ordered French Toast. It also turned out very nice.

Small breakfast 😉

As we approached London, I turned on the IFE for the first time in-flight (check here for IFE choices) so I could view the tail camera. While not as crisp as the A350, I enjoyed simultaneously looking out my window and watching the bird’s eye view from atop the vertical stabilizer. We landed to cold, damp (typical) day in London.

CONCLUSION

This flight flew by so quickly since I spent most of it sleeping. Still, Qantas impressed greatly with great service and food as well as a lovely seat for sleeping. I would not hesitate to fly first class on Qantas again and frankly cannot even offer constructive criticism for improvement beyond my plea for wi-fi.