Having flown Qantas First Class a few times prior to the pandemic, I was excited to be stepping aboard again and seeing what the experience was like in 2022. My flight from Singapore to Sydney aboard QF2 was only a few weeks after the A380 resumed operating the flagship QF1/2 to London in June.
Security is done at each gate at Changi Airport, which makes for a rather crowded gate lounge given the load factor must have been close to 100%. While the ground staff did call First Class passengers to board first, there was such a crowd around the boarding pass readers that it took some navigating to get to the front of the queue.
Fortunately, there are three aerobridges used for the A380 with one for the upper deck and two for the lower deck. The aerobridge at Door 1L is for the use of the 14 First Class passengers, which is quite a luxury.
In this post:
Qantas First Class Review
Qantas 2
Singapore (SIN) – Sydney (SYD)
Sunday, July 10
Depart: 08:30PM
Arrive: 05:55AM
Duration: 7hr40min
Aircraft: Airbus 380-800 (388)
Seat: 1A (First Class)
First Class on the Qantas A380 is located at the front of the lower deck with a total of 14 seats in a 1-1-1 configuration.
Seat 1A is the first seat on the left and hits the trifecta of window, aisle and bulkhead. The bones of the seat are unchanged but the latest cabin refresh has new materials and inflight entertainment screen, which has given the cabin a lighter feel.
These seats are unique to Qantas and face forward for take off and landing, but swivel electronically to a herringbone position when cruising.
The tablet used to control the seat, lighting and other features has also been upgraded with a higher resolution screen and is a great way to keep track of flight progress while watching a show on the main screen.
There are also helpful storage cubicles that rotate out from the side of the seat, and a small storage area below which I used for my shoes.
The cabin crew on this flight were superb and service began promptly with Champagne and canapes. Qantas usually rotates its Champagne offering between:
- Taittinger Comtes de Champagne (easily a Top 5 Champagne)
- Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame
- Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill
But today we had a new entrant in Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millénaires, which had a beautiful yeasty and fruity nose and was a smooth and enjoyable drop. Boarding a full A380 takes a while so a number of top ups, and the menu for our flight, were provided before the last door closed.
An amenity kit, slippers and pyjamas were also provided with the latter being very comfortable.
Qantas First Class Menu
An extensive menu was available for this flight with a full dinner service available despite the ‘Supper’ heading, and a good selection of hot dishes for breakfast.
While there was no wine menu provided on this flight, the cabin crew were able to talk through the selections in detail.
Qantas First Class Dinner
Despite enjoying the superb laksa at the gorgeous Qantas First Lounge (read Drew’s review here), I opted for the full three courses.
With two seafood dishes, I opted for a chardonnay and was impressed when a bottle of 2016 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay appeared. Rated as one of only 22 Exceptional Wines in Langton’s Classification, and one of only three white wines to make that grade, it was an exceptional accompaniment to dinner.
The starter of crispy coconut prawns were still crispy and fresh, with a cucumber salad and tamarind sauce accompaniment rounding out the dish well. It was also nice to see full sized plates compared to those in Business Class on the way to Singapore!
Seared seabass with steamed potatoes, green beans and chipotle tomato salsa was well executed with the fish still juicy and the green beans still remarkably crunchy. Very enjoyable and filling, and went very well with the chardonnay.
I went with a lighter option for dessert after enjoying the offerings in the lounge earlier. The coconut panna cotta with pineapple, mango and calamansi was refreshing and appropriately tropical.
Qantas First Class Bed
The bedding and mattress pad for Qantas First Class is excellent, making for a very comfortable bed. While not quite as wide as Cathay Pacific’s seat on the 77W, the suite is a lovely cocoon for sleep.
Breakfast
Given the strong tailwinds on our route the flight time was significantly shorter than usual and before too long it was time for breakfast. While still somewhat full from dinner, a fruit salad and black coffee seemed appropriate.
Having had the excellent steak sandwich previously, I decided to go all out and order the bacon and egg roll. While enjoyable, I’d probably revert to the steak sandwich in future.
Breakfast was delivered and cleared promptly, and before long we were on final descent into a cold and rainy Sydney.
Summary
Qantas First Class remains a great way to travel with a unique seat, quality catering and excellent wine. Superb service from the cabin crew rounded out a great first First since the pandemic.
