It’s fitting that my first international flight in the pandemic era is Qantas Business Class aboard the A380. My last flight in a pre-Covid world, though I didn’t know it at the time, was aboard a then newly refurbished Qantas Q380 from Hong Kong to Sydney.
The gate area was crowded when I arrived from the Qantas First Lounge, but boarding was handled efficiently with separate queues for First, Business and Economy passengers.
In this post:
Qantas A380 Business Class Review
Qantas Airways 1
Sydney (SYD) – Singapore (SIN)
Saturday, June 25
Depart: 3:55PM
Arrive: 10:15PM
Duration: 8hr20min
Aircraft: Airbus A380-800
Seat: 11E (Business Class)
Business Class on the Qantas A380 is on the Upper Deck with a smaller front cabin with 5 rows and the main cabin with 13 rows. I was assigned 11E, a centre aisle seat in the front row of the smaller front cabin.
A stylish amenity kit and menu were already at the seat, though no pyjamas were offered on this daytime flight. The new amenity kits are part of Qantas Centenary celebrations with a range of six retro designs.
I thought the 1960’s design provided on this flight was delightfully retro and actually more interesting than the Qantas First kit I received on the way back.
Legroom in these front row seats are almost as good as in First, with a generous footwell making lounging and sleeping very comfortable.
For a comprehensive review of the Qantas Business Class Suite and forward lounge, please head over to my review of the Hong Kong to Sydney flight in 2019.
Qantas rotates the Champagnes served in Business Class and today we had the enjoyable Duval-Leroy Cuvée Brut Réserve. Before long the last door was closed and we were off to Singapore!
Qantas A380 Business Class Food
Once we had reached cruising altitude and the seatbelt signs were turned off, our cabin crew began service with a round of drinks.
Given I’d already had a serve of barramundi in the lounge, I was going to go with the beef for dinner so a red wine was in order. While there was no wine list provided, the flight attendant was happy to pour me a taste of both reds and I eventually opted for the Cabernet Sauvignon.
Soups aboard Qantas are usually a safe option, but I felt like something a little more substantial to chose the Thai fish cakes to start, with the beef to follow.
Trays are used to speed up service and mine was presented with a green salad, Pepe Saya butter and a choice of still or sparkling water. Qantas does bread properly and sourdough is always served warm.
One of the benefits of the mini-cabin up front is you are served first, with my Thai fish cakes promptly delivered. Each were generously sized, still juicy and served with a crunchy and acidic salad, and a sweet chilli sauce.
Now a note about the David Caon designed flatware. While the new lighter plates resulted in a 11% weight saving, they are much smaller than you’d expect. My fishcakes were served on what appeared to be a bread plate, and the beef main served on what I would expect to be an entree plate.
They are certainly more petite than the previous Marc Newson range which I use at home.
My beef fillet with Paris mash, green beans and salsa verde arrived in good time and was an enjoyable if small portion. As is to be expected aboard, the beef was well done but the salsa verde and mash lifted the dish.
A simple fruit plate rounded out the meal service, with tea and coffee available if you wanted it.
A refreshment service is available prior to arrival in Singapore but neither a cheese toastie or quiche appealed so I skipped it. Given that everyone in the premium cabins would have access to the excellent Qantas lounges in Singapore if they are continuing on to London, it would makes sense to skip the refreshment.
Qantas A380 Business Class Best Seats
Not all seats are created equal with the four seats in Row 11 being the best in Qantas Business Class on the A380.
Seats 11A and 11K are the pick of the bunch being the Window, Aisle and Bulkhead trifecta. Having flown in 11A previously, it’s as good for sleep as a First Class seat.
Seats 11F would be the next choice, being sheltered from the aisle by the side console of the seat. And finally 11E, where I was for this flight, which has great legroom but is directly on the aisle and gets a fair amount of traffic to the closet. As you can see below, the door is not always closed completely which is distracting.
Summary
Qantas Business Class on the refurbished A380 is a great product with 1-2-1 seating, direct aisle access and a beautiful new forward lounge to socialise. Food and service on this QF1 sector to Singapore was friendly and efficient, making for an enjoyable flight.
