Review: Qantas Airways Airbus A380 First Class

Qantas has two types of aircrafts with a first class cabin: the Boeing 747 and Airbus A380. Last year in May, I had the chance to fly The Spirit of Australia on the A380 between Melbourne and Singapore. Even though this first class is not as spectacular as Etihad first class, I had some great expectations from this flight. I booked my one way Qantas A380 first class award ticket using 60,000 AAdvantage miles.

At 8am, I arrived at Melbourne International Airport. Qantas has a special check-in area here for its first class passengers. When I walked in, I was kindly greeted. I handed my passport over to the check-in agent and mentioned that I would be flying to Singapore and was looking forward to flying Qantas first class on the A380.

After I receiving my boarding pass, I was guided to the security where I was allowed to enter without lining up. The check-in agent told me that the first class lounge was located near gates 9 and 10, the same location where my flight would be. He wished me a pleasant stay in the lounge and a nice flight.

At the entrance of the lounge, I was warmly welcomed and after showing my boarding pass, I was allowed to enter. I had more than three hours to wait before boarding time and therefore decided to make a reservation to take a shower immediately. I noticed this lounge is smaller than the Qantas First Class lounge in Sydney and therefore, it can be crowded at times. On either side of the wide aisle, there is a variety of seating areas. There are also working areas that offer a lot of privacy.

The service is excellent, there are enough staff members walking around to ensure that everything runs smoothly. You can sit at the bar or at one of the large round tables. Although it was only half past nine in the morning, I asked for a glass of champagne. For breakfast I had eggs, bacon, a croissant and fresh fruit.

After breakfast, I went to see what else this first class lounge had to offer. I was certainly impressed with the workspaces located towards the back of the lounge. I saw a desk, a television, and seats in the work areas. They had charging areas where I connected my electronic devices.

The massage was very good, I felt very relaxed afterwards and so I could safely start my first class flight with Qantas. Another nice point about this lounge is the view of the planes. I have seen many airlines pass by and it is great if you can wait with a view on the A380 from Qantas while enjoying another glass of champagne!

My flight was operated by an A380-800 and this aircraft features 14 first class suites in a 1-1-1 configuration. Unlike Etihad and Qatar Airways, these are located on the lower deck. All of the suites offer a lot of privacy, especially the window seats. I was seated in suite 3A.

After I had taken a seat, a crew member quickly came by to personally introduce himself to me. I was given a menu and also a Martin Grant amenity kit was brought to me. The kit was filled with many good products such as a toothbrush, aircraft socks, an eye mask and some Aspar products.

The friendly lady asked what I wanted to drink before take off. I opted for the Veuve Cliquot La Grande Dame from 2006 and this champagne was served with some nuts.

That was the type of champagne I would expect to find in first class! A warm cloth was also handed to me. The crew members were friendly and I immediately felt comfortable here. One of the flight attendants asked if I had flown with Qantas before and I told her that this was my first flight with them.

During take off and landing the seats are facing forward, but during the flight you can swivel the seat towards the window to even have more privacy. You also can use the ottoman this way and get a better view of the in-flight entertainment screen.

The seats are comfortable and are equipped with a three-point seatbelt. Although it’s not a fully enclosed suite, I had a lot of space and privacy. The seats in row A offer the most privacy compared to the middle seats in row F which face the other side.

To my left, I saw the entertainment controls, seat controls, and a reading light. In front of the seat is a magazine pocket and table to hold a drink. Below the table are the power outlets.

After all the passengers were on board, the plane was finally ready to take off! When we were in the air, I ordered my second drink and enjoyed a glass of Veuve Cliquot 2006 La Grande Damme champagne. I studied the menu and then was kindly asked what kind of food and drink I wanted to order. For a starter, I chose the Moroccan carrot soup with coriander yogurt and dukkah croutons.

I ordered a glass of Marchand & Burch Chardonnay 2014 from Australia. I was very impressed with the starter, especially the soup because it was tasty.

After I finished the main course the crew came by again. The friendly lady asked if everything was okay and if I was ready for the main course. I said that I was certainly impressed so far and a little later the main course was served. I went for the beef with green beans. A salad was also served.

All this tasted great, although I had expected something more from the main course. A few moments later, the crew came by again. The lady saw that my glass of wine was almost empty and offered a refill. However, I decided to switch to a red wine and one minute later a glass of Levantine Hill Syrah from 2013 was served.

The wines that were offered on this flight were all from Australia, only the champagne was from France. Apart from wine, cognac, whiskey and beer were also available. For dessert, I went for the cheese.

I am definitely a cheese lover and always enjoy trying different varieties. The cheese tasted great together with the red wine. After this dessert, coffee and tea in combination with an ice screen was offered.

All the food certainly tasted good, but compared to previous first class experiences I found the amount a bit disappointing. I was asked if I wanted yes anything else and I took the menu and then went for the fresh fruit in combination with another glass of red wine.

I certainly liked the meal. I decided to take another Veuve Cliquot 2006 La Grande Dame champagne before going to sleep. In the meantime, I also went to see what the in-flight entertainment had to offer. The screen appears to be small, compared to the one in first-class of Thai Airways. On the positive side, I noticed there was a good selection of films and series to choose from.

After having slept for about 3 hours, I placed my seat into the normal sitting position. Qantas offers two lavatories in first-class on the A380 and these are located in the front of the cabin. It didn’t take too long before the landing to Singapore started. During flights in first class, time literally flies by, which means that this wonderful experience soon came to an end. I thanked the crew for the friendly service and left the aircraft.

I have mixed feelings about Qantas Airways first class on the A380. I was particularly impressed by the friendly service from the crew, both at check-in and in the lounge and during the flight itself. The Qantas First Class Lounge in Melbourne features all first-class facilities such as champagne, an à la carte restaurant, massage and work areas. Qantas offers a neat hard product in first class. The suites are nice and spacious and offer a lot of privacy.

The food and drinks were great but it was disappointing that only one meal was served during the entire 8-hour flight, especially in first class! In addition, it must be said that Qantas, unlike Emirates and Etihad Airways, does not offer a shower on the A380. Overall, I can say that I had a pleasant experience in the Qantas first class suites on the A380, but honestly my first class experience with Etihad and Thai Airways were better.

What do you think of Qantas Airways First Class on the A380? Have you flown this cabin already or have you a flight coming up? Let me know in the comments below.