Independent Airline Rater/Reviews



QANTAS Business Class


INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE

 

DOMESTIC FLIGHTS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE


INTERNATIONAL  Business Class


QF 82 NRT MEL     A330-300

Tokyo Narita  Melbourne    April 2019

The seats were good in size and design, but the storage space was limited. 

The seat positioning system worked well, and the ability to have a take-off and landing position that was a bit reclined increased the comfort.

The electronic connection and plugs were good in number, and they worked well.

The legroom was too narrow and made if difficult to sleep comfortably, unless one never moved at all over night. 

 

The entertainment selection was good, but focused a bit too much on light fare.

 

The food was good.  No wine list existed, but the choice was poor anyway.  The selection spirits was adequate, the coffee was mediocre, and the stemware of an unacceptably low standard.

Overall an acceptable Business Class.   3.5/5



QF 11 SYD LAX

QF11 LAX JFK

QF 11 SYDNEY Los Angeles LAX A380-800


Above - photos from March 2019.  SYD LAX A380

The seats are fairly basic Business Class seats and not as good as in some other airlines' seats on their A380s. 

There is sufficient space between the seats to move. 

The storage space is limited for aisle seats, but the foot space is good when the flat bed is made up. 

The side storage is very spacious and a real plus in the A380-800. March 2017

The bathroom is standard in size and amenities are on the scarce side.

The food is of a good standard overall, but THERE IS NO WINE LIST, which is unacceptable on an international business class flight.  Qantas staff seems to get a crash course in wine for a few days and are the called "Qantas Sommeliers"  - maybe properly qualified sommeliers should protest this pretense.  I asked what white wines were available; the answer was "We have a Chardonnay or a Sauvignon Blanc."  Very informative. 

 

The entertainment system was very good overall.

 

February 2019. 

 

March  2019 update:  Finally proper stemware was used in the SYD LAX A380-800 Business Class section (hooray!) - Qantas can be civilised if they want to.

 

Overall 3.75/5

 

Updated photos from LAX JFK on a Boeing 787-9 in  March 2019.



QF 46 Denpasar - Melbourne DPS MEL                  Boeing 737-800

The seats were on the small side and of the older type; they were not flatbeds - and upgrading was not available as the plane did not have a First Class cabin.

As we had eaten in the lounge prior to this overnight flight, we only had a part of the meal, which was satisfactory.  The wine list was non-existing, the wine selection suboptimal and the selection of spirits was satisfactory.

 

The service was excellent, and this was the highlight of the flight. 

 

December 2018.

 

Overall   3.25/5



QF41 SYD CGK Sydney Jakarta A-330

QF41 SYD CGK Sydney Jakarta A-330:  This place was equipped with rather mediocre - for a long-haul flight - Business Class seats with narrow and cramped leg area.  The food was adequate, the wine selection substandard and the stemware completely substandard.   The service, however, was friendly and helpful. 

 

OVERALL IMPRESSION  3.5/5



Boeing 787-9 QF 11 LAX-JFK (a kind of international flight)

Boeing 787-9 QF 11 LAX-JFK (a kind of international flight)

Good seats overall during the daytime, as the flatbed has very narrow legroom, with average food, very poor stemware (water glasses only), no wine list, but a good crew.  Good entertainment. November 2018.  3.5/5


The seats (the narrow legroom matters less during a day flight) and the  all the rest was unchanged on another flight in February 2019 on the same Boeing 787-9.  3.5/5




DOMESTIC                Business Class

QF 447 SYD-MEL   May 2021 in the COVID-19 Pandemic

The check-in area was rather deserted compared to pre-pandemic days.

The rest of the airport was empty too.

The usual seats were used, which were very good for the short journey.  The entertainment system was rather poor.

Whilst there was a bit of a reduction in choice, the hot lunch service was nearly back to the standards before COVID-19 hit Australia.

Overall a good  3.25/5




QF 400  MEL SYD Boeing 737-800

A short flight with old seats that were a bit run down.  A good hot cooked breakfast and a good service were on the plus side.   March 2019   3.25/5


QF 422 MEL SYD  Airbus A-330

 

On domestic routes Qantas sometimes uses planes designed for long-haul flights; this was one of those flights.

The Business Class Cabin was spacious.

What an superb Business Class seat for a one-hour domestic flight!  As Paul Hogan might have said: "Now this is a Business Class Seat!"

No cooked breakfast was served, but for this short haul flight a frugal Continental breakfast was provided only.

The food tray table surface was not really clean and the stemware was poor.

December 2018

 

OVERALL 3.5/5  



QF406 MEL SYD   Boeing 737-800 Aircraft

This time the seats were the older seats in the Boeing 737, but the morning meal was good and a proper fried breakfast.  The lack of tablecloth and of cleaning the tables shows suboptimal hygiene.    The service was very attentive.   3.5/5