Route
Sydney to Los Angeles
Aircraft type
Airbus A380
Airline
Qantas
Flight
QF11
Cabin class
Business class
Seating
17th century
Notes
The bad
- No internet access during the flight
- International Business Lounge in Sydney
X Factor
- Lounge on board for first class and business class
Introduction
Qantas’ A380s are the flagships of their fleet. You’ll see them regularly flying to Singapore, London and Los Angeles, with the four-class cabin offering ample seating options for a wider range of traveller needs.
While first class is undoubtedly the best choice if you get the chance, business class is a worthy second choice with a fully flat bed, 16-inch screen and access to an onboard lounge designed for socializing, snacks and relaxation.
Business class is located on the upper deck of the A380.
How is the Qantas A380 business class? Is it still the best in the Red Roo fleet, as previously mentioned by Executive traveler?
Here’s our experience on a recent flight between Sydney and Los Angeles.
Living room
Frequent and occasional travellers will be familiar with the Qantas Sydney International Business Lounge, which has remained virtually unchanged for years.
Although a much-needed renovation is underway and work is set to start this year, the lounge is looking increasingly dilapidated in the meantime, with the bathrooms and much of the seating long past its sell-by date.
This wing of the lounge has been neglected for a long time.
The central bar area, with its long white counters, self-service wine and barista station, remains the hero of the lounge, and it’s clear that most of the attention has been paid to it. If only everyone else enjoyed it as much.
Sweets are available all day long at the central bar, and a daily special is available from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM.
The staff made an effort to keep the place tidy and I really appreciated it when they brought around platters of samosas and refilled glasses of sparkling wine during my visit.
Flight
The QF11 flight to LAX departs Sydney at 5:35pm and lands at 2:20pm local time, giving you the chance to soak up LA’s famous sunshine as soon as you land.
Considering the flight time of almost 14 hours, we can safely say that you will be very familiar with your seat and the extensive entertainment on offer upon arrival.
Each passenger has direct access to the aisle.
An hour into the flight, a full three-course dinner is served. This takes approximately 60 minutes from start to finish, after which the cabin lights are dimmed and passengers wishing to acclimate to LA time can settle in for an early night.
Hot snacks are available on request outside meal times, with breakfast served approximately two hours before landing. Breakfast cards provided upon boarding give you the choice of whether or not to be woken up.
If you fancy a change of scenery or perhaps want to chat with other travellers, a visit to the onboard lounge is an excellent option.
Seating
The Qantas A380’s Business Class consists of 70 Business Suites with a flat bed in a 1-2-1 layout on the upper deck. (The Premium Economy cabin is located directly behind.)
Based on the Thompson Vantage seat, the suites resemble those found on Qantas’ Airbus A330 and Boeing 787s. Aside from a movable partition, unlike the A330, the most noticeable difference between the three is the colour scheme.
While the A330 and 787s are light and bright, the A380 has a more atmospheric charcoal color with silver metallic accents and dark wood veneer, which adorns the back of the seat in front of you and your L-shaped storage shelf.
Qantas A380 business class.
It all looks very sleek and there are subtle differences between the chairs.
For example, the storage space in the middle seats, apart from the L-shaped shelf, is limited to a vertical bin by your legs (a good size for shoes) or the overhead luggage rack. The window seats, on the other hand, have an additional storage compartment under a flip-up lid.
The storage compartment is located between the seat and the window.
Because they are located near the bulkhead, seats 11E/F and 17E/F also have more footwell than the other seats, making them a smart choice if you like to stretch out (always nice on a transpacific crossing of 13+ hours).
Plenty of legroom.
Aircraft types 11 and 17E also have an extra baggage space large enough for wheeled hand luggage, next to the footwell. However, you cannot use this space during take-off and landing.
For extra comfort, a soft cushion, blanket and seat cover are provided, rolled up like a jam jar. There is also a toiletry bag and the always appreciated seat massage function.
The sets include an eye mask, a bamboo toothbrush and toothpaste, socks, earplugs and hand cream.
Internet has yet to launch on Qantas’ A380s. The good news is that this Finally The airline will start rolling out WiFi on the A380 in 2025.
When you need to work offline, the fold-out table is sturdy and comfortable, and features a power outlet and USB-A port to keep your devices charged.
read more: The best business class seats on the Qantas Airbus A380
Meal
The menus list the dinner and in-flight snack options, while the breakfast sheet allows you to customize your morning meal (or rather, afternoon snack, given your arrival time in LA).
The experience started with a glass of champagne before the flight.
Shortly after takeoff, the crew walked around collecting breakfast cards and taking dinner orders.
Despite the late departure, a full three-course menu was still available, with four options per person for starter, main course and dessert, plus an aperitif to start the meal.
The main courses consisted of:
- pumpkin ginger soup with sourdough croutons
- pumpkin ginger soup with chive crème fraîche
- buffalo mozzarella salad with artichokes, broad beans, grapefruit and almonds
- grilled tiger prawns with chickpeas, chorizo, green olives and parsley dressing
I chose the tiger prawns and chorizo – a colourful, flavoursome dish. The olives overpowered the dressing a little, so it was hard to taste the parsley, but still pleasant.
Tiger prawns with ciabatta bread and green salad by Neil Perry.
Hearty main course including:
- angel hair pasta with broccoli, garlic, pine nuts and chili pepper
- herb crusted snapper with sugar snaps, slow roasted cherry tomatoes and corn puree
- Korean Jjimdak Chicken with Asparagus, Carrots, Sesame and Steamed Rice
- Barrington Hinterland beef tenderloin with roasted pumpkin, peas and wasabi butter
The Jjimdak chicken was a standout – a bold dish with a lovely chilli kick. While it provided a nice element of symbolic green, the asparagus didn’t quite fit with the rest of the dish.
That chili pepper was a warning and a garnish.
And finally a selection of desserts:
- cheeses: a Tarwin Blue, Woombye Ash Brie and Pyengana aged cheddar
- Valrhona chocolate cream with yoghurt ganache, roasted almonds and raspberries
- Pat and Stick’s Ice Cream Sandwich
- seasonal fruit
The Valrhona chocolate cream with berries completed the meal.
The mousse was rich and delicious.
For the hungry guests outside of meal times, there were tapas of Serrano ham with potato tortilla, Manchego cheese, pickled radish and olives and a baked rigatoni with eggplant and zucchini salad, along with fruit, cookies, chips and a trail mix.
Vegetable baked rigatoni.
Add to that the list of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks – including champagne (Duval-Leroy Brut or Jacquart Brut Mosaique), spirits, cocktails and a selection of Australian wines and international beer – and most travellers will find something to their liking.
A Victorian pinot noir with dinner.
Breakfast was served two hours before landing. I chose pancakes with caramelized apple, walnuts and a spiced nutmeg yogurt.
We end the flight with pancakes, fruit and yoghurt.
The pancakes themselves were fluffy and delicious, but the nutmeg yogurt was overpowering and not really tasty.
Entertainment & Service
Business Class passengers can enjoy a 16-inch entertainment screen with a selection of recent and classic films and television programmes, plus music, audiobooks and a selection of games.
Qantas’ partnership with Paramount+ also delivers top-quality content.
The screen responded quickly and well, both via the touchscreen and via the remote control in the armrest.
The control panel also features a handy mirror.
The staff are friendly and chatty throughout the flight, but once the lights dim the sightings become less frequent and you have to use the call button or go outside to find them.
Relaxed
For business class passengers, pyjamas are provided. The material is quite thin and leaves little to the imagination, but thanks to the extra blanket you probably won’t be cold.
Pyjamas from the Qantas brand.
A unique feature of the Qantas fleet is the A380 lounge at the front of the business class cabin.
While not on the same level as the sleek lounge and horseshoe-shaped bar, it’s still a comfortable place to sit mid-flight.
Passengers can relax at one of the seating tables.
Alternatively, there is a regular lounge area without a table opposite.
Snacks and soft drinks are available from a refrigerator at the lounges.
A range of lounge snacks.
Pronunciation
Looking back, the Qantas A380 business class experience was an enjoyable one: the bed was comfortable, the entertainment options were varied and plentiful, and the lounge was a great place to stretch my legs as the flight progressed.
The dark color scheme of the A380 Business Class is my favorite of the fleet, as it makes the experience more elegant and refined, compared to the A330s or 787s.
The writer travelled as a guest of Qantas.
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