Flying business class is the ultimate holiday splurge — is it worth it?

THE perks of flying at the pointy end of the plane remain out of view for most of us. So we found out what really goes on behind the business class curtain.

WHILE some lucky ducks get to frequently fly at the pointy end of the plane for work, most of us would have to do some serious saving to afford it.

A recent search for business class tickets showed they cost about four times as much as a flexible economy ticket.

Qantas return flights from Sydney to Perth for April 2016, for example, will set you back around $2500 for business class seats and about $570 for economy tickets.

So what happens behind that business class curtain and is the experience worth the price?

It starts long before you fasten your seat belt with staff attending special service training at the 5,000 sq m Qantas Centre of Service Excellence in Sydney.

The Qantas Centre of Service Excellence, opened in 2009, is a $10 million state-of-the-art training space.

The giant room features a range of “customer experience zones” dedicated to the airline’s first class, business class, premium economy and economy offerings.

Trying out the big seats.

A table ready for two in the mock lounge.

The apples and the kids’ packs.

No turbulence today.

Then there’s the food.

Qantas has just launched a new menu designed by chefs from Neil Perry’s Rockpool restaurant and it includes a seafood bouillabaisse and a white fish-of-the-day with Jiang Xi chilli sauce, greens, and fragrant rice.

I tried the soup during a behind the scenes tour of the training centre and it was a standout.

It is a first for the airline — mussels haven’t appeared before on the domestic travel menu.

Yum. Time for a Buffalo mozzarella with smashed broad bean salad.

The mussel is making its first ever appearance on the Qantas domestic menu.

The airlines association with celebrity chef Perry means passengers are increasingly looking for the latest food trends and offerings, said Qantas’s head of product and service delivery, Helen Gray.

“We call it the MasterChef effect,” she said. “There is a much greater emphasis on freshness and seasonality. People are much more knowledgeable on the flavours and trends around the world I think.”

But Ms Gray said the carrier was not abandoning traditional comfort foods — it still has options like a hearty pork cutlet and lasagne available on its menu rotation.

This is one chic prawn sandwich.

A favourite of many, crumbed pork cutlets.

Feeding the airline’s well-heeled travellers is a massive logistics exercise that involves planning using giant spreadsheets, said Ms Gray.

To ensure frequent flyers rarely see the same meal twice, the airline has developed a sophisticated process for planning its in-flight menus.

There are always 220 meal options available on the domestic network at any one time. The airline changes its domestic menu every six months and in the business class cabin there are six variations of menus for each of the four different times of day — breakfast, lunch, dinner and supper — with three choices available for each main meal. Hence the lucky business class travellers couldn’t possibly get bored at meal time.

In-flight menus are also co-ordinated with the lounges to try to ensure that, for example, passengers are not served beef in the lounge and beef on board.

And if incredible food is not enough, here are some of the other perks you’ll find in business class.

LOUNGE ACCESS

Things that make you go ‘mmmm’ ...

You can have a meal and a shower before you board the plane. Imagine walking onto a flight and being already prepared for bed.

SPEED

Last on, first off. That goes for your luggage as well. That annoying line through customs and immigration is really just a short stroll for business and first class. Sometimes there’s no queuing at all.

THE LOO

Oh, the loo is so exclusive.

CHAMPAGNE SERVICE

Fancy a glass of champagne as you arrive on board? Of course you do. And in business you don’t have to wait for the trolley to come along or the flight to be in the air.

THE LIE FLAT BED

Feel like a sleep? Rather than trying to sleep upright like a cow, long-haul business class passengers and those flying through the night across the country get to put their seat horizontal.

THE PYJAMAS

All business class passengers on international flights are given a pair of chic, dark grey PJs to wear on the flight. Serious business classers zip straight to the bathroom as soon as the charcoal PJs are handed to them for a quick changeover. Around 80 per cent of passengers actually put them on, according to Qantas.

THE AMENITIES KIT

The Qantas amenity kits are designed by Kate and Jack Spade. This is one amenity kit you won’t leave on board.

THE DIVIDING SCREEN

Qantas business class seats come with a screen dividing each chair. That handy feature means you don’t have to look at the person seated next to you.

YOU CAN UPGRADE WITH POINTS

Transferring from economy to business, for example on a one way flight from Sydney to Perth, will only set you back 10,000 points on a flexible fare or 20,000 on a discount economy fare.

While it doesn’t happen often, there are plenty of stories around about people who have managed to get an upgrade to business for free. Read about how to get an upgrade here.

So the question remains, is it worth it? Yes (if you’ve got the cash, that is).

With AAP

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