Qantas business class delivers exceptional service but still falls short of Qatar Airways
A fluffy mattress and exceptional hospitality make this flight feel properly special. But Qatar’s QSuites are still a notch above for total comfort.
A fluffy mattress and exceptional hospitality make this flight feel properly special. But Qatar’s QSuites are still a notch above for total comfort.
Take a seat
There’s something comfortingly familiar about the Qantas colour palette of rouge and grey. The seats in business class feel pleasantly pod-like, although you definitely get more privacy in a window seat. The 787-9 Dreamliner used on this route has 42 seats in business in a 1-2-1 configuration. Being in the middle seats, as I am, makes you unavoidably aware of your neighbour, although there is a large privacy screen, so you can go the whole flight without making eye contact. The Dreamliner’s lap-sash seatbelts are a little annoying, as one side of the clip arrangement impinges on the shoulder, but this can be alleviated by putting the provided rollout mattress over the seat.
It’s a comfortable perch at which to sit and work, with a good-sized table and plenty of power and USB ports, but the real highlight is how easy it is to get to sleep – vital on a flight this long. Many business seats are a touch too narrow, so elbows or knees are squeezed, but this Qantas version (58.4cm wide and 203cm long when extended) is just right, at least for an average male like me. The amenity kit by Koskela, a Sydney-based furniture and homewares brand, feels a little stingy, with minimal unguents, and the usual socks, dental kit and ear plugs, although the bag is nice enough as a souvenir. The eye mask is particularly disappointing; it feels properly povo-spec. Passengers really should be provided with something bigger, and softer, in business.
Tech talk
Compared with the insufferable American carriers I’ve spent the past few days on, the 16-inch, genuinely high-definition touchscreen feels like a leap into the future. Personally, I think airlines should be handing out Apple Vision Pro goggles, but at the very least, Qantas could offer better headphones; they’re allegedly noise-cancelling but simply aren’t up to the same standard as those on other airlines. The lack of wi-fi is either a curse or a blessing, depending how you feel about such things, but the option would be nice.
That’s entertainment
After falling into despair at the general state of Hollywood and televisual entertainment on my past few business flights in the US, I am stunned to find two impressive films (Heretic and The Last Showgirl) that I’ve not been offered elsewhere. The selection of TV box sets from Paramount and Max is also ample.
On the menu
On my American Airlines flight to the US, I was offered ice cream with or without sprinkles for dessert, so the almond mascarpone rice with berry compote is a definite step up. The mains provide a genuine surfeit of choice: a vegetable and tofu Thai red curry; seared halibut with calamari and vegetables; Texan spiced beef fillet; and, my choice, cinnamon and walnut Persian chicken with couscous. Delicious. The highlight is being able to enjoy a proper flat white, with a side of bloody mary, upon waking, followed by Neil Perry’s take on the bacon and egg roll.
At your service
I’ve had good and merely acceptable service on Qantas business flights in the past, but the crew on this route are beyond wonderful. Years ago I believed Qantas had the best aircrew in the world, only for Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways to turn my head, but Qantas has apparently still got it. I’ve barely found my seat when the cabin attendant is at my elbow offering pyjamas, champagne and a genuine “welcome to business class”. And it’s not just the attentiveness of the service – someone actually comes when I press the call button – they joke and laugh with passengers, even pouring second rounds of champagne before takeoff. They generally seem to want to be stuck in the tight confines of their workplace for the next 16½ hours. And they are just as cheery as we come in to land.
In the bag
Business passengers can check in two pieces of baggage weighing up to 32kg each, and two carry-on bags totalling 14kg.
On the ground
After rushing to make my flight, via a long walk, an even longer train ride and a final sprint (Dallas Fort Worth Airport is enormous, do not attempt a short connection here), I make it to the gate just in time for priority boarding, which is seamless. We are told we’ll arrive 40 minutes ahead of schedule into Sydney at 6am, but end up landing exactly on time at 6.40am.
Make your points
Qantas is a member of the One World Alliance, so you earn, and can use, Qantas points on this flight.
The bottom line
From $16,929 return based on airline website search departing two months from publication.
The verdict
After coming off a dire Delta flight, it feels like I’ve been thrown down a set of stairs only to land on a fluffy mattress and into the warm embrace of Australian hospitality. The flight is on time and runs smoothly and the warmth and friendliness of the staff make it feel properly special, which is what flying business is supposed to be like. Qatar, with its QSuites, remains a notch above for total comfort.
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