Qantas business class review: Hong Kong to Sydney
Qantas has resumed flights between Sydney and Hong Kong, with a revamped A380 cabin and new-look airport lounge in the mix. How does it shape up?
Qantas has resumed flights between Sydney and Hong Kong and soon adds Melbourne to the mix. We put the airline’s revamped A380 cabin and HK airport lounge to the test.
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Review: Qantas business class from Hong Kong
Qantas has resumed flights between Sydney and Hong Kong, with a revamped A380 cabin and new-look airport lounge in the mix. How does it shape up?
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The seat
This is one of the A380 business cabins Qantas has been reconfiguring and refurbishing. The 70-suite cabin, on the upper deck, is divided by a galley, and 15A is in the last row of five in the forward section. In a 1-2-1 layout, set-ups alternate; I sit by the window, with the shelf and tech console on the aisle, whereas the pod in front has it switched. I have exclusive use of a vast storage bin by the window and could claim a shared second bin, as it’s awkward to access for my neighbour in front. You face straight ahead with all controls at hand, including the touchpad for seating tweaks and an armrest holding the screen remote and vanity mirror. The mattress, undersheet and blanket for the lie-flat bed are easily stowed between seat and window. An amenities kit has eye mask, earplugs, socks, dental kit and small tubes of hand cream, face cream and lip balm from Indigenous botanicals company Li’Tya. Pyjamas are provided for this overnight flight.
Luggage allowance
Business passengers get 46kg of checked luggage plus two carry-on items totalling 14kg.
Entertainment
Qantas’s system, on a bright 16-inch screen, is simplicity itself. Among a generous array of films, TV and games are a lot of Harry Potter and every season of Better Call Saul. With plans to sleep for hours, I eschew Cate Blanchett’s 146-minute Tar and content myself with a fly-on-the-wall documentary on Nancy Pelosi and several hands of solitaire.
Food
Qantas culinary director Neil Perry has really put his stamp on the food. Dinner starts with potato soup or the duck salad, which is fabulous. There are three Asian-style mains, but after a week of brilliant Hong Kong food I’m thinking of home so it’s beef fillet (with not quite enough eschalot butter), perfect potatoes and al dente green beans. A small tub of Haagen-Dazs ice cream arrives almost melted, thanks to an airconditioning issue while the ill passenger was treated, turning the cabin temporarily into a sauna. I rebuff it and the alternative, a light chocolate mousse, is immaculate. Wine selection is all Australian, two whites and two reds; the chardonnay from Orange and a Clare shiraz are great food wines. Breakfast must be pre-ordered just after takeoff, and again I seek comfort in avocado on toast.
Technology
The small provided headphones do the job well. There are single USB and universal charging points. Wi-fi is not available, with Qantas still in the process of introducing a high-speed service.
Service
Qantas cabin crew are rarely less than engaging, and service is slick. Dinner is provided quickly to maximise sleep time. In the morning I’m delivered new flight details to Melbourne as the delayed arrival has killed my connection.
On the ground
Qantas’s revamped International Lounge in Hong Kong airport reopened in May after a Covid-enforced closure. On a mezzanine with huge windows to the airport apron, it’s a long space with many semi-private zones. There’s only one screen showing departures, at the far end of the space. Perry’s updated Asian-inspired menu also retains the yum cha trolley that works the room. There are 12 shower suites.
In the know
As well as current daily services from Sydney, Qantas is resuming Melbourne-Hong Kong flights, with three services a week from June 20, increasing to four from July 17. All Hong Kong flights will be on A330-300s, with similar business suites to the A380.
The verdict
Business on Qantas’s Airbuses is roomy, comfortable and well designed. Its amenities kits and wine selections aren’t as generous as some other airlines, but the quality of the offerings is high. Service is efficient and friendly, and crew members don’t bat an eyelid during the hot cabin hiatus when a passenger emerges from the toilet in her bikini top.
Jeremy Bourke was a guest of Qantas.