September 18, 2023
Qantas Business Class Review
Jess
I recently returned from a trip to Australia, and I had the pleasure of flying Qantas business class from LAX to Sydney (and back). So, what did I think? Keep reading to find out…
The Redemption
Australia has been at the top of my bucket list for years, but I’ve been holding out for a good business class redemption on points and miles. Fifteen hours is more than I’m willing to spend in economy if I have other options via credit card points!
Our friend Zac over at Travel Freely alerted us to business class availability on Qantas for just 75K miles per person each way from LAX to Sydney, and I immediately got to booking.
Although the flights were on Qantas metal, I booked the flights through another Oneworld alliance partner, Cathay Pacific. American Express, Capital One, and Citi all transfer 1:1 to Cathay Pacific Asia Miles. To book two round-trip flights in business class from LAX to Sydney, I transferred 300K points from American Express to Cathay Pacific; the transfer was instant.
Instead of paying the cash price of over $24,000 (yikes!), I paid a little over $800 in taxes and fees total for both of us. You could earn 150K points from just one welcome offer with cards like the American Express Platinum card or the Capital One Venture X Business card.
I used 300K points + $800 in taxes instead of paying $24K!
Lounge Access
We had access to the Qantas business class lounge in both LA and Sydney. My stepdaughter was flying from Chicago, so I met her at LAX about seven hours before our flight that evening to Sydney. We were allowed into the lounge despite being very early, and it was a great place to relax away from the airport crowds.
Our favorite area at the LAX Qantas business lounge
Both lounges were large and had a huge variety of food and drinks. The lounge at LAX had a ton of candy and snacks; Pam would have loved it!
Snacks on snacks at the LAX Qantas business lounge.
Our flight to Sydney didn’t leave until almost midnight, so we actually filled up on food at the lounge knowing that we’d likely want to go right to sleep once we were in the air. We had salad, soup, egg rolls, pasta, and cake. It was all really good!
On our return to LAX from Sydney, we arrived at the Qantas business lounge about three hours before our flight. We enjoyed breakfast, mimosas, and flat whites!
The Qantas business lounge in Sydney had a great selection of breakfast options.
The Cabin & Seats
We were on a Qantas A380 for our flight from LAX to Sydney. It was a double-decker plane with business class and premium economy on the upper deck, and first class and economy on the lower deck.
Seats in business class on the A380 are arranged 1-2-1. I chose window seats for both of us.
Even numbered seats on the A380 are closer to the window and offer more privacy. I was in seat 24A.
There is also a bar and lounge area on the upper deck of the A380 for first and business class passengers. There’s no bartender like on Emirates (the Qantas version is self-serve), but it’s still a nice place to hang out and relax during such a long flight.
The upper deck lounge on the Qantas A380.
For our flight from Sydney to LAX, we were on a Qantas 787 plane. There is no upper deck on the 787, no first class, and no on-board lounge. The business class cabin is much smaller but still arranged 1-2-1. Again, I chose window seats for us.
The seats themselves were very similar to those on the A380. There was more storage on the A380, but otherwise, they seemed practically identical. Both had massagers in the seats, which I loved!
Odd-numbered seats on the 787 are closer to the window and offer more privacy. I was in seat 7K.
Seats on both the A380 and 787 easily transform into a bed with the touch of a button. Qantas provided a pillow, mattress pad, and blanket. They also provide pajamas (which I quickly changed into on both flights once we were in the air). I slept well on both flights. I’m only 5’5″, but I had plenty of room to stretch out.
I got 7 hours of sleep on the flight from LAX to Sydney!
The Food
As I mentioned, we skipped dinner service on our flight from LAX to Sydney. It was midnight by the time we took off (which felt like 2:00 AM coming from central time!), so we decided we’d rather get some shut-eye. They had breakfast cards at our seats for us to complete (which I loved). We were able to complete those prior to takeoff, so there was no need to wake us during the flight to take our breakfast order.
I loved being able to put in my breakfast order prior to takeoff.
A couple of hours before landing, they served our breakfast. I was starving by that point! I opted for coffee, fruit with yogurt, and a fried egg sandwich. Everything was delicious!
I was impressed by the breakfast on the A380!
Our flight from Sydney to LAX was a daytime flight, so I could enjoy two meals on that flight. Once again, I completed the breakfast card prior to takeoff. For the main meal, they offered a variety of options.
All of the main meal options aboard the 787.
I went with the carrot and thyme soup, ramen with tofu, and the ice cream sandwich. They also brought out a salad and bread to start. All of it was great except the ramen (it was okay, but I wouldn’t order it again as it was pretty bland). I was torn between that and the snapper, but I sometimes hesitate to eat fish on a plane.
The ice cream sandwich hit the spot.
Breakfast offerings were similar to what was offered on the way to Sydney. I went with coffee, a fruit and yogurt parfait with granola, and avocado toast. Again, it was excellent.
Overall, I was impressed by the food on Qantas. I still think Turkish Airlines has the best food of any business class I’ve flown, but Qantas didn’t disappoint.
The Service
Service on both flights was good, but the service on the flight home (on the 787) was better. It’s probably due to the fact that the business class cabin on the 787 is much smaller. There were so many business class passengers on the A380 that I think it was sometimes difficult for the flight attendants to keep up.
We did meet a lovely flight attendant (shout-out to Louise!) in the on-board lounge of the A380. She offered to take our photos on the stairs, recommended things to do in Sydney and Melbourne, and was very friendly.
We got a pre-departure beverage and pajamas promptly on both flights, and we enjoyed the amenity kits that were already at our seats when we boarded both flights as well.
Pajamas + amenity kit + champagne pre-departure beverage 🙂
Bottom Line
I would happily fly Qantas to Australia again. I am already trying to figure out when I can go back! The lounges were great, the food was delicious, the seats were comfortable, and the flight attendants were friendly. I still can’t believe I got flights that would have cost $24,000 for just 300K points + $800. I’m crossing dream vacations off my bucket list one by one, thanks to credit card points and miles!
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I have been treated horribly by Quantas.
Flight QF96 didn’t take off on schedule Nov.11 2023. We sat on the plane until 3am (6hrs.) Back in the terminal the staff said they had been trying to get hotel rooms but couldn’t find any under $800.
We stayed in the lounge until 8pm. the next night when we finally took off for Melbourne. I am 82yrs., don’t get around very easily and was told “you’re on your own lady, we can only do so much” For all this Qantas issued a 350.00 voucher to ONLY be used on flight leaving Australia.
I live in America so unless I travel back to Aus. how do I benefit from this debacle?
We were 24hrs. late arriving in Melbourne.
That sounds horrible! Sadly, we don’t know the ins and outs of getting reimbursed with them. I’d start with a letter to their customer service or call to speak to a manager.