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Qantas Reinstates A380 With First Class Between LA and Melbourne

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Daniel Ross
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An update to the Qantas’ schedule shows that its behemoth Airbus A380 — complete with its first class cabin — will be making a return on the carrier’s Melbourne (MEL) to Los Angeles (LAX) route.

As noted by Executive Traveller, the A380 will return to this route, with its first LAX-bound service departing on October 30, 2023, just in time for Australia’s peak summer travel season.

Here’s what journeys between Los Angeles and Melbourne will look like when operated by the A380.

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Qantas Brings Back A380

Almost a year since Qantas first reintroduced its Airbus A380 into service, the aircraft will soon be deployed on a second U.S. to Australia route: this time, between Los Angeles (LAX) and Melbourne (MEL).

This means that you’ll now be able to fly Qantas’ stunning first class product from Los Angeles (LAX) to both Sydney (SYD) and Melbourne (MEL).

Qantas First Class cabin
First class onboard the Qantas Airbus A380 is the airline’s most luxury offering. Image Credit: Qantas

Hot Tip: Flying to Australia in a Qantas’ first class would be an amazing start to a trip Down Under — especially when you can use points to do so!

The A380 will operate as QF94 on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays to Melbourne, and as QR93 on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays departing Melbourne.

With the reintroduction of the A380 and the start of Qantas’ summer schedule, the timing of the Airbus A380-operated inbound flight from Melbourne changes to daytime departures rather than late evening departures:

  • Depart Melbourne (MEL) 11 a.m. — Arrive Los Angeles (LAX) 7:20 a.m.

After arriving in Los Angeles early in the morning, the aircraft will then sit around on the tarmac all day before heading back to Melbourne at 9:05 p.m, touching down 2 days later:

  • Depart Los Angeles (LAX) 9:05 p.m. — Arrive Melbourne (MEL) 8 a.m. (+2)

The additional 4 daily rotations will continue to be operated by the airline’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft.

As well as the only aircraft in the airline’s fleet with first class, the Superjumbos are the only jets to boast the newest version of its business class product.

Qantas A380 business class
The business class cabin on Qantas’ Airbus A380s feature bigger seats with a darker finish than you’ll find on its other long-haul aircraft. Image Credit: Qantas

Other destinations that Qantas’ A380 currently services include Singapore (SIN) and London (LHR), with Hong Kong (HKG) set to restart in the not-too-distant future.

Final Thoughts

Long live the Airbus A380 and all the first class cabins that often come with it.

Despite some airlines scrapping the aircraft altogether, we’re happy to see that the Airbus A380 remains a mainstay in Qantas fleet.

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About Daniel Ross

Daniel has loved aviation and travel his entire life. He earned a Master of Science in Air Transport Management and has written about travel and aviation in publications like Simple Flying, The Points Guy, and more.

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