Qantas Airbus A380 Business Class Review [MEL to LAX]

Airline: Qantas (QF)
Aircraft: Airbus A380-800
Flight #: QF93
Route: Melbourne (MEL) to Los Angeles (LAX)
Date: February 8, 2025
Duration: 14 hours and 5 minutes
Cabin and Layout: Business class, 1-2-1
Seat: 19F
Cost: 80,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles and $82.31 in taxes and fees

Flying Qantas business class has long been an elusive travel goal of mine, but I never knew when it would happen. It finally became a reality after a weeklong trip to New Zealand in February 2025. This meant my partner and I backtracked to Melbourne, Australia, but we saw it as an opportunity to have more time in one of the most comfortable business class cabins I’ve experienced.

This was also my first long-haul trip with the Australian flag carrier. We’d fly on the iconic Airbus A380, a true giant of the skies. As business class passengers, we sat on the upper deck, a rare and thrilling experience.

Since this aircraft only operates between Melbourne (MEL) and Los Angeles (LAX) a few times per week (the airline uses the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner most days), we were also lucky in that regard. Keep reading for a full breakdown of the experience, from check-in and lounge access to inflight dining and, of course, the seat itself.

Booking Qantas Business Class

As a Oneworld alliance member, Qantas flights can be booked using miles from several airline programs. However, for most U.S.-based travelers, American Airlines AAdvantage miles are likely the most accessible option, as they were for me.

That said, securing a Qantas business class award seat is notoriously difficult — after all, who wouldn’t want to fly in a lie-flat bed on a long-haul journey? To complicate matters further, Qantas releases very limited partner award availability, so you’ll need to start searching around a year in advance to have the best shot at snagging a seat.

If planning that far ahead isn’t an option, another strategy is booking at the last minute. While some travelers may find this approach too risky, I gambled that last-minute award space would open up on our preferred route (essentially any flight from Australia to the U.S.) We initially booked fully refundable economy tickets using Delta SkyMiles to hedge our bets.

It wasn’t until 24 days before our intended departure that we finally found award availability on Qantas. My go-to tool for award searches, Seats.aero, was tremendous in helping me find what I needed.

As a paid subscriber, I had the advantage of setting unlimited text alerts for specific routes, airlines, travel dates, and loyalty programs. The moment an alert came through, I quickly locked in the booking via American Airlines.

The one-way ticket from Melbourne Airport (MEL) to Los Angeles (LAX) had exactly 2 seats available at the 80,000-mileage rate.

I paid the taxes and fees, which cost about $80 per person, with The Platinum Card^® from American Express. It’s easily the best earner for booking flights directly with airlines or via AmexTravel.com, as you can rack up 5x Membership Rewards points per $1 spent (up to $500,000 per calendar year).

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The Amex Platinum reigns supreme for luxury travel, offering the best airport lounge access plus generous statement credits, and complimentary elite status.

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• The best airport lounge access out of any card (by far) — enjoy access to over 1,400 worldwide lounges, including the luxurious Amex Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass lounges (enrollment required), Plaza Premium Lounges, and many more!
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Melbourne Airport

Our flight was scheduled to board roughly an hour before departure, so we got to the airport early to have plenty of time to gather our boarding passes, clear customs, and enjoy some time in the lounge.

Check-In

We attempted to check in for our flight using the Qantas app (iOS, Android), which prompted us to scan our passports. Normally, this would let us bypass the check-in counter entirely, especially since we weren’t checking any luggage. However, the app repeatedly encountered an error and directed us to check in at the counter to obtain our boarding passes.

Melbourne Airport was busy on this Saturday morning. We got dropped off at the international terminal and looked for Qantas check-in signage, which we eventually found toward the right side of the building.

Dedicated lanes were available for business and first class passengers and those with select elite status. Separate lines were designated for premium economy, online check-in bag drop, and general travelers.

There were about 10 people ahead of us in line, and 2 agents were specifically working to check in business and first class passengers. In all, we waited about 20 minutes before we were handed our boarding passes.

The friendly agent let us know we had access to the Qantas International First Lounge, a step above the Qantas International Business Lounge. As a Oneworld Emerald member, I have access to any Qantas first class lounge when traveling on a Oneworld international ticket, along with a guest. Best of all, the first class lounge was conveniently located right above our boarding gate.

Qantas International First Lounge at Melbourne Airport

Although we spent nearly an hour getting from security screening, clearing customs, and heading to our gate area, we finally made it to the lounge. Conveniently, there was an escalator (or elevator) between gates 9 and 11 to the Qantas International First Lounge, where the agents verified our boarding passes before letting us in.

Our first impression of the Qantas International First Lounge was overwhelmingly positive.

The floor-to-ceiling windows, impressive tarmac views, and sparkling white marble made the space feel luxurious from the jump.

Although it wasn’t the largest airport lounge I had ever been to, plenty of mixed-used seating areas were available for relaxing or working. There was certainly no overcrowding problem here, at least during my visit.

We made a beeline for the dining area, which felt like a 5-star restaurant — except we had to remember that we were in the middle of an airport! The back wall featured a stunning bar, and the open layout allowed us to catch a glimpse of the chefs hard at work.

True to the restaurant style, we waited at the hostess stand to be seated. Luckily, we scored a table by the window — right above our stunning A380, the very plane we’d be boarding soon.

What set this lounge apart as especially upscale was its made-to-order dining — no grimy buffets in sight. The only slight letdown was arriving before the lunch menu kicked in, but the array of delicious breakfast options more than made up for it.

Our server was incredibly welcoming and didn’t bat an eye at my multiple drink orders. I enjoyed a fantastic iced latte (a tribute to Australia’s renowned coffee culture), a house lemonade that looked more like a craft cocktail, and a refreshing glass of sparkling water.

Since we were running low on time (and wanted to at least walk through the rest of the space), we quickly placed our breakfast orders. Surprisingly, our server was able to remember the entire order without having to write it down! The food arrived at our table just as quickly — within 5 to 10 minutes.

My partner ordered the signature breakfast while I ordered the smoked salmon Benedict. We also shared a serving of the buttermilk pancakes with fresh peaches. The breakfast (more like brunch) was filling and tasty, and we were both happy with our choices.

We had a little time to spare before boarding, so we checked out the rest of the lounge. Near the kitchen, there was an old-school departure board on the back wall.

On our way out of the lounge, we encountered a grab-and-go beverage and snack station with croissants and yogurt parfaits.

The refrigerator was open to all lounge guests and filled with soft drinks, juices, water, and alcoholic beverages.

We had heard from other passengers that there was a day spa with massage treatments, but we didn’t have time to book a slot or look inside. Shortly after, an announcement over the intercom informed us that our flight, QF93, was ready to board.

Boarding

We had direct access from the lounge to boarding, ensuring a smooth and effortless transition onto the plane.

We marveled one last time at the giant whale that would fly us thousands of miles back to the U.S.

On Board Qantas’ A380-800

The upper deck of Qantas’ A380-800 features 70 business class seats at the front and 60 premium economy recliners toward the rear. On the lower deck are 14 first class suites and 341 economy seats.

Qantas Business Class Seats

Our seats were in row 19, a few rows behind the jet bridge where we boarded the aircraft. Since we flew as a couple, we chose seats in the middle — seats E and F.

Though this aircraft was retrofitted with new seats over 5 years ago, the business class cabin still felt sleek and modern, featuring grey tones and wooden accents. The only noticeable omission was a privacy door to close off each pod, which is now a common feature in business class with suite-style seats. A retractable privacy divider was available for passengers seated in the middle.

The business class cabin was arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration, ensuring that each passenger got direct aisle access — a must for an ultra-long-haul flight. As I got situated, I placed my carry-on bag and personal items in the overhead bin.

What immediately stood out about this business class seat was its comfort. Each seat was about 24 inches wide and extended to 80 inches (nearly 6 feet 7 inches!) in fully lie-flat mode.

The bed struck the perfect balance — firm yet not too hard — making it ideal for sleeping and watching movies. Setting up the mattress pad was simple, and it felt more hygienic to use for the duration of the flight.

The square pillow provided great support for my lower back when I wasn’t sleeping, and it was just as comfortable to lay my head on when I was snoozing.

I also loved the blanket, which was plush and made from recycled material.

The seat offered various compartments built into the pod’s design. While they weren’t large enough to house my backpack, I appreciated that the shared console even had a deep storage space for stowing the comforter when not in use. In comparison, other business class seats on this route, like United Polaris, feel much narrower and completely lack in-seat storage.

Next to the privacy divider was a slim storage compartment where I stowed my amenity kit and menu after placing my lunch order.

I also accidentally left my passport there and didn’t realize it until we deplaned — but more about that in the “Arrival” section of this review.

Between the 2 entertainment screens was a shared compartment holding Qantas’ inflight magazine and safety cards.

It was surprising to see an inflight magazine, especially in this day and age!

The footwell was also pretty spacious, and the leather padding made it even more comfortable for my feet to rest during the flight.

Once seated, I had a clear view of everything my neighbor in the window seat was doing (or watching!). This reaffirmed that the biggest drawback of this cabin was the lack of privacy, especially since I’ve grown accustomed to having a privacy door at most business class seats on other airlines.

That said, the inflight entertainment screen was decently sized and roughly 16 inches wide.

The touchscreen was very responsive and worked well throughout the flight, though a remote was also tucked away in the console (along with a tiny mirror).

The seat controls were conveniently positioned above the remote, offering intuitive functions to recline the seat or convert it into a fully lie-flat bed. Additional buttons included a “Do Not Disturb” option to signal the crew for uninterrupted rest, controls for adjusting the reading and overhead lights, and even a massage function.

Lastly, a full-sized water bottle, a pair of headphones, and an adjustable reading light were waiting conveniently for me at my seat.

Food and Beverages

Upon seating, flight attendants walked down the aisles with Champagne and orange juice trays. I declined both offers, sticking to the water bottle at my seat.

Given how impressive the food in the first class lounge was, I was eager to see if Qantas’ inflight dining and beverage service would match that standard. Upon taking my seat, I found the main menu detailing the service details for this flight.

I browsed the selections for an aperitif, starter, main course, and dessert.

Starters included Moroccan carrot soup, goat cheese and lamb prosciutto, and chicken and mushroom dumplings. Mains were a vegetarian rendang, barramundi, roast chicken thigh, and beef filet. To finish the meal, one could choose from a cheese plate, panna cotta, ice cream sandwich, fruit, or chocolates.

As the flight attendants went down the aisle to take orders, they informed me that the dumplings were already unavailable by the time they reached row 19. Strangely, my boyfriend’s menu didn’t include the chicken and mushroom dumplings as an appetizer, even though they appeared on mine — despite the rest of our menus being identical otherwise.

We were provided Qantas-branded pens to complete the breakfast card, allowing the crew to streamline service before landing and maximize passengers’ sleep time. I selected a handful of items, including cold-pressed juice, fruit salad, and an egg white omelet.

We took off at the scheduled departure time (12 p.m.), and exactly an hour later, I received peppermint tea with an assortment of mixed nuts.

The meal service didn’t start until 2 p.m., an hour after the initial bites were served. The timing felt drawn out since I was ready to drift off after the aperitif course. I was served a salad with olive oil and lemon dressing and an assortment of breads. Still full from brunch in the lounge, I passed on the bread basket, though various rolls were available.

Just 10 minutes later, I received my starter. Since the dumplings weren’t available (though I saw the passenger in front of me get the last serving!), I went with the Moroccan carrot soup with spicy harissa chickpeas. The soup was a bit on the saltier side but still felt light and wasn’t spicy.

The main course wasn’t served until 3:15 p.m., arriving more than an hour after the appetizer. I ordered the roast chicken thigh cutlet with charred broccolini, feta, olive, and almond dressing. Unfortunately, the meal was below average. The chicken was rubbery and lacked flavor, while the dressing, meant to enhance it, felt overly greasy.

The dessert made up for the lackluster meal. I chose the olive oil panna cotta, which was nice and airy. The toasted almonds on top were coated with sugar, giving them a crunchy texture.

The meal service finally concluded at 3:45 p.m., nearly 4 hours after takeoff. I was ready for some much-needed sleep, and because the bed was so comfortable, I got a solid 5 hours of rest! Not bad for a mid-day flight.

Once I woke up, we decided to explore the rest of the cabin and check out what snacks were on offer for business class passengers. The galley closest to our section had a basket of items to choose from, including “bean biscuits,” an Australian coconut and oat cookie I had never heard of. I decided to go for something simple and grabbed a pear.

While in the galley, we chatted with the friendly flight attendants. In addition to the grab-and-go snacks, we remembered that a couple of hot food items were available to order midflight. We requested the spanakopita with Greek salad, and the flight attendants kindly offered to serve it while we relaxed in the onboard lounge, playing card games — a perfect opportunity to stretch and take a break from our seats.

Since my boyfriend is Greek, he was eager to try this dish. One of the flight attendants, Greek-Australian herself, told us not to set our expectations too high for Qantas’ take on spanakopita. She described it as more of a spinach pie, which turned out to be an accurate assessment of what was served at our table. The pie was also mediocre and was, again, overly salty, though adding fresh cucumber, olives, tomatoes, and dill was a nice touch.

Breakfast was served directly at our table 2 hours before landing. Unlike the main meal, which was presented in courses, everything arrived on a single tray, a setup I preferred this time around.

I also enjoyed this meal much more. The green juice, fruit plate, and steaming cup of coffee were just what I needed to help reset to the local time, as we’d arrive early in the morning. The egg white omelet was once again just OK. The pesto on top overwhelmed the plate and was a bit too oily for my liking.

My boyfriend has a huge sweet tooth, so ordering the French toast was a match made in heaven for him. I had a bite, and it was tasty. I loved the whipped cream, strawberries, and slivered almonds on top.

Bottom Line:

While the flight attendants were friendly and accommodating to every request, Qantas’ food and beverage were average. The 4-course meal was spread out over 4 hours, which consumed too much of the flight time, though breakfast proved to be a much better experience.

Amenities

The amenities on this flight were a bit of a mixed bag — some good, and some not.

Inflight Entertainment (IFE)

For starters, though, the IFE screen was perfect to keep passengers entertained for the whole flight. There were so many movies to choose from, and I could even save favorites to a list to help narrow down my choice. This was a unique yet simple feature that I wish more airlines would add to their IFE systems.

Since this was one of the longest flights I’ve ever flown, I could watch 2 movies with plenty of time to eat, sleep, and relax. Another interesting feature of the IFE screen was that we could watch movies with another passenger, and anytime we paused a film, it would pause it for the other person!

When we weren’t watching movies, we switched between the A380’s live tail cam and the inflight map.

Amenity Kit

As for the amenity kit, it was a fairly simplistic design from the brand Koskela.

The amenity kit’s contents were pretty basic: a thin pair of socks and eye shade, a dental kit, and earplugs.

The well-being pack included travel-sized face cream, lip balm, and hand cream, which would be handy in the future.

Pajamas

The flight attendants passed out pajamas at the beginning of the flight, either in medium/large or large/extra large. However, slippers were noticeably missing, which I learned were only passed out to first class passengers. That was a bummer.

The pajamas were very soft and made up of a blend of cotton and polyester.

Headphones

The over-the-ear headphones weren’t too fancy and didn’t have a noise-canceling feature, but they provided decent sound quality for watching movies.

Wi-Fi

Qantas does not offer Wi-Fi on its Airbus A380s, as the airline has delayed the rollout of its fast and free Viasat Wi-Fi. Knowing this in advance allowed me to prepare by downloading books on my Kindle, and I appreciated the chance to disconnect completely. However, I imagine many other passengers assumed there would at least be free messaging services available. Even so, there was plenty to do for the entirety of the 14-hour flight.

Onboard Lounge

The best amenity of this aircraft? The onboard lounge. This huge space was perfect for those traveling together to hang out and switch up the scenery.

There were a couple of booths with charging outlets and a large sofa for people to sit back and relax.

We went back and forth to the onboard lounge several times throughout the flight and were always the only passengers sitting there.

The onboard lounge had a fridge and snack bar, though they remained empty for the entire flight.

A staircase led down to the first class section at the very front of the plane.

We were asked not to go all the way down (or, at the very least, be mindful of our footsteps), as the noise from foot traffic could be disruptive to passengers seated directly below.

It was a cool reminder that we were aboard a massive double-decker jet — over 500 tons in weight —carrying us home through the skies. There was also a massive IFE screen that lounge guests could use to watch movies.

Service

The business class service was outstanding. Although the meal service felt unusually prolonged, every interaction with the crew was genuinely positive. From delivering snacks to the onboard lounge to engaging in friendly conversations and showing a real interest in getting to know us, we left the flight having a meaningful connection with the staff.

Since it’s not every day that you get to fly on an A380, we asked the purser whether we could take a peek into the cockpit upon arrival. The pilots onboard were more than happy to accommodate this request, and they were just as friendly as the inflight crew.

Arrival

Our flight arrived pretty much on schedule. Deplaning was easy, and we took a few moments to admire the cockpit.

Since my boyfriend and I have Global Entry, we didn’t need to show our passports. The kiosks recognized us immediately, and we were on our way. Once we arrived at baggage claim, we realized we made a grave mistake: our passports were left onboard.

Fortunately, we spotted some Qantas employees assisting passengers with luggage at the designated carousel. They could page cleaning staff onboard, and an employee delivered our passports to us within 10 minutes! We then exited the international concourse and walked over to Delta’s terminal to catch our final flight back home to Salt Lake City (SLC), with plenty of time to spare in the Sky Club and shower after such a long flight.

Final Thoughts

I loved Qantas’ hard product, making it one of my favorite business class seats. The bed was comfortable, and having access to the onboard lounge was especially memorable. While the onboard catering left a lot to be desired, and the lack of Wi-Fi may be a turnoff for some, I’d still argue that Qantas is one of the best ways to fly to and from the South Pacific.

Next time, I’ll have to try first class to see how that experience stacks up!