Qantas Airbus A380 business class

Qantas’ A380s are the flagships of its fleet. You’ll find them regularly jetting off to Singapore, London and Los Angeles, with the four class cabin providing ample seating choices for a wider range of traveller needs.

Though first class is no doubt the preferred choice if you have the chance, business class is still a worthy runner-up with its fully flat bed, 16-inch screen and access to an onboard lounge designed for socialising, snacking and relaxation.

So what’s Qantas A380 business class like? Is it still the best in the Red Roo’s fleet, as previously named by Executive Traveller?

Here’s our experience on a recent hop between Sydney and Los Angeles.

Frequent and occasional travellers will be familiar with the Qantas Sydney International Business Lounge. It’s remained virtually unchanged for years. 

Though a much-needed upgrade is on the way, with works slated to begin this year, the lounge is looking increasingly worse for wear in the meantime, with bathrooms and much of the seating long past its use-by date.

The central bar area, with its lengthy white countertops, self-serve wine and barista station, remains the lounge’s hero, and it’s clear this is where most attention has been spent. If only the rest enjoyed the same. 

To their credit, staff did their best to keep the space tidy, and it was appreciated when they ferried round trays of samosas and refilled glasses of sparkling wine as my visit wore on.

QF11 to LAX sees wheels up from Sydney at 5:35pm, landing at 2:20pm local time, which gives you a chance to enjoy that famous LA sunshine as soon as you touch down.

Given the flight time of almost 14 hours, it’s fair to say you’ll be very well acquainted with your seat and the lengthy entertainment selection by touch down.

A full three-course dinner is served an hour into the flight. This takes around 60 minutes from start to finish, after which cabin lights are dimmed and passengers looking to readjust to LA time can settle in for an early night.

Hot snacks are available on request outside meal times, with breakfast plated up roughly two hours before landing. Breakfast cards supplied on boarding give you the option of being woken or not.

If you fancy a change of scenery or perhaps feel like striking up a conversation with fellow travellers, a visit to the onboard lounge is a very good option.

Business class on the Qantas A380 comprises 70 flat bed Business Suites in a 1-2-1 layout on the upper deck. (The premium economy cabin is immediately behind.)

Based on the Thompson Vantage seat, suites are similar to those gracing Qantas’ Airbus A330 and Boeing 787s. Aside from a movable divider, unlike the A330, the most obvious difference between the three is the colour scheme.

Where the A330 and 787s are light and bright, the A380 embraces a moodier charcoal with silver metal accents and dark timber veneer, which adorns the back of the seat in front and your L-shaped storage rack.

It’s all very sleek, and there are subtle variations between seats.

For example, aside from the L-shaped rack, storage in middle seats is limited to a vertical bin by your legs (a good size for shoes) or the overhead locker, whereas window seats benefit from an additional storage compartment under a fold-up lid.

Due to their placement by the bulkhead, seats 11E/F and 17E/F also have a larger footwell than others, making them a smart choice if you enjoy stretching out (always nice on these 13+ hour trans-Pacific hops). 

11 and 17E also have the addition of a bag compartment large enough for a wheeled carry-on adjacent to the footwell, though you can’t use it for take-off and landing.

A fluffy pillow, blanket, and seat cover rolled up like a jam roll are provided for additional comfort, together with an amenity kit and the always-appreciated seat massage function.

Internet has yet to take flight on Qantas’ A380s. The good news is this is finally on the way, with the airline starting a rollout of WiFi on the A380 in 2025. 

If you have some offline work to take care of, the swing-out table is sturdy and comfortable, while an AC power outlet and USB-A port are at hand to keep your devices juiced up. 

Read more: The best business class seats on the Qantas Airbus A380

Menu cards detail the dinner and snack options inflight, with a breakfast slip allowing you to customise your morning meal. 

Crew walked around to collect breakfast cards and take orders for the three-course dinner service shortly after takeoff, with four dishes a piece for entree, main and dessert, plus an aperitif to kick things off. 

Entree options consisted of:

• pumpkin and ginger soup with sourdough croutons
• pumpkin and ginger soup with chive crème fraîche
• salad of buffalo mozzarella with artichokes, broad beans, grapefruit and almonds
• grilled tiger prawns with chickpeas, chorizo, green olives and parsley dressing

I opted for the tiger prawns and chorizo – a colourful, flavour-packed dish. The olives slightly overpowered the dressing, so it was hard to get a sense of the parsley, but still enjoyable.

Hearty mains included:

• angel hair pasta with broccoli, garlic, pine nuts and chilli
• herb crusted snapper with snow peas, slow roasted cherry tomatoes and corn purée
• Korean Jjimdak chicken with asparagus, carrots, sesame and steamed rice
• Barrington Hinterland beef fillet with roast pumpkin, snap peas and wasabi butter

The Jjimdak chicken was a standout – a bold dish packing a wonderful chilli kick. Though providing a nice element of token greenery, the asparagus didn’t marry with the rest of the dish.

And to finish, a dessert selection:

• cheeses: a Tarwin Blue, Woombye Ash Brie and Pyengana mature cheddar
• Valrhona chocolate cream with yoghurt ganache, toasted almonds and raspberries
• Pat and Stick's ice cream sandwich
• seasonal fruit

Valrhona chocolate cream – topped with berries – finished the meal on a high.

Tapas of serrano ham with potato tortilla, manchego cheese, pickled radish and olives, and a baked rigatoni with eggplant and zucchini salad, were available for those peckish outside meal times, together with fruit, biscuits, chips and trail mix.

Add to that the list of alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks – including Champagne (Duval-Leroy Brut or Jacquart Brut Mosaique), spirits, cocktails and a selection of Australian wines and international beer – and most travellers would find something to enjoy.

Breakfast was served two hours prior to landing. I chose pancakes with caramelised apple, walnuts and a spiced nutmeg yoghurt.

However, while the pancakes on their own were fluffy and delicious, the nutmeg yoghurt was overpowering and not very enjoyable.

Business class passengers can take advantage of a 16-inch screen loaded with an array of recent and classic release films and television, plus music, audiobooks and a selection of games.

The screen was fast and responsive, either controlled via the touch screen or a remote tucked away in armrest. 

Throughout the flight staff are friendly and chatty, though after lights are dimmed, sightings become less frequent and you needed to use the call button or venture out to find them.

Relax

Pyjamas are provided for business class passengers. The material is rather thin, and leaves little to the imagination, but thanks to the additional blanket you’re unlikely to feel cold.

A unique feature of Qantas’ fleet is the A380 lounge at the front of the business class cabin.

While not on the same level as Emirates’ sleek lounge and horseshoe tended bar, it’s still a comfortable mid-flight hangout.  

Self-serve snacks and soft drinks are available in a fridge alongside the lounges.

Verdict

On reflection, the Qantas A380 business class experience was an enjoyable one – the flat bed was comfortable, entertainment options varied and plentiful, and the lounge provided a great spot to stretch my legs as the flight wore on.

The darker colour scheme of the A380 business class is my preferred one of the fleet, with it imbuing the experience with a more elegant and refined feel, versus the A330s or 787s.

The writer travelled as a guest of Qantas.