tenacioustins flew Qantas Economy, on a A380-800 (26/02/2012 05:14)

In April of 2011, I took a flight from LAX to MEL (QF94) and then made the return trip in May, which was QF93 from MEL to LAX. I had also taken this route in 2010, but on a 747 and while it was comfortable and food and service were impeccable, there were a few things that really needed to be changed in order for it to be perfect.

Once again, I found the service was amazing. All of the flight attendants, the captain and the first officer were more than polite and warm and welcoming. On my way over, I had taken a flight on a nasty AA jet from Boston to LAX since I live on the east coast. So when I got to LAX, all I wanted to do was board a nice jet and sleep. I had heard good things about the A380 and had done my research...since it only flew on Wednesdays and Fridays on this particular route, I wanted to make sure that this is what I really wanted. I decided to go for it because it probably wouldn't be any worse than the 747.

The first thing I noticed is how bright the cabin was. I didn't feel like I was in an old, dark jet crowded with people squished in like sardines. The height of the ceiling made the 21 foot wide cabin seem even bigger, which really helped. I got seat 77K on purpose because it is a window seat and has the back against a wall. It is in front of a galley, which has the snack bar. Despite being in front of a galley, the noise and light did not bother me at all. I was quite sick on the flight over to MEL, due to bad food choices.

The passenger in my row (I had a seat next to me that was empty) was gracious enough to let me out quite a bit, and at about 5:30 in the morning LAX time, which seemed to be quite dark where we were and everyone was sleeping, the Flight Attendants actually offered me some coffee, and sat and chatted with me about this and that for about half an hour. They also did everything they could to help me feel better and kept checking on me to make sure I was ok. The food I had eaten previous to the flight was what caused my sickness...and the lack of food for so many hours combined with what I ate was what did me in long before the flight started. However, Qantas was understanding and when the food carts came, they made sure I got my food first so that hopefully I would feel better.

Unfortunately, it didn't make me feel better, but it had nothing to do with Qantas's food and everything to do with the crazy long journey I was on and the bad food choices before taking off.

The food on board was great. There are always two options and there's always plenty of food. I have found that some of the delicacies such as the cookies in the "Q" snack bag are fabulous. The fruit served in the morning is always fresh and the food served did in general seem quite appetizing and not bad for economy level food.

The flight itself was SMOOTH and quiet. I absolutely loved how smooth and quiet the A380 was. When we took off, I barely felt the runway or the speed and once in the air, it didn't even feel like we were moving. They were careful to announce when we might hit some turbulence, but that was very rare since we flew so high up. Landing on both flights was smooth and seamless...I didn't even know we had landed...it was that smooth. I was very impressed by the pilot's skill and care, and the smoothness of the jet itself.

As for the seats...well, it's economy so what do you expect. I'm an average 5'4" girl with a solid build and a little extra fluff but not a lot. I have pretty wide hips though lol. I found the width of the seat to be a little limiting and I didn't like the armrests being so solid, although understandably if they weren't, people's legs would splay and hit other people's legs. But at 18.2 inches wide, that's not very wide. But...it's economy. I found the leg room to be pretty nice. There is a little net for your feet and I used that quite a bit when sleeping and I have to say it was fairly comfortable and did make it feel less burdensome than having my feet on the floor.

Being that I was against a wall, I threw my laptop bag behind my seat as there was lots of room, and I probably shouldn't have, but I did just to open up some leg room. It was awkward to get it afterwards, but hey it's a 15 hour flight and people do lots of awkward things when they're done lol.

The bottom of the seat slid forward so it was more like reclining than just the seat going back. I found that to be much nicer than the seats in the 747...but some people don't like it. Not sure why. The elbow room (literal elbow room, between my elbow and the window) was excellent. Maybe too good. Everyone had so much room between their seat and the window, that the pillows, blankets and whatever else they'd propped on the window to help them sleep ended up falling out behind them...several times I caught a pillow or blanket from the person in front of me. I of course didn't have this issue as there was no one behind me.

In flight entertainment...downright GOOD. So much selection! I love music and I wanted music to help me sleep so I found the perfect stuff and it put me right to sleep. Yes, SLEEP. Even when I was sick, I finally got some sleep. When I felt like watching something, there was an excellent variety of TV shows and movies to choose from. If that didn't satisfy me, there were games to play...but I wanted to be polite to the person in front of me so I didn't play them as some of them required touching the screen a lot. Overall, I couldn't have asked for better IFE.

The only issue I faced is that the IFE system offers in flight internet and in flight texting for a fee. Because I was bored and I wanted to try it, I decided to try to send a text to my friend who was picking me up. The system doesn't work yet, so when I slid my card (yes, there is a place to slide your credit card, in the remote I believe) it didn't do anything, and thus, I couldn't send the text, or get internet for that matter. I asked the flight attendants about it, and they responded that when it came out initially, they had some issues with it, and had to renegotiate terms so it would be unavailable for a while. From what I have heard, in flight internet is returning to select flights in Business and First, but not yet to Economy or Premium Economy. Aside from those issues, I had no other issues with the IFE.

Let's see...what else can I think of? Oh yes, the ceiling height was enough that I could fully stand up where I was seated without bumping my head on a bin. Also, the aisles were wide enough that even when a cart was going through, there was ample room. Two people could easily pass each other in the aisle and I never bumped anyone. The flight was smooth enough that I didn't need to hold on to any seats either, which was a problem I had had on the 747.

The lavs were about as expected. Usually they were pretty clean and didn't look like 500 other people were on the same flight. There were enough of them that it was not crowded in the morning before landing and I had adequate space and time to freshen up.

The snack bar was a definite improvement to nothing on the 747. It had small drinks, fresh fruit, and various snacks all available throughout the flight, free of charge and fully accessible. Although the "Snack on Q" bag was good, a 15 hour flight calls for a fair amount of fluid as well as a snack here and there to keep going...and the snack bar did just that.

Overall, an A+ experience considering it is after all economy seating. I couldn't have asked for better service, food, or IFE. Of course I wanted more room. But who in economy doesn't? I understand that when I take economy, I'm going to be limited by the space I'm given and I feel bad for anyone who is larger or taller. But aside from the space, everything was amazing on both flights, and I am leaving in 10 days to do it all over again, same seat, same jet, same routes. I wouldn't consider taking any other airline on this route.

TheHud! flew Qantas First, on a A380-800 (09/02/2012 14:28)

LHR-SIN round trip on the A380.

I found the suite very comfortable but over-engineered. For example, the swivel function appears redundant (BA and VS seats are permanently 'swivelled', why not QF's?) and means you can hardly reach the suite / entertainment controls when facing directly forwards.

The seat / IFE controls necessite navigating seemingly-endless electronic menus: eg you have to press at least four buttons to recline your seat a bit. It struck me as being the result of over-excited product developers (does anybody really use the massage functions?!) rather than catering to the needs of travellers. In this regard, I think Qantas would do well to learn from the easy-to-use but sophisticated elegance of the new BA First.

On the plus side, the suite was brilliant for sleeping and the food & wine on the way out were superb (I slept on the way home). I had an under-attentive flight attendant on the outbound leg, but no doubt he was just having a bad day as all the other crew members were great.

As an aside, I wanted to check out the A380 having not flown on one before - so I took a wander up the stairs at the front of of the plane and then walked the upper deck from front to back.

There is a 'lounge' at the top of the upper deck which had the appearance of a bus stop: half a dozen uncomfortable looking seats running along the side of the plane with no windows behind them and a wall (the outer edge of the stairwell) in front. As this 'lounge' is only accessible to Business Class and First passengers, it was no surprise that it was empty and that people preferred the comfort of their own seats!

TridentGold flew Qantas First, on a A380-800 (17/11/2011 16:03)

First F-Class experience in a QANTAS 380 WAS on this long overnight flight from LAX to SYD.

A superb flight in every respect which compared favourably to EK 380 First (better functionality and less glitz). I used a very early check in 5 hours before departure which was very efficient and got me through to airside at a quiet time. The One World F Lounge at LAX became very busy with QF, CX and BA flights but still worked well and was never overwhelmed.

Boarding was slightly odd in that F class passengers were directed with Y class passengers to the lower deck door which slowed things down a bit. Once on board however a fantastic efficient and enthusiastic crew swung into action and made the journey a pleasure. Everything was "no worries" and served with a smile.

Wine and food selection was extensive, presentation and quality truly outstanding (after 3500 flights it is very very rare for me to comment so favourably about in flight catering).

The swivel seat/ bed was ergonomically spot on and the entertainment system, with a vast array of possibilities delivered flawlessly.

On time arrival, express immigration and rapid baggage handling meant I was groundside 25 minutes after landing, such a refreshing contrast to airports like Los Angeles and Chicago. A thoroughly first class experience.

pterodactyl flew Qantas First, on a A380-800 (13/09/2011 17:30)

Excellent lounge at Melbourne with great food, massage and service.

Service onboard was very good and seat very comfortable. Lovely pyjamas and toiletry bag and amenities. Eight-course tasting menu (Melbourne to Singapore) was delicious, as were the wines and vintage champagne. Food on Singapore to London leg was not quite as good or lavish. A little underwhelming after the previous flight.

Seat / bed was very comfortable with excellent mattress, duvet and pillow.

Good choice of films and music.

First-class lounge at Singapore is not exciting, but better than the dreary business lounge!

LeeBfromOz flew Qantas Economy, on a A380-800 (02/09/2011 14:15)

Flew from Melbourne to Heathrow via Singapore in economy.

Inside the plane felt bright and airy, but putting touch screens on the back of seats has to be the single most stupid thing ever conceived. Why you would want to encourage anyone to bash the seat in front with their fingers is beyond me. Believe me, after 22 hours of it, you feel like (I can't say).

The seats were reasonably comfortable for my 6ft height, with room to stretch my legs under the seat in front, but a bit narrow so I had to have both my arms squashed in between my armrests (one on the left was being used by the other passenger as their remote control is stored in it and one on the right had to be tucked in so as not to be bashed by the catering trollies). That's another stupid thing, why store the remote in the actual armrest, so it has to be opened (thus removing the person's arm next to you off it) to get to the remote.

The seat backs are extremely weak, unfortunately the gentleman behind me could not get out his chair without grabbing it and bending it back to almost breaking point then letting go. It also flexes lots when people hold on to it whilst walking by. The touch screen only requires the lightest of touches to operate it, however due to it's slow response people (like the one behind me) take to hitting it harder and harder until it responds.

On the second (13 hour) leg of the flight, after having my water taken off me before boarding the plane, depsite being given it on the same plane and getting back on the same plane, water did not come round for a good 2 hours so I was parched. I did try the attendant button but it was ignored, so got water out of the toilet tap instead. I also a case of everyone being asked to put their seat backs up for dinner, except the person in front of me who had his fully reclined, but was too busy complaining about the person in front of him who was sleeping with it reclined. The poor fella had to be woken up. I then respectfully asked for the seat in front of me to be put up after he had finished complaining!

For my return journey I've booked a seat with a wall behind and against the window to try and avoid these issues, although it's near the toilet, so I'm hoping it's not too noisy.

Scampiboy flew Qantas Business, on a A380-800 (26/08/2011 11:15)

asimeou flew Qantas Economy, on a A380-800 (05/06/2011 02:25)

Awful. I will avoid flying with Qantas after my first experience with them from Heathrow to Singapore. About the only thing good about my experience was the in-flight entertainment.

The Qantas A380-800 flight had a great choice of movies and music. Other than that, I had a terrible time trying to sleep and get comfortable.

The seats are just far too small. I'm not a big person, but slightly taller than average. I'm only 13 stone and 6ft2inches tall. Legroom is ok if you're prepared to keep your legs under the seat in front of you and one thing I quite like is the elimination of those clunky foot rests. But the seats are just far too narrow and the pitch is too short, particularly if the person in front reclines their seat.

Before I boarded, I had read the seats were designed by some famous designer and were supposed to be state of the art. What a load of rubbish. The seats are awful. Plain and simple. They've eliminated everything on the seats including any ruggedness and functionality. You can feel every little tap from the person behind pressing on the touch screen and kicking the seat with their knees. And for some reason, the seats seem to amplify the vibrations so it's near impossible to rest if you're a person like me that can't stand sudden jolts of movement. The seat width is too small. Not the smallest I've seen, but then again, seats that I have experienced that are narrower have been on very short haul flights. I didn't expect that from a long haul, especially after an excruciating 13 hour flight. And to make matters worse (some industrial designer needs to get sacked for this one), the earphone socket points towards your leg so when you plug in the earphones, you have even less room and often jolt the plug out when you move. The arm rests only fold back three quarters of the way and mine refused to stay up.

Dreadful and inhumanely uncomfortable seating aside, the food served was also not great. The first meal had chicken which tasted as if it had been soaked in detergent and the trays are just too small. Cutlery is plastic, cheap and nasty. There is nowhere to put your cups (most other airlines I've flown with have cup holders on the seats so you can put the tray table away).

I wish I could find something good to say about the seating, but I can't - honestly. The service from the cabin crew was ok though and they did their best to ensure everyone was as comfortable as possible - they probably know how bad the seating is. In comparison to other long-haul flights I've had with British Airways, Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific, Qantas is definitely (by far) the worst out of the bunch. I certainly will not be flying with them again.

BMBettesworth flew Qantas Business, on a A380-800 (18/05/2011 14:16)

Flew LHR/ Singapore/LHR in the new A380. Seated in the middle of the centre cabin on top deck in row 19.

Qantas have really upped their game with this aircraft. Seats were very comfortable, with massage facillity and 180 lie flat capability. The cabin was spacious, entertainment 1st class (although had to be reset on outward journey).

I was amazed by the quietness of the cabin. The food was excellent, particularly Duck Shepherd's Pie on return journey.

The plane has a larger than normal bathroom which is great for changing etc. The cabin service was personal and pleasant, I didn't like the wine on offer so the attendant went down to first clas to fetch the bottle of my choice. All in all, most impressive.

SamWardill flew Qantas Business, on a A380-800 (18/04/2011 20:39)

Check In

I checked in online and printed my boarding pass. However this didn’t yield me much benefit as there is not much to choose between the seats (according to the various online reviews). On arrival in Singapore airport I had forgotten that business check-in was all in a separate plush area so I went to the economy check in. As there was no queue I dropped off my bags there.

Lounge

The Qantas/BA lounge at Singapore is pretty basic. There is not a great choice of food, drink or newspapers. The ambiance is nothing special. I went off to find the airport food court for a last hit of Singapore hawker centre style food before departure.

Boarding

Boarding is where an A380 business class comes into its own. You are guaranteed a dedicated business class ramp. This was my second ever flight on an A380. The first had been a few days earlier with SQ in economy from HKG. It was good to be on the upper deck this time! When I got on to the plane the stewardess was very welcoming and even searched the plane (to no avail) for a copy of Business Traveller magazine for me.

Seat

The seat is comfortable to sit in with its massage function. I didn’t find it particularly comfortable to sleep in. It didn’t quite feel like a flat bed. It felt more like a lie-flat seat. There was, however, lots of space. There was also a bar area up front where passengers could chill out. However I didn’t see anybody really using it.

IFE

Because I didn’t find the seat that comfortable for sleeping, I was glad that there was a good selection of films to watch. I managed to get through four films and did not get bored. The supplied headset was good quality so much so that I left my own Audio Technica noise reducing cans in the bag.

Food

The evening meal was very light. I assume that this was partly because the flight departed SG so late and partly because many passengers had already eaten a large meal on departure from Sydney. The food did also seem to take an age to be served which wasn’t ideal for a very late evening departure. The breakfast order was a la carte with the order taken on departure on a hotel door knob style breakfast menu. It was one of the best flight breakfasts that I had ever had and clearly was the main event on this route.
Arrival
Arrival in London was very smooth. My bag appeared quickly and I was on my way home.

Summary

I had been anticipating my first A380 flight for some time. I am a bit of a flight nerd and I wanted to see what it had to offer. My experience with the Qantas A380 was good but it did not wow me. I think that next time I would choose to fly BA on this route. You can’t beat the cosiness of the upper deck on a 747 and I prefer the BA seat for sleeping.

TravelBuggy flew Qantas Economy, on a A380-800 (21/02/2011 07:22)

I flew on the Qantas A380 from Singapore-London-Singapore.

After hearing such great reports on the A380, I was excited and looking forward to travelling on one. However, my experience on a Qantas A380 was not what I expected.

The seats were cramped, not enough leg room (mind you I am only 5ft 4") and the seating was not all that wide. I can understand this configuration for a short haul flight, but you're talking about a 14.5-hour flight long haul!

I was sure as hell disappointed with the A380. To make matters worse, the in-flight entertainment kept playing up, the sound system was not good and the crew kept announcing how the system had to be re-booted and would take a while. I am one who always follows the flight path and have to say I was very disappointed that the system did not work at times and was not updated.

First experiences are always "lasting" experiences and sadly...my experience on an A380 was deplorable, uncomfortable and not at all memorable! I overheard passengers on the return flight (London-Singapore) complain this was not the kind of seating and comfort they expected from an A380. So come on Qantas - you NEED to do something about your seating configuration to make people's journeys more comfortable in Economy on an A380.

Btw, I just travelled on a Singapore Airlines B777-200 from Manila to Singapore and was pleasantly surprised. The seats were wider with more leg room then the Qantas A380 - and this was just a 3h 15 min fight!

Heleigh flew Qantas First, on a A380-800 (10/07/2010 07:10)

Have flown on A380 twice (2009 and 2010) SYD to LAX, both occasion have sat in row A seats 2 and 3. Both seats were private (as long as the privacy screen is up on the middle row of seating). Food and berverage were excellent. The inflight new movies were not to my liking this year but it is relevant to what is currently out. And when you are ready for bed they make it ready.

frustratedflyer flew Qantas Premium Economy, on a A380-800 (21/02/2010 12:24)

Probably the best Premium Economy product I have tried. Was in seat 34B at the front of the cabin - a good seat. If you prefer windows 34A has a locker similar to but smaller than the ones found upstairs on a B747. Probably the best seats are in row 38 as they have more legroom than row 34 with the bulkhead. 38J & K have the emergency exit in front and 38D,E & F have also got a lot of space in front of them to allow access to the emergency exits. Service was good, food superb for a premium economy class and the IFE one of the best around although some people had a few problems mine worked throughout.

TiffanyLaw flew Qantas Business, on a A380-800 (06/11/2009 15:30)

I flew Business class on Qantas new A380 from LAX to Melbourne. The aircraft was very impressive the bathroom was the size of a large dressing room that you can actually change your clothes without touching the walls, the storage for my carry-ons around my seating was much larger than the 747's and A330's and the reclinding pod seats folded flat with plenty of leg room. What a beautiful plane and I'll always choose this aircraft to fly if it's available.

austline flew Qantas Business, on a A380-800 (27/01/2009 05:51)

Fantastic much better than SQ as you do not get the feeling of claustrophobia. Overalls service and standard of food and wine much better. SQ are on the decline.

AnthonyVWood flew Qantas First, on a A380-800 (26/12/2008 03:58)

Not as good as Singapore Airlines A380 suites