Qantas has brought forward the retirement of its Airbus A380 fleet to start in 2028, meaning the days of flying the airline’s iconic double-decker aircraft are now numbered.
This review is one I’ve mothballed for quite a while, but now seems an appropriate time to dust it off. The A380 remains one of my favourite ways to fly long-haul. Qantas’ refurbished version has a spacious upper-deck Business Class cabin, lie-flat seats and the rather unique onboard lounge.
On the way back from an event in Europe, I was on a cash Qantas Economy Flex fare (the joys of a last-minute booking) from London to Perth via Singapore. However, that did enable me to upgrade at a lower cost. I put in a request to try my luck in Business Class for 42,000 points (now 50,400 points) more.
With the help of my Qantas Gold status at the time, the upgrade cleared the night before, and I was able to snag seat 11A in the front-row bulkhead. Here’s what the experience is like.
Qantas London Heathrow check-in and lounge
I check in at London Heathrow Terminal 3, where the priority lanes for Business Class make it a speedy affair. There’s also access to Fast Track security, which saves a bit of time.
When flying out of London Terminal 3 with oneworld, I like to visit the Cathay Pacific Lounge first, if it’s not too busy. A Qantas Business Class ticket entitles you to access to this space as well, so feel free to try it out. Just be aware Cathay occasionally blocks access to partner airlines when the lounge is busy.
In this case, I’m travelling with a colleague who has Oneworld Emerald status (Qantas Platinum), so he guests me into the First Class side of the lounge. Here, I gaze out onto the sunset with a glass of Joseph Perrier Champagne, alongside a small wonton noodle soup. It hits the spot.
The Cathay Pacific First Class lounge visit does not factor into the score of the review.
My next stop is the Qantas London Lounge, where an evening à la carte menu is in full swing, along with a substantial buffet. If you’re a fan of salt and pepper squid, it’s available on the menu here for any lounge-worthy passengers. I’m also intrigued by the Gin Bar, which features a curated menu of craft gins from around the world.
From there, it’s off to the A380 and the upper deck for the flight to Singapore.
The Qantas Airbus A380 seat and cabin
You’ll have to forgive my lack of detailed photos from this flight – unfortunately, I lost the original files on my camera and only have a small selection of what I sent to my phone.
Qantas’ refurbished A380 has 70 Business Class seats arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration, giving everyone direct aisle access. The seats convert into fully flat beds measuring around two metres long.
The cabin is located on the upper deck, which gives it a noticeably more intimate feel than the huge Economy cabin downstairs. Another perk – window seats have spacious storage lockers on the side.
I’m particularly pleased to have secured 11A, the front-row window seat. The bulkhead gives me plenty of space around my feet, and I almost feel like I’m sitting in my own private cabin. These seats are usually blocked for Chairman’s Lounge and Platinum One passengers until around 80 hours before departure, when they then open up for general selection. It seems no one had picked it when I received my points upgrade.
The Qantas A380 Business Suite is certainly not the newest Business Class seat around, but it’s still a very comfortable product. There’s plenty of storage, a large entertainment screen and a good amount of personal space.
Dining on QF2 from London
Supper
As this is a relatively late-night departure from London, Qantas doesn’t offer the full multi-course dinner service. There isn’t a dedicated entrée course (apart from nuts and a drink), with the meal service moving straight to the main course.
I have mixed feelings about this arrangement. While I understand that most passengers will probably want to get to sleep faster, I also think Qantas should offer the option of a light starter course in Business Class.
In any case, the warmed, salted nuts are as tasty as always, especially with another glass of Duval-Leroy Champagne.
For the main course, I choose the seared cod, which turns out to be an excellent choice. The fish is beautifully cooked, flaky, and is easily one of the highlights of the meal. Interestingly, this isn’t my first memorable cod experience flying out of London. I’ve also enjoyed a particularly good cod dish on Singapore Airlines previously. Must be something in the water.
I don’t feel like any of the heavier desserts, so a simple fruit plate and chamomile tea is enough to finish supper. Overall, the meal takes around 90 minutes, which is faster than my usual experiences with Qantas Business Class dining.
In-flight snacks and breakfast
The Airbus A380 has a snack bar in the front bar/lounge area. When I visit, it’s sparsely stocked with some crisps and water. But the crew are happy to offer snacks on demand, ranging from chocolates to a hot quiche.
Closer to Singapore, Qantas serves its café-style breakfast. I go for the poached egg on toast with tomato shakshuka sauce. On the side is another fruit salad, a freshly squeezed green juice and a pain au chocolat.
As far as breakfasts go, Qantas is pretty decent, and I quite enjoy it. The shakshuka sauce adds plenty of flavour without making the meal feel too heavy. Somehow, the eggs are still slightly runny!
But with a 5pm arrival in Singapore, and many passengers connecting on evening flights to Australia – I presume – I think that a light dinner would be a more appropriate meal instead.
Here’s the whole menu from this leg of the flight.
The Qantas Airbus A380 onboard lounge
One of the unique features of Qantas’ A380 is the onboard lounge for First and Business Class passengers. It’s located upstairs towards the front of the aircraft and provides a space to get out of your seat during the flight. It’s conveniently right in front of my seat (and no, I didn’t hear any particularly bothersome noise when sleeping with earplugs in).
I actually make good use of it during this flight. Rather than spending the entire flight sitting in my seat, I take my laptop up to the lounge and spend a few hours working there with some colleagues.
It’s not like the Qatar Airways or Emirates Airbus A380 bar, but there’s something quite fun about working in a little lounge at the front of an A380 while you’re flying halfway around the world.
Service and amenities
The service throughout the flight is friendly and efficient, with the London-based crew doing a good job of balancing attentive service with allowing passengers to sleep on the overnight sector.
The Business Class cabin comes with the usual Qantas international Business Class amenities, including an amenity kit (now RM Williams), plush bedding and the airline’s signature pyjamas. The A380’s Business Class seats also feature USB-A and AC power outlets.
While sufficient for the flight, there’s nothing particularly groundbreaking about the product. There’s also no inflight Wi-Fi at the time of travel, though Qantas is supposed to be installing Viasat Wi-Fi on the A380s by early 2027. This is still a far slower service than the Starlink Wi-Fi being installed by many competitors, so it’s not an area Qantas will be leading in.
How to book Qantas A380 Business Class with points
An outright Business Class reward seat on this flight from London to Singapore will cost you 113,900 Qantas Points + fees and taxes, if you can find availability. Unfortunately, reward seats aren’t often released on this route, so you’ll probably have better luck with British Airways.
But if you’re booked in a lower cabin, upgrading to Business Class with your Qantas Points is possible and might be the better play, particularly as you also avoid paying the hefty UK APD of £253 (A$475) that’s charged when you’re ticketed in Business or First Class. Thankfully, Qantas doesn’t charge the difference in fees and taxes with points upgrades.
Here are the current costs to upgrade to Qantas Business Class on this flight:
| Original booking class | Qantas Points needed |
| Flight Reward – Economy (e.g. Economy Classic Reward) | 104,600 |
| Discount Economy (e.g. Economy Sale) | Upgrade not permitted |
| Economy (e.g. Economy Saver) | 91,600 |
| Flexible Economy (e.g. Economy Flex) | 50,400 |
| Flight Reward – Premium Economy (e.g. Premium Economy Classic Reward) | 70,600 |
| Discount Premium Economy (e.g. Premium Economy Sale) | 50,400 |
| Premium Economy (e.g. Premium Economy Saver) | 45,800 |
| Flexible Premium Economy (e.g. Premium Economy Flex) | 41,200 |
Qantas upgrades are processed in order of status, amongst other factors. Having Gold status at the time definitely helped my chances. But I’ve also seen plenty of reports of Bronze members getting upgrades – it’s all about timing. If it’s any consolation, your chances are generally higher on an Airbus A380 than on smaller planes, such as the Boeing 787.
Qantas American Express Ultimate
Offer ends: 17 Nov 2026
- Bonus points
- Up to 120,000 bonus Qantas Points¹
- Annual fee
- $450 p.a.
- Earn
- 1.25 Qantas Points earned per $1 on eligible everyday purchases. 2.25 Qantas Points per $1 spent on selected Qantas products and services in Australia. 0.5 Qantas Point per $1 at government bodies in Australia. After a total of 100,000 Qantas Points is earned in a calendar year, the everyday earn rate will change from 1.25 to 1 Qantas Point per $1 spent.
Qantas American Express Ultimate
Offer ends: 17 Nov 2026
- Bonus Points
- Up to 120,000 bonus Qantas Points¹
- Annual Fee
- $450 p.a.
- Earn
- 1.25 Qantas Points earned per $1 on eligible everyday purchases. 2.25 Qantas Points per $1 spent on selected Qantas products and services in Australia. 0.5 Qantas Point per $1 at government bodies in Australia. After a total of 100,000 Qantas Points is earned in a calendar year, the everyday earn rate will change from 1.25 to 1 Qantas Point per $1 spent.
Earn 70,000 bonus Qantas Points¹ with the Qantas American Express Ultimate Card when you apply online by 17 November 2026, are approved, and spend $5,000 in the first 3 months. Plus, an additional 50,000 bonus Qantas Points when you spend a further $5,000 on eligible purchases within the first 3 months of your second year Card Membership. New Amex Card Members only. T&Cs apply.
Our verdict
Qantas’ A380 Business Class may no longer be cutting-edge, but it remains a comfortable and enjoyable way to fly. The lie-flat seat, good food and unique onboard lounge make it a product I’ll miss when the A380s finally leave the fleet.
But the superjumbo’s departure is ultimately a reflection of how long-haul flying has changed. As impressive as the aircraft is, operating a four-engine jet is expensive, particularly when newer twin-engine aircraft can fly similar routes with significantly better fuel efficiency. The uncertainty from the recent fuel crisis certainly doesn’t help, either.
For Qantas, I imagine that maintaining its aging fleet of A380s is increasingly difficult to justify, especially with the reliability issues that are creeping up as well (the August 2026 Johannesburg disruption is a recent example). While I understand the reasons why it’s being phased out, there’s something special about stepping aboard the world’s largest passenger aircraft. You’ve still got a few years to do the same.
Disclaimer: Photography by Brandon Loo, who travelled on a paid fare at Point Hacks’ expense. He upgraded using his own frequent flyer points.
