With its flagship flight number, Qantas’ QF1 proudly shuttles passengers from Sydney to London via Singapore. In First, Business and Premium Economy, you’ll find the airline’s latest products to match. But in Economy, little has changed over the years beyond refreshed seat cushions.
Still, the Airbus A380 is a spacious plane, and the Economy cabin benefits from wide seats and a sense of airiness that just can’t be replicated on the Boeing 787. With Qantas also recently revamping international Economy dining, here’s what it’s like to spend over 22 hours in the air on the long trek from Sydney to London.
Check-in and lounge
Sydney to Singapore
Sydney International Airport’s Terminal 1 is reasonably calm in the afternoon. Qantas Economy passengers need to check in through self-serve kiosks, but ground staff can help if you run into any snags.
Business Class priority check-in is available to anyone with Qantas Silver (oneworld Ruby) status and higher, while Qantas’ semi-private First Class check-in area welcomes Platinum frequent flyers (oneworld Emerald) and higher – even if they’re travelling in Economy.
Those same Platinum-grade passengers (or their guests – as I was guested in) will undoubtedly make themselves comfortable in the fabulous Qantas International First Lounge. From the Autumn menu, I heartily recommend the crispy spiced duck with grilled plum, plus ‘The Continental’, a zesty concoction of Four Pillars x Lune Croissanterie gin with Four Pillars orange marmalade and Cointreau.
Qantas Gold frequent flyers, Qantas Club members and passengers with single-use Qantas lounge passes can access the nearby International Business Lounge instead.
Point Hacks pro tip: Even if you don’t qualify for Qantas lounge access, you may have access to the American Express Centurion Lounge through selected Amex cards. You may also have complimentary Priority Pass visits from certain bank reward cards which could grant access to the Plaza Premium Lounge or The House lounge at Sydney International T1.
This lounge experience is not a standard inclusion of Qantas Economy and does not contribute to the score.
Over at the gate, my Qantas Gold status grants me priority boarding in Group 2. However, most Economy passengers will board in Groups 3-6, which fills the main deck of the Airbus A380 from back to front. Qantas is relatively new to group boarding, but it does seem to be running smoothly now.
Transfer and lounge
Singapore to London
Similarly, Qantas’ excellent Business and First Lounges await during the 130-minute stop in Singapore. But you’ll only have around 90 minutes before boarding recommences and must clear security at the gate again. If you want to freshen up before the second leg, book a shower as soon as you enter or you’ll likely miss out.
Chef Linda’s menu never disappoints. This visit, I’m blown away by the crispy skin assam barramundi with roti paratha. Bar Supervisor, Angeline, also whips up a Ju Pu for me to try. It’s an eye-catching, sweet, earthy cocktail with chrysanthemum-infused pisco, Suze, agave, and cold brew pu er tea.
This lounge experience is not a standard inclusion of Qantas Economy and does not contribute to the score.
Even if a lounge visit isn’t on the cards, there’s plenty to do and eat at Changi Airport Terminal 1. The transit time will fly by. Those with Priority Pass visits can also hit up the Plaza Premium Lounge nearby.
Qantas Airbus A380 Economy cabin and seats
If you’ve booked the entire QF1 journey over to London, it’s usually the same plane and seat across both flights. I decide to sit close to the back as it looks quieter on the seat map.
From Sydney to Singapore, my gamble pays off as I enjoy an entire centre row of four seats to myself. From Singapore to London, it’s a 100% full flight. As they say, your mileage will vary.
Firstly, the good. Qantas’ Airbus A380s have a standard 3-4-3 layout in Economy. Seats are reasonably wide at 17.7″ (45 cm) across, while seat pitch and recline are standard at 32″ (81.3 cm) and 6″ (15.2 cm), respectively.
I’m a big fan of the ‘foot net’ under each seat, which cradles your legs and feet when you recline. Traditional swing-out legrests generally don’t work for me, but the foot net does. Finally, the new seat cushions and upholstery give the spacious Airbus A380 cabin a modern look.
What’s not so hot? The Panasonic eX2 in-flight entertainment screen is glaringly outdated now. Expect poor screen resolution (by today’s standards) and a stubbornly unresponsive interface. Qantas’ A380s are also quite a while away from getting Wi-Fi fitted.
There’s an AC power port shared between each adjacent seat, though everyone gets their own (under-powered) USB-A port. Finally, this older Recaro seat has armrests that don’t go fully upright, making it difficult to share the space with a travel companion or stretch out if you happen to land an entire row to yourself.
Overall, it’s a reasonably comfortable seat for the long journey to London. However, the ‘soft touches’ like inflight entertainment and onboard connectivity pale in comparison to all of Qantas’ competitors with updated Airbus A380 Economy cabins, including Singapore Airlines, Emirates and Qatar Airways.
Qantas Airbus A380 Economy food and drinks
Sydney to Singapore
It turns out there’s another benefit to sitting at the back – we get some of our meals served first. After take-off, the cheerful cabin crew come around to offer a drink service. I opt for Qantas’ Aviation Spritz, a curatif created with Four Pillars. It’s served with a snack mix.
The bar carts are laden with soft drinks (Bundaberg Ginger Beer is popular), Australian wines and a wide range of spirits. This is an area where Qantas excels.
For lunch, there’s a choice of:
- Vegetarian biryani
- Braised Angus beef with roast vegetables and mash
- Chicken egg noodles with bok choy.
Qantas’ updated international Economy dining now adds a small tray and cheese and crackers to the mix, plus there’s now room for the focaccia instead of having to balance it on the lid.
The braised Angus beef might not plate up the best, but it’s a tasty and tenderly-cooked piece of protein which pairs excellently with the creamy mash. For dessert, we finish with a Bulla ‘passionfruit panna cotta’ ice cream, which is quite an interesting flavour combination.
Right at the back of the plane is a self-serve galley stocked with water, Coke Zero and Bundaberg Ginger Beer. On the second leg to Singapore, you’ll also find some assorted snacks, such as Tim Tams, plus mini amenity kits and spare pillows nearby. It’s also a great area to walk around and stretch throughout the journey.
Before we arrive in Singapore, the crew hand out steaming boxes of mandu, or Korean-style dumplings. It’s one of the best boxed hot snacks I’ve had in Economy – hope Qantas keeps this on the menu!
Singapore to London
After dining in the Qantas First Lounge, I have no appetite for a second dinner onboard. But for those who do want to eat, there’s a choice of the following, served with herb bread and a slice of banana cheesecake:
- Tomato cream linguine with spinach, mushroom and grated parmesan
- Braised soybean beef brisket with steamed rice, choi sum and carrot
- Seafood mee siam goreng with bean sprout and boiled egg
Credit where it’s due: all three options sound delicious. As for me, I settle back with a whisky and soda and spend the next 12 hours alternating between naps, listening to music on my phone (via noise-cancelling earbuds, of course), reading on my Kindle, and trying to watch inflight entertainment on the fuzzy screen.
When it’s finally time for breakfast, the crew serve from front to back. Luckily, there’s still my preferred choice of seasonal fruit plate available. Light and refreshing, it comes with a traditional Greek yoghurt and a banana muffin. The other option is a baked egg with streaky bacon, baked beans, roasted tomato and hash brown.
Onboard amenities and service
The crew on both flights are personable and easy-going, which helps to set the relaxed nature that Qantas flights are usually known for. For example, my request to have a whisky and soda instead of dinner isn’t something they can do from the meal cart, but a cabin crew member happily heads back to the galley to fix one up for me.
Qantas’ inflight entertainment catalogue is quite decent. New release movies for March include Wicked, A Complete Unknown and Mufasa. There are many complete TV box sets to peruse and a wide range of music albums if you’ve forgotten to take your Spotify offline.
Speaking of being offline, Qantas’ Airbus A380s are still a year or two away from being refitted with international Wi-Fi. For now, don’t forget to pre-download whatever content you need for the 22 hours in the air.
I recommend bringing a small charger and cable to top up your phone as the provided USB-A port is lacklustre. There’s one power point between every two seats in Economy, but it doesn’t look like many passengers use them, so chances are one will be available.
Basic headphones are provided at each seat, but bring your own if you value comfort and noise cancellation. You’ll also find a pillow and a blanket. On the longer leg to London, passengers are offered a small amenity pouch with an eyemask and earplugs.
How to book this flight with points
As one of the longest one-way Qantas flights you can book with points, a reward seat in Economy is capped at a maximum of 55,200 Qantas Points. At the time of writing, fees and taxes are around A$267 one-way (however, this is higher departing out of London because of the UK Air Passenger Duty).
If you’re planning to fly before July 2026, make sure to lock in your booking before 4 August 2025. From 5 August, you’ll need 63,500 Qantas Points + fees and taxes to book this same reward seat. That’s a 15% increase!
Our verdict
I arrive in London feeling surprisingly refreshed. The Airbus A380 remains one of the best aircraft for long-haul travel, and Qantas delivers solid service and dining. QF1 is clearly still a popular route across all cabins.
That said, Qantas’ A380 Economy cabin hasn’t seen a significant update beyond new seat covers. With Singapore Airlines, Emirates, and Qatar Airways offering the latest cabin features on their A380s for the same journey, Qantas is no longer as competitive on this route. You could also argue that all three carriers offer a superior Economy dining experience with proper appetisers, desserts, plus cheese and crackers on the tray.
The difference isn’t as stark in the premium cabins. When I fly back to Singapore, I use points to upgrade to Business on QF2. Here, Qantas holds its own against the top-tier carriers. I wish it were the same story in Economy.
Also read:
- Review: Qantas International First Lounge, Sydney
- Review: Qantas International Business Lounge, Sydney
- Review: Qantas International First Lounge, Singapore
- Review: Qantas International Business Lounge, Singapore
Photography by Brandon Loo, who travelled at Point Hacks’ expense.
There are plenty of other publications reviewing Economy from the angle of the everyday, status-less traveller, and those reviews are widely available elsewhere online and in print – but that’s mainstream media, not Point Hacks. At Point Hacks, we focus on how to ‘win’ when it comes to travelling – and building frequent flyer status to make Economy Class flying more enjoyable is a key pillar of that.
In any case, as the story notes, “This lounge experience is not a standard inclusion of Qantas Economy and does not contribute to the score.”
On top of this, the decision of using a non standard part of the economy experience meant you weren’t able to fully review the meal options across all legs.
Point Hacks once again proving its bias to try and make QF look better than it actually is. Either fly economy properly or don’t bother reviewing it at all.