QANTAS AIRWAYS First Class and Business Class Seat reviews

It’s flat but sure ain't horizontal, very close together. The eggshell shape isolates more than it provides privacy. Laptop Power somewhere under your feet in the dark. Table hinged cantilever - it folds out with no support for the free end. Storage space none. Headphone Jack twist around in the seat and then work out what goes where.

JNB-SYD. Was seated in seat 16A on the upper deck. Was met by friendly crew who helped me with my jacket and cases, proceeded to show me my seat. 16A is by the emergency exit which means no seats in front of you which allows for extra space, real nice. Was offered a drink before take off and my breakfast order was taken shortly after this. Service after take off was very quick with drinks being offered and dinner being served. The food was fantastic along with the great service! I was pleasantly surprised by the Qantas crew as I was expecting bad service but can gladly say they were great but maybe could have gone a little further. Seat was very comfortable and managed 7 hours sleep on the 11hour flight. No sensation of "sliding". Breakfast was served 5 minutes after I woke. Breakfast was fresh and was surprised at how crispy the bacon was. The “quick pass” through immigration that Qantas offers is a real bonus and cuts down on waiting times. All round a top flight and would fly Qantas business on this route with no hesitation.

For the money Qantas command in business class (recent flight from Hong Kong) not to have a flat bed configuration is simply not good enough. Slip factor deters sleep and cabin temperature too hot. On recent flight, no PJs, a cheap amenities kit in a grey bag containing a less than impressive blue plastic box, no toiletries in the bathroom and no fast track offered for customs and immigration through Sydney. Compared to others, the screen and controls for IFE are extremely out of date. Screen so dark that I needed to keep pressing the brighten control to see.

MEL-LAX and LAX-SYD. Both legs were window seats upstairs. The seats were difficult to sleep on because of the slide effect. Also had to clamber over the neighbour to get to the rest room. I'd echo earlier comments about inflight entertainment being switched on late and switched off early. I also noted on the home leg how meals were served early followed by a "lights-out" approach when service seemed to disappear. I generally agree with the 7/10 rating, I was very happy.

My first time in First with Qantas flying SYD to SFO and was interested to see how their product compared with my usual carrier - Singapore Airlines. The cabin and the seats were looking decidely on the shabby side and Qantas have 14 of them compared to 12 on SQ and I was glad there were only 4 passengers as it felt decidely cramped. However the seats themselves were at their best in recline mode - I am of average build and when in bed more - fully flat as it is and as long as it is - it was simply too narrow at the shoulders for me to get comfortable. Somewhat lumpy as well. Decent amount of space but not enough storage and although the IFE was excellent in choice and was on demand it was let down by truly tiny and inflexible screens - way behind their competitors. All in all Qantas are not in the league of either SQ or CX when it comes to their seating in First Class but hopefully this will be addressed with their new Airbuses though it remains to be seen if they will upgrade their 747s as well.

Seats are looking past their sell-by dates and I was glad that there were only 4 passengers out of a possible 14 as the cabin feels cramped compared to that of Singapore Airlines or Cathay Pacific. The seat was comfortable in sitting mode but less so as a bed. For me it was simply not wide enough - if only the armrests were retractable! That said the service was excellent as was the food - no complaints at all. TV monitor was both on the small side and very limited in its movement so hard to see it depending on your position.

LAX to BN. Angle of the lie flat seats meant that you always felt as if you were sliding, very difficult to sleep. Qantas take forever to turn on in flight entertainment and turn it off about 40 minutes before landing; irritating and unnecessary. Food OK, Pyjamas comfortable, wines good. IFE not very good. When not asleep, realised that the seats were just plain uncomfortable and awkward. Storage room for seats at front row of the Bubble was great and access for window seat passenger was also good. Meals insufficient for such a long flight, true you could order a snack, but with the cabin darkened and the crew chatting to each other, that was awkward. On the plus side, the crew are very nice and very welcoming. Loved the express pass that is provided to expedite customs and immigration in Australia.

SIN-LHR. Cabin very cramped. Bed service not completely satisfying (only mattress provided but no real duvet). Also quality of amenities (ie. pyjamas) could be improved. But these drawbacks are caught by the provided service.

Earlier reviews have been archived (prior to the date of last review above).