Qantas has two first class award seats on the Airbus 380 from Los Angeles to Sydney for December 31. While I won’t be claiming those seats, for anyone that doesn’t have plans I’d say there’s no better way to ring in the New Year (short of actually being in Sydney, perhaps).

Anyone want to claim them? It’s only 72,500 American miles per person.

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As I deplaned I noticed something was wrong, though I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was. By process of elimination, I quickly realized that perhaps wearing pajamas in the terminal wasn’t the best idea. And by that I mean perhaps it was the worst idea. Ever.

You know when a seat poacher tries to take a first class seat during boarding and then has to take the “walk of shame” back to coach when the flight attendant kicks them out? Yeah, well that’s how I felt all the way to the Qantas lounge. It certainly doesn’t help that the pajamas were a light color and I’m pretty pale, so I probably was mistaken by some people for Casper the Ghost.

I finally made it to the first class lounge, where I figured it was going to get better — surely someone else had the same idea to wear pajamas? Nope. I quickly ran to the shower rooms to shower and change.

So much for my “brilliant” idea. Must have been the “wine tasting” that put me in that state of mind…

This time around the first class lounge was packed as there were multiple flights leaving to Europe and Australia. The snack selection was fine, though that was the last thing on my mind.

First class lounge

First class lounge

Snack selection

Drink selection

The shower rooms have an interesting design given that there’s a “ring” on them with the shower rooms on the outside.

Shower rooms

Shower room

Shower room

The shower itself didn’t have any sort of a door, which meant I damn near flooded the place by the time I was done. I tend to “splash,” though clearly not as much as this lady.

Shower

After a shower and changing back into “normal” clothes I was feeling good and ready to fly. I briefly hopped on my laptop to try and catch up on a few things, though the wifi was dreadfully slow.

About 10 minutes after boarding was announced in the lounge I headed back to the gate, which was maybe a 10 minute walk.

Heading back to gate

Changi airport has security at each individual gate, which is both a curse and a blessing. Qantas flies two Airbus 380s from Singapore to London within an hour of each other in the evenings from the same gate area, so in tonight’s case, it’s a curse.

There was a “priority” security line, though there was no enforcement, so everyone ended up using it.

Security checkpoint for two A380s

What I hadn’t realized, however, was that nearly all the passengers were booked on the other (later) Airbus 380 flight. By the time I made it to the gate, I was basically the last passenger to board.

Qantas Airways 9
Singapore (SIN) – London (LHR)
Tuesday, May 24
Depart: 11:05PM
Arrive: 5:40AM
Duration: 13hr35min
Aircraft: Airbus 380
Seat: 2A (First Class)

Once aboard I was escorted to my seat and immediately offered a beverage. It’s worth noting that this crew was London based as opposed to Melbourne based. The London crews exclusively fly to Asia and back for Qantas, so it’s not a half bad gig — three trips a month and you’re done!

Anyway, the flight attendant working my aisle introduced himself and asked what I’d like to drink. I went with a Diet Coke, which was served olives, and some flatbread and spread.

Diet Coke and Sea Salt Lavosh, Eggplant Dip and Gordal Olives

I was once again offered pajamas and an amenity kit, which made my third or fourth set, plus a hot towel.

Amenity kit and (more) pajamas

Within a few minutes we pushed back and started our quick taxi to the runway.

SkyCam

Cabin view

Other A380 heading to London

Taxiing

Ready for takeoff

The takeoff roll was surprisingly quick for a 13 hour flight (and the fuel, cargo, passengers, and captain’s ego that come with it), and with that I reclined my seat and got comfortable for what would be a stress-free 13 hours.

Seat controls

Within 10 minutes the seatbelt sign was turned off, and shortly after that the captain made a welcome aboard announcement informing us of our flight time of 13hr10min. As the crew set up the galley the customer service manager came by to greet all the first class passengers by name and give us the menus.

Menu

The menu on this flight read as follows:

Singapore to London

SUPPER
Our extensive Rockpool designed menu allows you to enjoy a completely personalized dining experience. Your Flight Attendant will be pleased to assist you with selection.

CANAPES

Sea Salt Lavosh, Eggplant Dip and Gordal Olives

ENTRESS

Cream of Leek Soup with Chives

Smoked Salmon and Artichoke Salad with Herb Vinaigrette

LIGHT MEALS

Big bowl of Porcini Mushroom and Pearl Barley Soup

Pumpkin and Gorgonzola Pizzette with Rocket Salad

Our signature Steak Sandwich with Tomato and Chilli Relish

MAIN COURSES

Warm Eggplant Stack with Roast Peppers, Herbed Goats Cheese and Pesto

Sea Bass with Tomato, Chilli and Caper Sauce, Sugar Snaps and Potatoes

Nonya Style Chicken with Lemongrass and Ginger, Fragrant Rice and Bok Choy

SIDE SALAD

Salad of Baby Leaves with your choice of dressing

Aged Balsamic and Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Fresh Lemon Juice and Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Red Wine Vinaigrette

CHEESE

Hand selected blue, soft and hard cheese served with accompaniments

DESSERT

Hazelnut and Coffee Syrup Cake with Mascarpone and Figs

Baked Custard with Blueberry Compote

Nice Cream Chocolate Coated Raspberry Ice Cream

Whole or Sliced Fresh Seasonal Fruit

PETITS FOURS

A selection of Cacao hand made chocolates

Manna from Heaven Jaffa Cake

Candied Lemon Shortbread

And for those of you interested in the wine list, here it is:

WHITE WINE

Tappanappa Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay 2008
Piccadilly Valley, South Australia

Pewsey Vale Vineyard Pinot Gris 2009
Eden Valley, South Australia

Grossed Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2010
Clare Valley, South Australia

RED WINE

Penfolds St Henri Shiraz 2004
McLaren Vale and Barossa Valley, South Australia

Spring Vale Melrose Pinot Noir 2010
Tasmania

Mount Mary Vineyard Quintet Cabernet 2006
Yarra Valley, Victoria

DESSERT WINE

De Bortolli Noble One Botrytis Semillon 2007
Riverina, New South Wales

After the amazing tasting menu on the previous flight, I wasn’t quite as hungry this time around, though still didn’t want to miss out on the meal service. Therefore I “just” went with an appetizer, main, and dessert.

For the appetizer I had the smoked salmon salad, which was delicious. As I’ve said in the previous two installments, Qantas’ first meals aren’t as “fancy” as those of some other airlines, but they’re infinitely more tasty. Qantas has obviously realized that what tastes well on the ground doesn’t always taste great in the air, which is a lesson some other top carriers could learn.

Smoked Salmon and Artichoke Salad with Herb Vinaigrette

Smoked Salmon and Artichoke Salad with Herb Vinaigrette

I wasn’t especially hungry by the time the main course was served though ended up deciding on the steak sandwich, which is really a “light meal” option on their menu, but oh-so-delicious.

Signature Steak Sandwich with Tomato and Chilli Relish

After that came dessert, and I went with the custard.

Baked Custard with Blueberry Compote

Just like on my other flights, the meal experience was spectacular. The food was truly the tastiest I’ve had in the sky, and the service was consistent. The flight attendant working my aisle on this flight was very friendly, though as is a theme on Qantas, the service is very slow (which I’m thinking is somewhat intentional). My three course meal took about two hours, which was totally fine by me since I was enjoying it.

By the time the meal service was done I was feeling quite exhausted and wanted to get some rest, so I asked the flight attendant to make my bed. He did so with great care and took at least five minutes to get all the creases out and make it perfectly presentable — very Singapore-esque. He also placed a bottle of water on my fold out table.

Most comfortable bed in the sky

Bottled water

I slept amazingly well for six hours, probably the best airplane sleep I’ve ever gotten, and woke up with five hours to go to London. As much as I wanted to go back to sleep, I couldn’t, so I ordered some tea and watched some sitcoms.

Tea

I also went with some raspberry ice cream off the menu, which was delicious.

Ice cream!

All ruffled up

After that I decided it was time to stretch my legs, so I did “the lap,” going up the stairs through business class and premium economy, down the rear spiral staircase, and back to first class on the lower deck.

This is where it gets kind of funny. On the lower deck there are thick curtains between coach and first class, so I passed through them as I was trying to get to my seat. As I get through the curtains one of the flight attendants says in a raised voice “sir, you can’t go here, this is first class! You just can’t pass through the curtain like that.” Mind you, I’m wearing first class pajamas. The male flight attendant seated there almost starts to chuckle, before he addresses her by name and says “ya know, I think he might just be in first class, he is wearing the pajamas.”

The flight attendant was overly-apologetic when she realized her mistake, and even said “we’re just trying to keep your cabin nice and private.”

When I got back to my seat there were still a few hours to go, so I decided to watch a few episodes of The Big Bang Theory. What shocked me was that it was already light outside. Given that the flight arrives at 5:40AM and departs Singapore late at night, I figured it wouldn’t be light three or four hours before landing.

Sunrise way too early!

After a bit of TV I got my laptop out to start getting a bit of work done. I managed to work for about two hours before I was offered breakfast, which I immediately accepted since I was once again hungry (the joys of sitting and doing nothing all day).

Service started with a hot towel.

Hot towel

The breakfast menu read as follows:

BREAKFAST
Create your favourite Breakfast from our extensive Rockpool deisgned menu. Your Flight Attendant will be pleased to assist you with your selection.

Orange Juice

Apple Juice

Tomato Juice

Five Star Sunraysia Mango Liquid Fruit

Five Star Sunraysia Pear Liquid Fruit

Mango Energiser Drink

Fresh Fruit Salad

Bircher Muesli

Toasted Muesli

Cereal Selection

Yoghurt and Honey

Toast

Croissant

Pain au Raisin

Strawberry Jam, Orange Marmalade, Honey, Vegemite

HOT SELECTION

Scrambled Eggs, Potato and Sweet Corn Cakes, Smoked Salmon and Tomato Ragout

French Toast with Grilled Bacon, Maple Syrup, Spiced Appled

Buttermilk Pancakes with Glazed Oranges and Vanilla Yogurt

I went with coffee, orange juice, fruit, a croissant, and the scrambled eggs.

I was first offered the orange juice, which tasted very “fresh,” not like “airplane” orange juice.

Fresh fruit and orange juice

Next I was offered coffee and a croissant, which was also tasty and still warm.

Croissant

The main course consisted of scrambled eggs, salmon, and sweet corn cakes. This was literally the tastiest breakfast I’ve ever had. No, not the best airplane breakfast, but literally the best breakfast dish I’ve ever had… anywhere.

Scrambled Eggs, Potato and Sweet Corn Cakes, Smoked Salmon and Tomato Ragout

The plus side to it getting light so early was that the SkyCam view was breathtaking.

Contrails

The down side to the SkyCam is that two hours before landing (as breakfast was starting) the first officer came on the PA to “alleviate any worries regarding what we might be seeing on SkyCam.” He explained that the contrails coming out of the engines on SkyCam were completely normal, as apparently some passengers were concerned about this.

I’m worried over time that SkyCam will become like Channel 9 on United, as we have more “armchair” pilots. I’ve seen threads where A380 passengers critiqued the pilot’s landing based on what they saw on SkyCam, etc. It’s an amazing feature, so I hope people start to realize that the guys up front know what they’re doing.

Contrails

About 90 minutes out of London we passed over Vienna, which is where I was connecting to, so while I was quite looking forward to the remaining 90 minutes to London, I wasn’t looking forward to the 90 minutes in which I would have to endure “Euro Business.”

Almost there

Contrails

30 minutes before landing the captain came on the PA to advise us of our on-time arrival in London. About 10 minutes before landing the seatbelt sign was switched on and we began our descent into London.

Final approach

After a smooth touchdown and long taxi we made it to our gate at terminal 3. For whatever reason the jet bridge that was supposed to go to the first class door (1L) didn’t deploy, so we had to disembark through 2L.

Approaching the gate

While I’ll cover the remainder of the trip in the next installment, I have to say that my journey on Qantas exceeded my expectations in every way. I didn’t know what to expect with the Airbus 380 and was convinced the plane was more hype than anything else. It really isn’t, it’s a whole new flying experience. Between how quiet the plane, the onboard lounge, SkyCam, and the general spaciousness, I was convinced I wasn’t in the sky for most of my journey.

It’s easy to feel like a flight was amazing right when you get off the plane, but over a month later I’m still marveling at how amazing Qantas was. The seat was among the best I’ve ever experienced. The food was the best I’ve ever had on any airline. And the service was also very, very good.

Anyway, more to come with the next installment, as I negotiate with the UK’s finest security officers…

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After a most enjoyable visit to the first class lounge, it was time for the only stressful part of my travel day — trying to actually board the plane.

I had waited about 10 minutes beyond the initial boarding call in the lounge to head to the gate, though that only resulted in longer queues. As I mentioned in a previous installment, the issue with A380 boarding is that first class is on the lower deck (along with economy), while business class and premium economy are on the upper deck. That means that first class has to queue with economy, putting me in line behind about 300 people.

Departure gate

Hey there!

The other issue is that there was no first class jet bridge, which meant I had to wait in the long coach jet bridge. Of course that’s not a problem in the slightest, since I knew the upcoming 23 hours would be utmost enjoyable.

And a close up of her

Qantas Airways 9
Melbourne (MEL) – Singapore (SIN)
Tuesday, May 24
Depart: 3:30PM
Arrive: 9:20PM
Duration: 7hr50min
Aircraft: Airbus 380
Seat: 2A (First Class)

At the door each passenger was greeted by the friendly crew, and as soon as they saw my first class boarding pass they called over another flight attendant to direct me to my seat.

Seat 2A

Before I could even settle in I was welcomed aboard by one of the flight attendants and offered a drink. I went with champagne, which was served with almonds and olives.

Pre-departure beverage

Buddy seat and entertainment system

Shortly thereafter I was offered an amenity kit and pajamas. I already had a pair of large PJs, so asked if I could get a pair of medium PJs for my dad. The flight attendant returned with an extra pair shortly, and insisted I keep both. Score, given that most airlines are very stingy about PJs and amenity kits.

Amenity kit and PJs

As boarding finished up the 15 seat first class cabin had one empty seat, so it was once again a near full load. The captain came on the PA to advise us of our flight time of 7hr30min, and shortly thereafter we began our taxi to the runway.

Taxiing out

More taxiing

After a 10 minute taxi and quick acceleration we were airborne. The A380 really seems to take off in no time, and at least feels to me like it has a shorter roll than the B747 or A340.

Airborne

After watching the SkyCam for about 10 minutes I turned on the entertainment system and decided to watch an episode of “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Flight time remaining

A few minutes later the seatbelt sign was turned off and the customer service manager greeted each first class passenger and distributed the menus. He advised me that there was a “tasting menu” on today’s flight, and highly recommended it.

Just a couple of minutes later the captain gave each first class passenger a visit at their seat to introduce himself, tell us about the flight, etc. We talked for about five minutes about the A380, and he invited me to visit the cockpit after the flight. Kudos to the captain for the greeting.

Menu

Menu

Hot towels were quickly distributed, followed by a beverage. I passed on a beverage for now in anticipation of the tasting menu. Qantas’ menus really have an outstanding selection, so while I was tempted by some of the other options, in the end decided on the tasting menu.

The menu read as follows:

Melbourne to Singapore

TASTING MENU
Our Tasting Menu features a selection of eight tasting plates highlighting the finest of Rockpool and Qantas cuisine. A selection of award winning wines will be offered to complement each course. Your Flight Attendant is available to assist you with your selection.

Tartlet of Lobster and Lemon Creme Fraiche

Maggie Beer Pheasant Farm Pate with Caramelised Onions on Sourdough

Cream of Cauliflower Soup with Parmesan and Croutons

Yamba Prawn Salad with White Beans and Serrano Ham

Snapper Poached in Coconut Milk and Garam Masala, Fine Egg Noodles and Snow Peas

Slow Roasted Cape Grim Beef Sirloin with Anchovy Butter, Baby Carrots and Potato Gratin

Salad of Baby Cos, Radicchio and Frisee with Palm Sugar Vinaigrette

Chocolate Caramel Tart with Creme Fraiche and Almond Praline

Blue, soft and hard cheese, hand selected by Will Studd, Maitre Fromager Calendar Cheese Company served with accompaniments

A selection of Cacao hand made chocolates

DINNER
Our extensive Rockpool designed menu allows you to enjoy a completely personalized dining experience. Your Flight Attendant will be pleased to assist you with selection.

CANAPES

Tartlet of Lobster and Lemon Creme Fraiche

Maggie Beer Pheasant Farm Pate with Caramelised Onions on Sourdough

SALADS AND OTHER THINGS

Cream of Cauliflower Soup with Parmesan and Croutons

Yamba Prawn Salad with White Beans and Serrano Ham

Salad of Wagyu Bresaolo with Grillen Fennel

LIGHT MEALS

Pan Fried Snapper with Lemon and Olive Oil Dressing and Steamed Vegetables

Pumpkin Gorgonzola Pizzette with Rocket Salad

Big bowl of Porcini Mushroom and Pearl Barley Soup with Gremolata

Moroccan Lamb Pot Pie with Harissa

Our signature Steak Sandwich with Tomato and Chilli Relish

MAIN COURSES

Lentil Moussaka with Red Pepper Sauce and Green Beans

Snapper Poached in Coconut Milk and Garam Masala, Fine Egg Noodles and Snow Peas

Parmesan Crumbed Chicken with Italian Style Coleslaw, Kipfler Potatoes and Aioli

Chinese Barbecue Porm Omelette with Oyster Sauce, Rice and Bok Choy

Slow Roasted Cape Grim Beef Sirloin with Anchovy Butter, Baby Carrots and Potato Gratin

SIDE SALAD

Salad of Baby Cos, Radicchio and Frisee with your choice of dressing

Aged Balsamic and Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Fresh Lemon Juice and Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Palm Sugar Vinaigrette

CHEESE

Blue, soft and hard cheese, hand selected by Will Studd, Maitre Fromager Calendar Cheese Company served with accompaniments

DESSERT

Chocolate Caramel Tart with Creme Fraiche and Almond Praline

Baked Treacle Pie with Roasted Apples and Clotted Cream

Whole or Sliced Seasonal Fruit

Nice Cream Chocolate Coated Raspberry Ice Cream

PETITS FOURS

A selection of Cacao hand made chocolates

Manna from Heaven Jaffa Cake

Candied Lemon Shortbread

And for those of you interested in the wine list, here it is:

WHITE WINE

Tappanappa Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay 2008
Piccadilly Valley, South Australia

Pewsey Vale Vineyard Pinot Gris 2009
Eden Valley, South Australia

Grossed Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2010
Clare Valley, South Australia

RED WINE

Penfolds St Henri Shiraz 2004
McLaren Vale and Barossa Valley, South Australia

Spring Vale Melrose Pinot Noir 2010
Tasmania

Mount Mary Vineyard Quintet Cabernet 2006
Yarra Valley, Victoria

DESSERT WINE

De Bortolli Noble One Botrytis Semillon 2007
Riverina, New South Wales

Not too shabby, if you ask me!

One of the things that I love about first class as opposed to business class is that the meal service is an experience as opposed to just a decent meal. And this “tasting menu” on Qantas was quite possibly the best meal experience I’ve ever had on a plane.

The meal started off with a glass of wine (forgive me for not writing down the details) and small plate which made up the first course.

Wine tasting

Tartlet of Lobster and Lemon Creme Fraiche and Maggie Beer Pheasant Farm Pate with Caramelised Onions on Sourdough

After that the meal service got serious, with enough glassware and utensils to cater a US Airways flight (oh, wait…).

Table setup

The next course was a delicious cauliflower soup which was just the right temperature. The meal service was very, very slow, though the execution of each course was flawless. After all, part of the “experience” is not feeling rushed. And the service was also top notch throughout.

Cream of Cauliflower Soup with Parmesan and Croutons

Bread was offered with each course as well.

Bread

The next course was the prawn salad with beans and ham. Simply amazing.

Yamba Prawn Salad with White Beans and Serrano Ham

The first main course was served next, which was snapper. It was tasty and just the right size.

Snapper Poached in Coconut Milk and Garam Masala, Fine Egg Noodles and Snow Peas

As I mentioned service was on the slow side (in a good way, though), and as the first main course finished up we were about 1,200 miles into our journey. The first officer came on the PA to advise us that Ayers Rock would be visible from the right of the aircraft in just a couple of minutes.

I loved the fact that he made that announcement, and not only that, but as we passed over the rock they banked right a bit so that all passengers would have the view, even those seated over the wing. Talk about a class act and going above and beyond.

Since I was on the left side of the plane I took a peak out the window of the one empty first class seat on the other side of the aircraft.

Suffice it to say that Ayers Rock is now on my list of places to see!

Ayers Rock

First class aisle

By the time I moved back to my seat the second main course was ready, which was a beef sirloin. Again, all I can say is “wow.”

Slow Roasted Cape Grim Beef Sirloin with Anchovy Butter, Baby Carrots and Potato Gratin

That was served with a side salad.

Salad

Wine tasting

The dessert consisted of a caramel tart, which was also rich.

Chocolate Caramel Tart with Creme Fraiche and Almond Praline

The last course was a cheese plate, which I just nibbled at.

Cheese plate

To finish off the meal I ordered a coffee and White Russian, which were served with a praline.

Coffee

Before anyone calls me names, let me say in my defense that this was literally the biggest meal I’ve ever had. Ever. And probably the best…

Once the meal was finished I was offered a bottle of water, which was placed on my fold out tray.

Bottled water

At this point I lowered the curtains and turned on SkyCam again to see the beautiful sunset.

Sunset

I figured I needed to get a bit of movement, so I headed to the upper deck lounge. One of the other first class passengers went up there as well, and we both sat down on the coach in our PJs. It was kind of funny, because at least a couple of business class passengers walked through the curtain, only to immediately turn around in pure horror when they saw us sitting there in our PJs.

I started talking with the other first class passenger, and had one of those embarrassing moments. You know when you’re on a plane and you sit next to one of those “know it all” types that tells you all about a field that you obviously know much more about, but you’re too modest to admit it? For example, I’ve been on a countless number of United flights where clueless seatmates tell me about how upgrades on United work, the benefits of their status, etc.

Yeah, well this might have been exactly this situation, in reverse. He was Australian and we started talking about our favorite cities, where we were heading, etc. Eventually we got to talking about our favorite cities, and I mentioned Queenstown, New Zealand. I talked about how exciting the approach into the airport was, among other things.

Then we started talking about the career of a pilot. I started telling him that I used to want to be a pilot and had always wanted to work for Cathay Pacific. I told him a bit about their hiring practices, requirements, the fact that they only have widebodies, etc.

After talking to him for about 30 minutes, he finally talks about what he does. He’s in charge of the 737 fleet (which they happen to fly to Queenstown!) for Qantas and worked for Cathay Pacific for 10 years. FML.

So while I think everything I said was factually correct, I was so embarrassed to have been telling him my perspective on the two things he’s probably most knowledgeable about. Once I figured out what he did, we talked for another 90 minutes or so about his job, which was fascinating to hear about.

And I’m sure the question will come up — yes, he was on an ID90 ticket flying on a standby basis, and managed to get first class, though I assume it takes a certain rank/level of seniority to get first class on Qantas. He was awesome to talk to, though. He was continuing on to London, though unfortunately I didn’t see him in the first class cabin on the next flight, which went out full.

The upper deck has a nice self serve area set up with drinks and snacks, including nuts, fruit, truffles, etc.

Self serve area

Snacks

I walked through the massive business class cabin. Fortunately the cabin was dark, or I would have felt a bit conscience in my PJs.

Business class cabin

I then decided to take the rear spiral staircase down to the lower deck.

Rear straircase

Rear staircase

I was surprised to find the rear galley totally empty. I figured it would be crowded given how many coach seats there are and figured people would want to stretch their legs, though I was the only one there. They have a nice self serve drink and snack area there, with some really, really tasty cookies.

Coach self serve area

Coach snacks

The coach cabin was huge, though seats appeared to be fairly comfortable with some of the biggest personal TVs I’ve seen in coach.

Coach

I then decided to get a bit of work done so worked on my laptop for an hour or so.

About 60 minutes before landing the flight attendants came around to see if anyone wanted anything. I wasn’t hungry, though couldn’t help but put at least a bit more of a dent in the menu, given how much I had yet to try.

I decided on the “pizzette,” which it took the crew about 10 minutes to prepare. It was basically a tasty mini-pizza.

Pumpkin Gorgonzola Pizzette with Rocket Salad

At that point we began our gradual descent into Singapore, and I took the opportunity to freshen up (brush my teeth, etc.). By the time I brushed my teeth I didn’t realize we were literally just a few minutes out of Singapore, so I returned to my seat, still in my PJs.

Approaching Singapore

During the final descent I convinced myself it would be a good idea to just stay in my PJs, given that I had another 13 hours of flying ahead of me.

We touched down in Singapore and had a quick taxi to the gate, where the seatbelt sign was immediately turned off.

Short final

Taxiing to gate

Once at the gate I retrieved my bags, still in my PJs. As we waited for the door to open, the flight attendant said to me “you know, you can still change out of those if you want.” Clearly exhaustion, jetlag, and international travel does crazy things to you, since I should have probably taken that as a hint…

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My lounge experience really started the night before my flight, when I had read on FlyerTalk that it was possible to pre-book a spa treatment in the Qantas lounge as a first class passenger. While OneWorld Emerald members also have access to the first class lounge, they can only book treatments day-of on a standby basis. Apparently the first class concierge calls first class passengers the day before the flight, though I wasn’t using my phone while traveling internationally, so I had no way of being contacted.

I had no sense as to how much competition there was for what I assume are a fairly limited number of appointments, so I was determined to find a way to contact them. I could only find the phone number for the Qantas first class lounge in Sydney, so I gave them a call on Skype and asked them for the phone number for the Melbourne lounge. They gave me a number, though no one ever picked up when I dialed it. I then called reservations, and they were able to connect me to the first class concierge office, though it was closed for the evening, so I left a voicemail for them. It was tough to leave a call back number, given that I was calling from Skype, so I just told them I was staying at the Park Hyatt and what room I was in.

Surprisingly enough I got a call early the next morning, and they confirmed my 30 minute massage for 1PM. Fantastic.

I had heard great things about the Qantas first class lounge, so booked an 11AM shuttle, allowing me plenty of time to check-in and catch up on email. The ride to the airport took just under 30 minutes, and I was dropped off at international departures.

Terminal exterior

The terminal itself was fairly bland, and I struggled to find the first class check-in area. Little did I know that it’s actually a separate room that could be accessed directly from outside.

Terminal

Qantas first class check-in entrance

The check-in area was nicely done, with two agents and a bellman assisting with bags. The agents were courteous, and there was even a seating area in which I could fill out the departure card, rather than having to do so in the terminal.

I’m pretty sure I had the biggest grin on my face when I was handed a boarding pass for seat 2A all the way to London. Talk about 23 hours of pure relaxation.

Qantas first class check-in

Sexy ticket jacket

I headed to the departures hall where I quickly cleared security. There was a priority security line, though it turned out to be rather awkward since the lane it lead to was closed and no one was working it. So while I could get in the premium queue, I ended up cutting everyone else. It’s always uncomfortable to do that when someone isn’t directing the line.

Departures hall entrance

Through security was immigration, where I was helped by a friendly agent who said “wow, your signature looks just like mine.” I’m always told how bad my signature is (people even laugh at it), so I couldn’t help but mention that and pass on my condolences. Fortunately that didn’t land me in any type of secondary security.

The international terminal featured duty free shop after duty free shop after duty free shop. It was pretty crazy, since it wasn’t just duty free shops spread between gates, but rather a seemingly endless array of them you had to walk past before you reached the gates.

Duty free

I couldn’t help but laugh at the pilots that were looking at some of the alcohol in duty free. Nothing inherently wrong with that, though it seems the basis of many airline comedy skits.

Careful, gents!

I figured I was half way to Singapore by the time I actually made it to the gate area, since they really do send you through just about every shop and restaurant before you can get there. The gate area itself was quite nice, though I was more looking forward to the first class lounge up the escalator.

Gate area

Cool shot, or what?

I did on the way up notice the Airbus 380 that would be taking me to Singapore and London already at the gate.

Big bird waiting for me

The first class lounge was located up the escalator across from the Emirates lounge. It’s worth keeping in mind that Qantas grants OneWorld Emerald members first class lounge access, meaning a top tier elite traveling in coach would have access to this lounge. So naturally my expectations were a bit lower than a Star Alliance first class lounge as I entered, though not for good reason.

First class lounge entrance

At the entrance I was greeted by a friendly agent that informed me a boarding announcement would be made for my flight and invited me to enjoy the lounge.

The lounge itself was very nicely decorated, possibly even one of my favorites. It was almost totally empty, which surprised me, since I assumed allowing OneWorld Emeralds in the lounge would translate to a full lounge.

The lounge featured plenty of seating with great views.

Lounge

Departures board

Plenty of seating

More seating

Service in the lounge was also excellent. There was a self service drink area, though there’s also a restaurant with bar, and even if you don’t want to sit in the restaurant, there are waiters constantly roaming the lounge ready to take orders.

Self serve drink area

Restaurant

Restaurant

Window seating

The lounge also had awesome tarmac and runway views, including of the Singapore 777 parked immediately below the lounge and also the A380 off to the side that would be taking me all the way to London.

Not too bad of a view

Big bird

The lounge also featured a library area and plenty of individual work stations with iMacs.

For the smart people…

Individual work stations

As I mentioned, I had made a spa appointment for 1PM, so headed there a few minutes early.

Spa

I was greeted by a rather young, attractive lady (girl?) that confirmed my choice for a 30 minute back massage. She asked if I was familiar with the range of services they provide, and I indicated I wasn’t, so she gave me a run down. Ultimately she recommended the facial and neck massage, which she said a lot of men like, so I went with that.

Spa welcome area

She brought me to the treatment room, which was great, with relaxing music, some plants which gave it a bit of a tropical feel, and plenty of space. While I think everyone loves spa treatments, there’s something even cooler about them than normal when it’s at an airport.

She left the room for a moment as I took my shoes and shirt off (per her request) and laid down on the chair. The facial was perfectly pleasant, though she talked to me for most of the time, during which I found out she’s only a year older than me. For whatever reason there was something a bit weird about getting a facial from someone around my age. Not sure why, but I’m used to getting treatments either from people 20 years older than me or people that don’t speak my language!

We talked about her tattoos, her upcoming trip to Bali (I made some suggestions), and working at an airport. I left her a $20 tip, simply because I didn’t have smaller change and she was going on vacation the following week, so I figured why not.

Spa treatment room

After the spa treatment I felt the urge to at least take a look at the restaurant menu, since I couldn’t leave the lounge without having tried anything. While I was hungry, I knew a feast would be awaiting me aboard, so I went with the obvious choice — chocolate lava cake with rhubarb and vanilla bean ice cream. I stayed seated in the lounge instead of the restaurant, and the waiter was happy to deliver it to me when ready.

Dining menu

Chocolate lava cake with rhubarb and vanilla bean ice cream

About 30 minutes before boarding I was approached by another passenger who asked if I was “Lucky.” As it turns out, a Twitter friend’s friend was in the lounge, so he referred him my way. He was flying business class to Singapore on my flight, so we talked for the next 20 minutes or so. Great meeting you!

Shortly before 3PM boarding was called and I headed down to the departure gate for my longest flight ever (even though there may have been a quick stop in Singapore)…

On the whole the Qantas lounge blew me away. Between the excellent service, abundance of seating with great views, restaurant, and spa, this ranks among my top five lounges (probably behind the Lufthansa First Class Terminal and Thai first class lounge, and probably ahead of the Cathay Pacific Wing/Pier, Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse, and Qatar Airways Premium Terminal). Now that I’m a OneWorld Emerald, I can’t wait to access this lounge when flying business class (or coach… eek).

————————————————————————————————————-

I was dropped off by Super Shuttle at the domestic terminal at around 2:20PM, and proceeded straight to check-in. Check-in for intra-Australia flights is very efficient, since almost everyone uses kiosks or checks in online.

Terminal exterior

Terminal

There was a business class check-in area with no line, so I had an agent manually check me in. I was booked on the 5PM flight, though the agent asked me if I preferred to take an earlier flight. Qantas has a flight almost every half hour, so I figured I might as well take the 4PM flight to ensure I made it to Melbourne in time to enjoy the evening spread in the club lounge at the Park Hyatt.

Moments later my bag was checked and I had a boarding pass for the 4PM flight.

I proceeded to the security checkpoint, which had a dedicated premium line, though as it turned out there was no wait for anyone.

Security checkpoint

Security in Australia is hassle free, so within a minute or so I was airside, where there were quite a few shopping options for a domestic terminal.

Airside terminal

The Qantas business class lounge was maybe a five minute walk away, so I quickly found it and proceeded up the escalator to the reception desk.

Qantas Business Lounge

The lady at the entrance couldn’t have been nicer, and regrettably informed me that the wifi seemed to be down, though there were computer terminals available.

I think everyone expects international lounges to be a bit better, though even Qantas’ domestic lounges are truly top notch.

For one, they featured plenty of seating, so there was no battle over finding an empty seat or power outlet.

Qantas Business Lounge seating

Qantas Business Lounge seating

Second, the snack selection was incredible. They had a bunch of cappuccino machines with great sweets (I had more blueberry crumble things than I can count), and also a buffet area.

Sweets

Qantas Business Lounge bar area

Silverware, juice, and more sweets

The buffet featured salad, meats, cheeses, breads, and plenty of other things that could easily constitute a meal.

Buffet

Bread

Buffet

Workstations

Qantas Business Lounge seating

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect on an hour long flight in the way of food, so I figured I’d have something. I first had a coffee with some of those blueberry crumbles while on one of their computers trying to figure out how to get from Melbourne Airport to the Park Hyatt upon arrival.

Coffee and blueberry crumble

I then had a light lunch.

Lunch

At around 3:30PM I headed to my departure gate, for a scheduled boarding time 3:40PM. Most of the plane had already boarded and there wasn’t any sort of a premium boarding line, so I was among the last aboard.

Qantas boarding gate

767-300 bound for Melbourne

Qantas Airways 447
Sydney (SYD) – Melbourne (MEL)
Sunday, May 22
Depart: 4:00PM
Arrive: 5:35PM
Duration: 1hr35min
Aircraft: Boeing 767-300
Seat: 5F (Business Class)

Despite how close Sydney and Melbourne are, Qantas primarily operates 767s on the route. I was assigned an aisle seat in the center section in the last row of business class. The seats were slightly more comfortable than domestic first class seats in the US, with a couple more inches of legroom and a legrest.

Business Class

Legroom

Seat controls

Center console

Because the 767 has some of the worst bins of any aircraft, boarding was a mess. A lady settled in next to me, with her two young kids seated across the aisle, while the husband schlepped back to coach.

Eventually pre-departure beverages were offered by one of the flight attendants who had one of the most bizarre accents I’ve ever heard. As it turns out, he’s from Texas but has lived in Australia for 20 years. Oh man, that’s a killer combination.

Pre-departure water

Business Class cabin

We pushed back right on time as the safety video began to play, and started our fairly long taxi. As we held short of the runway the captain welcomed us aboard and informed us of our flight time of 70 minutes once airborne, anticipating an on-time arrival.

Shortly before takeoff the overhead screens started playing sitcoms including Two and a Half Men, 30 Rock, etc.

Soon enough we were airborne, and 10 minutes later the seatbelt sign was off and the flight attendants sprung into action.

They first offered hot towels.

Hot towel

That was quickly followed by the “snack” service, which was the option between some fish dish and soup. I went with the soup, which was served right out of a canister. It came with bread, crackers, and a chocolate muffin. I ordered a Diet Coke with lime lemon and water with it.

Soup

The soup was fairly tasteless, but then again, for a 70 minute flight you won’t get this type of service on a US airline.

After the main service tea and coffee was offered. By the time the trays were cleared we were well into our descent and the seatbelt sign was turned on.

The sun was starting to set as we descended upon Melbourne (after all, it is winter in Australia), and we had a smooth touch down just a few minutes ahead of schedule.

Our taxi to the gate was fairly quick, at which point I headed for baggage claim.

Arrival hall

It was maybe a 10 minute walk to baggage claim, and within another minute or two my bag arrived.

Baggage claim

At that point I saw an information counter offering shuttles to hotels in Melbourne. I bought a ticket, and within a few minutes I was on a bus to the Park Hyatt.

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After a morning swim at the Marina Bay Sands’ amazing infinity pool, it was off to Changi Airport for my first Airbus 380 flight. Previously the Airbus 380 hadn’t excited me all that much, though that was quickly changing.

After taking the 7:30AM shuttle from the Marina Bay Sands I got to Changi Airport terminal 1 shortly before 8AM.

Terminal 1 exterior

Terminal 1 isn’t nearly as impressive as terminal 3, though still fairly nice compared to most major airports.

Terminal 1

While Qantas’ check-in was located right by the entrance, it was for economy class only. Their first and business class check-in is handled in the SATS  Premier check-in area, which is a private room with a priority immigration line.

SATS Premier check-in

I was welcomed by the friendly agent and gave her my passport. After typing away for a few minutes she asked me whether I had a visa for Australia. Ugh, you’ve gotta be kidding me. I’m a moron. I’ve been to Australia before, and I darn well know about how easy it is to get a visa with them online. However it had totally slipped my mind, though fortunately they can still be issued at the airport.

SATS Premier check-in

The agent asked for my credit card and walked away for about 10 minutes, returning with a receipt for about $70 (which is about triple the price of doing it online, if I recall correctly). Hey, I guess that’s better than being denied boarding, and it was entirely my fault.

Moments later I had my boarding pass for seat 3A on the Airbus 380, and was given directions to the Qantas first class lounge.

I proceeded through immigration and five minutes later found myself in the first class lounge which is shared by British Airways and Qantas.

British Airways/Qantas first class lounge

The first class lounge was fairly large and quite nice for a non-flagship lounge. It featured plenty of seating and a decent buffet consisting of scrambled eggs, pastries, bread, cheese, yogurt, fresh fruit, muesli, etc.

Qantas first class lounge

Qantas first class lounge

Qantas first class lounge

Buffet

Breakfast selection

Snacks

Scrambled eggs with all the trimmings

I spent the rest of my time in the lounge browsing the web and catching up on email. Boarding was scheduled to begin at 8:55AM, so I left the lounge at around 8:45AM. I could hardly contain my excitement.

It took about 10 minutes to walk to gate 23, which would be my departure gate to Sydney. Terminal 1 isn’t as grand as terminal 3, though still has some very nice upscale duty free shopping and plenty of amenities. I wasn’t paying a whole lot of attention, as the Airbus 380 kept my mind occupied. I’m pretty sure I was salivating the whole way to the gate.

Terminal 1

At Changi Airport security is at each individual gate, so I used the premium security line to get through in no time.

Gate security

Once through security my boarding pass was scanned and I was in the gate area, face to face with the beast for the first time.

There she is!

From another angle

While the gate area was huge, I was surprised there weren’t more people, given that we’re talking about the Airbus 380, after all.

Gate area

Boarding didn’t start for about 15 minutes, which had to be the longest 15 minutes of my life. My excitement could only be compared to a tween girl waiting in line to meet Justin Bieber. Seriously.

At 9:10AM first and business class boarding was called, and on I went.

One of the interesting things about the Airbus 380 is that on Qantas, first class is on the lower deck while business class is on the upper deck. So the plane has three jet bridges — one for first class, one for business class and premium economy, and one for economy. As the lines start to separate, economy and first class are in the same line (since both are on the lower deck), while business class and premium economy are in the same line.

Signage

Qantas Airways 32
Singapore (SIN) – Sydney (SYD)
Saturday, May 21
Depart: 9:40AM
Arrive: 7:20PM
Duration: 7hr40min
Aircraft: Airbus 380
Seat: 3A (First Class)

Once down the first class jet bridge I was asked for my boarding pass and directed to my seat, 3A.

I can’t even say how blown away I was by the Airbus 380 at first sight. It’s in a totally different league. The entrance way was so spacious, with “grand” stairs leading to the upper deck (compared to the 747, where the stairs are cramped), and the forward galley was the size of a regional jet.

Qantas’ first class cabin is in a 1-1-1 configuration, with a total of 14 first class suites.

First class cabin

On the surface Qantas’ suites don’t look that impressive compared to the likes of Singapore’s “Suite Class” on the Airbus 380 or even Emirates, because they’re not fully enclosed. But I’d argue that they combine the best of both worlds. The seats are private without being confined. You’ll notice in the picture above that the seats are fairly “exposed,” but after takeoff a wall goes up for the center suites, making it totally private. Therefore I recommend sitting on the left side of the plane, since the right side of the plane shares the aisle with the center seats, while the left aisle does not.

My seat, 3A

View from my seat, 3A

The suite is designed with just about everything in mind. It has a huge, comfortable chair, great legrest, perfectly sized TV screen, plenty of storage, a monitor with which you can control your seat, a fold out table, and even a cup holder.

View from my seat

Rows one and two

Looking right from my seat (before the privacy shield was put up)

Seat with two pillows

Staircase

It’s also worth noting that the overhead bins on the Airbus 380 are truly massive.

Overhead bin

As soon as I was settled in one of the very friendly flight attendants introduced her and her two colleagues that would be taking care of me, and explained to me the features of the seat. She offered me a beverage to “get [my] flight off to a good start,” and I went with the obligatory champagne.

After essentially insisting that I inspect the bottle, she brought out a glass, lowered my fold out table, and poured me a glass. “Please enjoy, Mr. Lucky,” she said.

1999 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne

Once the champagne was served I was offered an amenity kit and set of pajamas (large). I love the bow they had around them.

Pajamas and amenity kit

I  headed to the lav to change into them immediately.

Unfortunately Qantas’ first class lavs aren’t as extravagant as Emirates’, which feature showers, or Lufthansa’s, which feature a massive bathroom, though it was fine nonetheless. One of the cooler features was that it had a window, though when you locked the door the window became tinted.

First class lavatory

Sink

Once settled back in I was offered newspapers and magazines. I requested The Straits Times, since a friend had mentioned to me that there was an article about Singapore vs. Qantas in there, so it only seemed fitting.

Newspaper

As boarding continued the flight attendants were relentless when it came to keeping my champagne glass full, which is always much appreciated.

Next Australia landing cards along with fast track passes were distributed, followed by hot towels.

Landing card

Hot towel

As boarding finished up the captain came on the PA to welcome us aboard and advise us of our flight time of 7hr10min. There’s a certain amount of confidence and pride in the voice of an Airbus 380 captain. I suppose being at the controls of a plane that’s referred to as a “super heavy” is a natural viagra of sorts for some.

I started to play with the seat controls and also entertainment system, and quickly discovered my favorite feature of this airplane — SkyCam. The plane has a camera mounted on the tail of the plane which you can watch at any time. I love playing flight simulator, so this is kind of like that, except a million times cooler. Literally.

SkyCam

Entertainment control

As we began our pushback the safety video started playing, which includes an intro by John Travolta. While I think he’s a bit of a nut, I really liked the intro, and thought it was attention grabbing. I’m a firm believer that anything airlines can do to grab peoples’ attention when it comes to safety is a good thing, since people otherwise just ignore the videos.

Safety video

Here’s a link to the video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

I didn’t know until after landing and researching the video a bit more that it has actually caused a bit of controversy among crew members, who find it to be a bit of a mockery of safety. I’ve gotta disagree there.

As we pushed back and started our taxi, I was in shock that we were moving, because the engines were so quiet. The Airbus 380 is so much quieter than any other plane you might be used to, that you almost feel like you’re not flying.

The first class seats have a shoulder harness that has to be worn for takeoff, so I put on my shoulder harness and watched the SkyCam. While Qantas activates their entire in-flight entertainment on the ground, there’s nothing I’d rather watch than the plane in action.

The coolest part had to be that we were following out a Singapore Airlines A380 to the runway. Talk about a show!

Singapore A380 we were following

One of the downsides of first class on the Airbus 380, if you can even call it that, is that the seat is so far from the window that you have no chance in hell of looking outside without some serious camera zoom. The SkyCam more than makes up for that, though.

Distance from the windows

After a very short wait we lined up on runway 20C, held for about a minute, and then rocketed off. I was surprised by how quickly the Airbus 380 gets airborne. We had well over a third of the runway remaining.

Lining up, runway 20C

Airborne!

On climb out

As soon as we were airborne I reclined my seat and started playing with the seat control monitor, which controlled everything from the privacy shield to the recline of the seat to the lighting to the window shades.

6hr56min to go!

Seat controls

Seat controls

Window shades

Just for fun I reclined my seat all the way, though with no intention of actually sleeping.

Flat bed

About ten minutes after takeoff the seatbelt sign was turned off and the crew sprung into action, starting with them closing all the curtains and raising all the privacy shields.  The customer service manager, Andrew, introduced himself to each passenger and offered us the menus for the flight, inviting us to dine at our leisure.

Privacy shield raised

Privacy shield

Menu

Extensive menu

Dining with a view

The flight attendant working my aisle walked by shortly to take drink orders. I went with a Diet Coke with lemon (I’ve come to terms with the fact that there’s no such thing as lime on non-US airlines), which was served to me a few minutes later with a small plate of almonds.

Diet Coke with lemon and almonds

As I mulled over the menu I decided that Qantas has one of my favorite menus in the sky. It’s not the best in the traditional sense of having caviar and the “normal” first class food, but the variety of options was better than what I’ve seen on any other airline. You could have as much as you wanted of whatever you wanted in whatever order. While most airlines allow you to “dine on demand,” Qantas actually has a menu which is conducive to that.

For example, on most flights of this length, airlines would have a formal “main meal service,” and maybe a “light snack” before landing. Qantas, on the other hand, has a “brunch” menu, “salad and other things” menu, “light meals” menu, “main courses” menu, “side salad” menu, “cheese” menu, and “dessert” menu. So it totally lacked structure, which I thought was awesome. Feel like having pancakes? Done. Fancy lamb? Good news, Mary has one!

The menu read as follows:

Singapore to Sydney

LUNCH
Our extensive Rockpool designed menu allows you to enjoy a completely personalized dining experience. Your Flight Attendant will be pleased to assist you with selection.

BRUNCH

Banana and Honey Energiser Drink

Fresh Tropical Fruit with Lime Wedges

Croissant with Selection of Condiments

Buttermilk Pancakes with Glazed Oranges and Vanilla Yoghurt

Smoked Salmon with Potato Rosti, Spinach and Chive Creme Fraiche

SALADS AND OTHER THINGS

Hot and Sour Malay Style Soup with Prawn, Shiitake Mushrooms and Coriander

Roast Beef, Olive and Celery Salad with Mustard Dressing

Salad of Mozzarella and Slow Roasted Tomatoes with Balsamic Vinaigrette

LIGHT MEALS

Big bowl of French Style Summer Soup with Walnut Aillade

Caramelised Leek, Goats Cheese and Sage Tart with Baby Leaf Salad

Lam, Mint and Pea Pot Pie

Our signature Steak Sandwich with Tomato and Chilli Relish

MAIN COURSES

Mushroom Risotto Cakes with Warm Zucchini Salad and Rich Tomato Sauce

Seared Sea Bass with Eggplant Caponata, Couscous and Lemon Caper Vinaigrette

Chinese Style Chicken with Water Chestnuts, Egg Noodles and Stir Fried Vegetables

Crumbed Veal Loin with Braised Peas, New Potatoes and Asparagus

Chermoula Crusted Lamb with Chickpeas, Spinach and Raita

SIDE SALAD

Salad of Baby Leaves with your choice of dressing

Aged Balsamic and Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Fresh Lemon Juice and Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Red Wine Vinaigrette

CHEESE

Hand selected blue, soft and hard cheese served with accompaniments

DESSERT

Apricot Frangipane Tart with Creme Anglaise

Sticky Toffee Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce and Double Cream

Simply Ice Cream Tubs

Sliced Fresh Seasonal Fruit

PETITS FOURS

A selection of Amedei dark chocolates

Palmier

Opera Cake

And for those of you interested in the wine list, here it is:

WHITE WINE

Tappanappa Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay 2008
Piccadilly Valley, South Australia

Pewsey Vale Vineyard Pinot Gris 2009
Eden Valley, South Australia

Grossed Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2010
Clare Valley, South Australia

RED WINE

Penfolds St Henri Shiraz 2004
McLaren Vale and Barossa Valley, South Australia

Spring Vale Melrose Pinot Noir 2010
Tasmania

Mount Mary Vineyard Quintet Cabernet 2006
Yarra Valley, Victoria

DESSERT WINE

De Bortolli Noble One Botrytis Semillon 2007
Riverina, New South Wales

Not too shabby, if you ask me!

After a round of nuts my meal order was taken, followed by another round of hot towels and my table being set (with great precision). The first class suite has a huge table, since it’s designed for two people to dine together, with one person on the ottoman.

Table setting

For the first course I went with hot and sour soup, along with some sliced bread from the bread basket (the options were white or some sort of wheat).

Hot and sour soup Malay style soup with prawn, shiitake mushrooms and coriander

For the next course I had the roast beef and celery salad, which was very tasty. It took a while for it to be served, though I’m guessing the leisurely pace of the meal was intentional.

Roast beef, olive and celery salad with mustard dressing

For the main course I went with the mushroom risotto cakes, which were also very good. It was served with a side salad with vinaigrette.

Mushroom risotto cakes with warm zucchini salad and rich tomato sauce

For dessert I had the toffee pudding with a White Russian.

Sticky toffee pudding with butterscotch sauce and double cream

The meal service finished off with being offered a praline and bottle of Evian water, which was placed on my fold out table.

Praline

Water

On the whole it was one of the most enjoyable in-flight meals I’ve had. No, it wasn’t a nonstop circus of Dom and caviar, but the food was tasteful and well presented. Being able to watch the tail of my “restaurant” on SkyCam the whole flight didn’t hurt either.

After breakfast it was time to start working off those calories, so I decided to go for a walk to the upper deck.

First class cabin

I went to the forward galley area, where the staircase is located. There are a few things worth noting about this. First of all, the flight attendants work out of the galley behind first class, so if you’re in row one or two, you have virtually no foot traffic. The forward galley just seems to have some carts that aren’t used a whole lot (maybe duty free). It’s a huge free space, and features the two first class bathrooms.

As far as the cockpit goes, it’s interesting to note that the entrance door is on the lower deck, and they have something that makes this plane especially “safe” — you have to pass through two doors to access the cockpit. The first door leads you up a few stairs, and then on the right side are their sleeping quarters. Then that second door leads to the cockpit. So I’d say that adds to safety quite a bit.

One more thing that’s interesting about the flight attendants — those that work the Airbus 380 work just the Airbus 380. That’s right, they don’t do any other flying. Out of both Melbourne and Sydney, Qantas flies the Airbus 380 to Los Angeles and Singapore, which are the only destinations these crews fly to. Qantas also has two Airbus 380 flights a day from Singapore to London, which are staffed by their London based crews. So while you lose the excitement of always having a new destination, you have some regularity in your schedule, and as one of the flight attendants told me, “they know me at the Starbucks next to our hotel in Singapore.”

Anyway, I headed up the rather grand staircase to the upper deck, which first leads to the business class lounge.

Staircase

Staircase looking down

The business class lounge features two couches that seat maybe five people, along with a large TV on which you can view the Airshow or anything else. There’s also a magazine rack with over a dozen magazines.

Business class lounge

Business class lounge

Magazines and TV

Business class lounge

Logo

There’s also a fridge with a fairy limited drink and snack selection.

Self service area

Despite some evil glares due to my first class pajamas, I made a quick trip around the upper deck. There are three business class cabins, followed by a premium economy cabin at the back of the upper deck. They looked very nice, though certainly not as “exclusive” as a business class cabin on a smaller aircraft, thanks to the number of seats. Still, I would take the Airbus 380 any day.

Business class

After the workout I was so exhausted that I needed to sleep.

I asked the flight attendant if she could make my bed, and five minutes later pure sleep heaven was waiting for me. Qantas has an all around great first class product, though hands down the best part of the experience is the bedding. I’ve flown a lot of airlines with a lot of great bedding, though first class on Qantas had the most well cushioned mattress pad of any airline I’ve ever flown on. No exaggeration, I thought I was in a real bed with a thick mattress and great duvet (which on Qantas happens to be New Zealand sheepskin, by the way).

Bed

Zzzzzz….

I was exhausted, though not tired yet, so decided to watch a few episodes of “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” The show is so predictable, though never gets old.

If only I could always watch TV as comfortably

Seeing as I wasn’t sleeping, the flight attendant came by and brought me another bottle of water and asked if I wanted something else. I ordered some ice cream, and was offered coconut or strawberry. I went with coconut, which was tasty.

Coconut ice cream

At this point we had about four hours to go to Sydney, and I ended up losing the battle with my bed and fell asleep for about two hours.

I watched “Miranda,” a BBC sitcom, which kept me fairly entertained.

About an hour out of Sydney I decided to order a pre-arrival snack, since I knew this would be my “dinner,” and I’d likely end up hungry otherwise later on. I ordered the steak sandwich, which I had heard so much about, and I’ll just say that it certainly lived up to its reputation.

Signature Steak Sandwich with Tomato and Chilli Relish

Half an hour before landing the captain came on the PA to advise us we were beginning our descent into Sydney.

Airshow

As the flight attendants started preparing the cabin for landing, the customer service manager came around to say goodbye to all the first class passengers. About ten minutes before landing the seatbelt sign was turned back on, at which point I switched on the SkyCam so I could view the approach and landing.

The touchdown was smooth as could be, generally fitting into the “am I really in an airplane theme?” of the flight.

Touchdown

Our taxi to the gate took about five minutes, though for all I cared it could have taken hours, because I was watching the camera in pure amazement.

Taxiing to our gate

And we made it!

The crew lined up at the door to bid their farewell, and we deplaned through door 1L in no time. There were no queues at immigration and my checked bag made it within a few minutes, so 10 minutes after the aircraft door opened I found myself outside the terminal, trying to find the shuttle for the Holiday Inn. Talk about a buzz kill…

This was quite honestly one of the best flights of my life. Before flying the Airbus 380 I never appreciated what made it different. I figured it was just another plane, but it’s not. Every aspect of this flight was great, and I was already looking forward to my 23 hour journey on the Airbus 380 from Melbourne to Singapore to London a few days later.

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Please note: The introduction is largely a repost of this post from April

My trip planning started off innocently enough last December. As I posted last year on December 3, Singapore Airlines had just announced that they would be replacing the Boeing 747 with the Airbus 380 on the Los Angeles to Tokyo to Singapore route. There was a bit of lag in updating the system, so for a couple of days there was the opportunity to book business class on Singapore Airlines on the Airbus 380, which is otherwise blocked for partner award redemption. I’ve had the opportunity to fly Singapore’s new business class on the 777 in the past, and it really is just about on par with most other airlines’ first class products.

I made the booking speculatively using my United miles, since I could always cancel closer to departure if I changed my mind. Once I had that reservation ticketed I decided to “maximize” it. I added the segments from Tampa to Washington to Los Angeles to the itinerary, and then considered where in Asia I wanted to go. One of the few major Asian cities I’ve yet to visit is Kuala Lumpur, so I decided to add on a segment from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, again on Singapore Airlines in business class. I’ve always been fascinated by the city, so this seemed about as good of an opportunity as any to visit.

I left the trip alone for a couple of months, as I really wasn’t sure where I wanted to go from there. I figured I’d maybe book a Cathay Pacific first class award back to the States, even though I’ve flown them several times before.

One afternoon while on the phone with a fellow FF-nut friend, I mentioned that I wanted to try a couple more A380s, and he suggested I look at Qantas A380 award space between Asia and Australia. I had a bit of a “yeah right” response, since anyone that has looked at award space for Qantas from the US knows how stingy they are, so I wasn’t expecting them to be any better between Asia and Australia.

Sure enough I plugged in my preferred date, and what do you know, there’s a first class award seat on the Airbus 380 from Singapore to Sydney. Holy cow! While I had been to Sydney before, I hadn’t been to Melbourne, so I decided to book Singapore to Sydney, have a 23 hour layover in Sydney, and then fly Sydney to Melbourne in Qantas business class. The award cost me 45,000 American AAdvantage miles.

I was feeling awfully spontaneous at this point, since I still hadn’t decided where I wanted to go from Melbourne. I was thinking of doing Air New Zealand back to the US, though examined all of my options carefully. After playing around with just about all the options out there, I noticed that Qantas had A380 first class award space from Melbourne to London via Singapore for a few days after I arrived, allowing me to see the city. For the geographically challenged among us (myself included), that’s a 22 hour one way journey. I couldn’t turn down the opportunity, so immediately put the ticket on a five day courtesy hold with American for 80,000 AAdvantage miles.

I thought this one out strategically. For those of you not familiar with UK air passenger taxes, the UK charges a nearly $200USD tax for those departing the UK on a longhaul flight in a premium cabin. However, that tax isn’t charged if you’re just connecting in the UK.

So over the next couple of days I examined my options for getting back to the States, and eventually stumbled upon Air New Zealand Business Premier award space on their brand new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. I didn’t want to continue on straight away after a nearly 24 hour flight from Melbourne, so figured I’d spend a night in Europe between those flights. The obvious choice was to spend the night in London, but like I said, I would have been charged the $200USD tax if I did that.

So instead I decided I’d visit Vienna. I added a segment to my OneWorld award on British Airways from London to Vienna after I arrived from Melbourne, and then added a segment from Vienna to London on British Midland the following morning before continuing to Los Angeles. Two more flights, two more products to test, a new city, and $200 saved. I booked the British Midland/Air New Zealand award through British Midland Diamond Club, where the one way business class award cost me 33,750 miles.

The hotel planning process was equally complicated, though I’ll explain the booking process with the individual hotel installments.

In the end my routing looked like this:

The irony in all of this is that due to the Japan earthquake, Singapore Airlines actually downgraded my Los Angeles to Tokyo to Singapore flight from an Airbus 380 to a Boeing 777-300ER. Fortunately even that plane features their new business class and I managed to snag the best business class seat aboard, so I wasn’t too bummed about it, especially given the other products I’d be able to try during the trip.

This’ll be a long one, probably the longest ever, so grab an adult diaper and extra pair of glasses, as you’ll need ‘em.

“You havin’ breakfast?”

Too bad I had to go from Qantas A380 first class to British Airways regional business class, and not the other way around. The first breakfast was quite possibly the best breakfast I’ve ever had on an airplane, while the second breakfast was, well, not. There’s no amount of money you could pay me to eat that nasty lookin’ sausage…

More to come in a bit, as the 13 hour flight from Singapore to London didn’t come without a bit of entertainment.

I’ll share one quick lesson, though. The flight from Melbourne to Singapore took 7hr30min, and I was offered pajamas shortly after takeoff, which I changed into immediately, despite it being a day flight. As we approached Singapore the seatbelt sign wasn’t turned on until seven minutes before landing, and for whatever reason I made the decision not to change out of my pajamas. They were so comfortable and it was late at night, so I figured I’d stay in my pajamas, go to the first class lounge, take a quick shower, get back on the plane, and sleep.

What the hell was I thinking? You know those high school girls that fly with shorts that read “PINK” on their rear, wear bunny slippers, carry massive pillows, and pack about 10 pounds worth of snacks and 18 gossip magazines for a 52 minute flight? Well, I felt like one of them as I walked through the terminal in my Qantas pajamas.

The funny thing is, the reaction was actually the worst in the lounge. I got looks of pure horror from just about every person in the lounge.

There’s a simple lesson here — don’t friggin’ wear your pajamas in an airport, let alone in the lounge. No clue what I was thinking, but I certainly learned the hard way…