Review: A 15-hour journey flies by, thanks to business class on Qantas, an Alaska Global Partner
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Qantas business class.
Flying from Los Angeles to Sydney is not a short distance, and normally when I complete this 15-hour journey I can’t wait to get off the plane. But not this time …
This last flight, I was fortunate enough to be sitting business class with Qantas, an Alaska Airlines Global Partner.
And I honestly didn’t want to get off that plane! In fact, I could have easily done another 15-hour journey back to Los Angeles in that comfortable lay-flat bed.
The top-notch customer service, unbelievably delicious meals and endless hours of entertainment were truly outstanding, and made this international journey completely enjoyable.
Here are some of the highlights of flying with Qantas:
Put on the ‘uniform’ and get to work
After take-off, I was stoked to head to the bathroom and put on my “Qantas business class uniform,” aka, the provided designer pajamas. Then I got back into the award winning Skybed, zipped open the “Qantas Curates” amenity kit, and slathered on some luxurious moisturizer (to avoid skin dehydration during the flight).
The cabin crew welcomed everyone with a glass of bubbly, but the real fun started when the sommelier in the sky came and chatted with me about their extensive Qantas business class wine selection. I didn’t know much about wine at the time (I learned a lot more during a wine tour of Australia’s Yarra Valley), but I was definitely loving the glass of Brokenwood cab-merlot that the friendly sommelier recommended.
Right when I felt my stomach getting a tad-bit hungry, the flight attendant arrived, set up my tray table, and gave me the multi-course dinner menu (designed by leading restaurateur and Australian chef Neil Perry). I glanced through the delicious meal options, and finally came to a decision on the pumpkin & chickpea curry with rice. When it arrived I quickly realized I ordered the vegetarian meal (which I’m not), but didn’t care in the slightest as it was incredible!
Then came time for sweets, and I smashed a ridiculously tasty slice of cheesecake paired with a cheeky glass of dessert wine!
“Business class life suits me!” I comically told myself.
After-dinner entertainment
During the dinner process, I was watching one of my favorite TV shows, “VEEP” on the beautifully sharp 12.1-inch screen. I normally opt to watch movies while on airplanes, but was pleasantly surprised to find out the Qantas entertainment system had Season 6, which had just recently ended, and I hadn’t seen yet!
Oh, and did I mention that this entire time I was enjoying a light chair massage? Yes, that’s right — the business class Skybeds come complete with an enhanced massage and lumbar system!
After a few more episodes of television, I decided it was time to get some shuteye, and reclined to the fully flat Skybed setting. I finished my glass of wine, threw on my sleeping mask, and then enjoyed the best sleep I’ve ever gotten on a plane while dreaming of friendly kangaroos, koalas, and quokkas.
Waking up to breakfast
When I woke up, I noticed that breakfast was being served to my nearby business class teammates (since we’re all wearing the same uniform). So I quickly filled out the room service breakfast card, and was brought what I had marked “x” over. The French toast with macerated strawberries and yogurt was out of this world, and I nearly asked for a second serving but knew my stomach didn’t need anymore!
Then before I knew it, we had landed in Sydney!
“Thanks for flying with us, Mr. Anderson, and enjoy your time in Australia” the cabin crew told me as I exited the plane and made my way to immigration.
“Did that just happen? Am I really already in Australia?!”
The flight honestly flew by so quickly (pun intended), and I couldn’t believe how refreshed and ready to explore Sydney I was. While yes, business class is definitely a bit more expensive than the economy and premium-economy seat options — it will provide one amazingly comfortable flying experience!
CHEERS!
Follow Dave’s Adventures
Dave Anderson traveled around Australia after his flight with Qantas, an Alaska Airlines Global Partner. Other stories:
Is this the cutest animal in Australia? In search of the perfect ‘quokka selfie’ on Rottnest Island
In search of Australia’s most ‘smashable’ wine: Tasting our way through the Yarra Valley
Comments
Lucky me, but thanks to various airline mileage plans I’ve been able to fly First Class to Australia on a variety of airlines, including Alaska Mileage Plan partners Cathay Pacific, British Airways and Qantas. While some people say meh – we all arrive at the same time, I say First and Business Class are worth saving the mileage for. As noted in the above report, Qantas has a fine Business Class product with comfortable lie-flat seats and superior meal offerings. Its lounges at LAX, Sydney and Melbourne are amongst the finest premium class lounges anywhere in the world. Save those miles and do it right. Life’s too short to fly economy class on long international flights!
Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just use miles to upgrade while paying normal price for regular and not be punished so as not be able to collect any miles for that trip?
My daughter and I flew Business Class from Brisbane to Los Angeles in October it was fantastic highly recommend it to everyone. We used Alaska Airlines Mileage Tickets.
Just before 9/11 I flew that LAX-SYD leg both ways in business class on the upper deck of the Qantas 747. Having spent some time working in American Samoa, I was familiar with the island of Tutuila. So when our Qantas flight from SYD to LAX diverted around a storm in the Pacific, and I could see on the flight status map that we were going to fly right over Pago Pago, I asked the flight attendant to let me know when we were over the island so I could see it from my window. After asking the pilots to let her know when we were over Tutuila, she one-upped my request, and I got an invite into the cockpit because the pilots were curious about American Samoa and thought I could fill them in on a place they’d only over-flown. HOLY COW, LUCKY ME !!!! So with great excitement I was ushered into the cockpit and answered several questions from the flight crew about the islands below and explained what they were seeing from >30,000 feet. I also was asked about my disaster response work there after a cyclone hit the Samoan Islands some years earlier, plus was able to relate tidbits about my several post-cyclone visits to Samoa and American Samoa. The pilots were hilarious, and my time with them was fascinating and memorable. Of course a cockpit adventure like that won’t happen any more, so that rare gem of an experience is a precious memory for me today. After three trips to Australia for scuba diving, I can also confirm Qantas rocks.
Meh. I would have been more impressed with a review of the economy section of this flight. *yawn*
Business Class is nice if one could afford it. Try Coach Class is pretty good, bit crowded, but will not beat Business .
Hey, a stop over in Hawaii, thanks to Alaska’s direct flights from Seattle, for a few days beats flying anywhere for 14 hours, even when flying in waaaaaaaay too expensive Business Class.
I’m curious what plane you’re on, is the 380? That’s on my bucket list. Are there walking amenities such as an onboard bar or anything. Sure we heard how your seat was but what about the rest of the plane’s experience? Thanks for writing these.
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