Oligarch8 Reviews Qantas First Class, A380 First Class

(Newswire.net — August 29, 2015) Henderson, NV — QF1 Dubai (DXB) to London Heathrow (LHR). See full video review at https://youtu.be/Zju7cBdKRVA 

Check in was a breeze at Dubai International’s Terminal 3, where Emirates shares the space with Qantas exclusively. When I arrived, I was the only person at the First Class check-in counter.

A380 departures take place at the dedicated A380 terminal, where you arrive via monorail and a set of elevators- complete with waterfall. The terminal itself is like a shopping mall with plenty of options at your disposal.

Before heading into the First Class Lounge, I decided to go for a complimentary neck, shoulder, and back massage at the Timeless Spa, where a 15 minute treatment is complimentary for First Class passengers. I emerged fully relaxed and ready for a meal.

Upon entering the Emirates First Class Lounge, which is shared exclusively with Qantas, you’ll find an entire floor of luxurious options at your disposal, including high-end luxury brands on offer within the lounge itself.

Seating is overabundant in this vast space, where you’ll find washrooms and shower rooms with a constant attendant to clean up as soon as anyone uses the facilities. The lounge also contains a cigar room, a library, a sleep room, and a fancy wine cellar.

There are different dining options as well… ranging from deli selections to private dining to a full buffet spread. I elected to have the private dining option because one can get a buffet in pretty much any business class lounge these days.

For starters, I had the Palm Heart Salad followed by a Butternut Squash Soup. For the entrée, I chose the Duckling Breast. All very delicious!

Boarding is completed from the lounge, where the gate area features such luxury amenities as plush leather chairs and couches- providing more of a living room feel, as well as a coffee & wine bar. This level of luxury in the gate area is unheard for most airlines offering first class.

Once on board, I was greeted by the attendant for my section, Craig, who took excellent care of me and offered a glass of Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill 2000, which had nuances of white peach and roast nut, along with some olives and roasted almonds.

I was also given a set of pajamas and slippers, as well as a well-stocked amenity kit, featuring a selection of quality items from SK-II.

The seat itself is quite wide and actually has a second seatbelt that goes across the shoulder like in a car. There is also an ottoman on the opposite end and a huge table, which allows for a dining companion. A decent sized 17inch touchscreen is available for your entertainment options. Window shades are controlled electronically.

On this flight, I was assigned seat 5A, which also has a baby bassinet. Qantas First Class has 14 seats on their A380s in a 1-1-1 configuration.

First Class lavatories are standard size and feature Payot and Malin + Goetz products- you can’t go wrong with either.

Upstairs, you’ll find a forward lounge area exclusive to First and Business Class and a small self-serve beverage and snack bar.

We departed pretty much on time for this 2am flight, and takeoff was smooth and quiet as always for the A380 aircraft.

Since I had a full meal in the lounge before departure, and the flight was only about 7.5 hours, I decided to skip the late night meal in lieu of simple herbal tea and some rest.

The attendant turned down my bed, and I have to say, it was one of the most comfortable I have experienced in the air, probably due to the sheepskin topper, which makes it that much more plush.

Before landing, I had a breakfast consisting of a warm croissant, fruit bowl, pear nectar and peach nectar (yes I had both), and free range scrambled eggs on toasted brioche with smoked salmon- not bad for airplane scrambled eggs by the way.

As far as first class flights go, Qantas serves up an excellent product in my opinion. The suites could use doors for added privacy, the first class lavatories could be larger, and the onboard lounge could be a bit more exciting, but I think the partnership with Emirates is turning out to be a good move so far.

All in all, I had a very pleasant experience on this A380 First Class flight, and I give it 5 Stars.