An inside look at a 15-hour flight in Qantas business class

Fifteen-hour flights are becoming the norm these days, as aeronautical engineers have designed aircraft that facilitate long-distance travel. Currently, the longest journey is from New York City to Singapore (18.5 hours), but next year Qantas plans to debut new flights from Sydney to London and Sydney to New York in 20 hours. Although most of Qantas' international flights are by definition long-haul (given Australia's geography), our familiarity with the business class experience makes flying a pleasure rather than an endurance test. During his recent 15 hour and 45 minute flight from Melbourne to Dallas, I had the opportunity to tour the company's Business His Class service on his 787-9 Dreamliner. All in all, a quality experience with fine dining, great wine, comfortable seating, and excellent flight attendants will offset his long 15-plus hours.

Each Qantas Dreamliner Business Class Suite features spacious seats that convert into lie-flat beds, a large-screen on-demand entertainment system, plenty of storage space for your essentials, and a signature Qantas pajama set featuring Lee. An amenity kit is provided. skin care products. All seats have direct aisle access, and as you board the plane and squeeze into your pod, service begins with a smile and a glass of L'Allier Champagne before takeoff.

Once settled, enjoy a parade of food and drinks reflecting a series of significant culinary upgrades that began in 2023. All are carefully selected, including new dishes and hearty dishes made with high quality ingredients from premium Australian producers. Created by Australian chef Neil Perry. Dinner service on my flight was long: aperitifs (and accompanying arancini), followed by starter service, and then main courses. If you are ready to go to bed and want to speed up a completely viable process, we offer our services upon request. My main course, beef fillet, was delicious with roasted potatoes and a creamy mustard and porcini sauce, served with toasted warm rosemary focaccia and a crunchy green salad. The accompanying Australian wine was a top notch selection that paired really well with the meal. The dining program also includes a plant-based menu. Cocktails and spirits are also available, and a snack bar with a constantly updated selection of wine and other beverages is available throughout the flight.

If you're hungry a few hours after the meal service ends, no problem. We offer delicious in-flight meals. After about a 10 hour flight I needed a snack and ordered a chicken schnitzel and swiss cheese toast sandwich and coleslaw. It was a great rejuvenating bite until the last breakfast service just before we arrived.

The service in the business class cabin was friendly and attentive, and I didn't have to go looking for a flight attendant as they always stopped by to see if I needed anything. . At one point during the night, I witnessed a flight attendant walking around the cabin with a flashlight so as not to disturb anyone sleeping, which was a nice touch.

lounge

Each brand's business class lounge has been upgraded. The company announced his $100 million investment in its network of lounges, including four new lounges, including the new flagship First Lounge at London's Heathrow Airport, and an extensive upgrade program for existing international and domestic lounges. has just been announced. This is Qantas' biggest investment in its lounge network in over a decade, and changes/upgrades will be phased in over three years. Melbourne's business class lounges now have bathrooms with showers, as well as several places to sit and relax while waiting for your flight. Dishes served during my visit included butter chicken over rice and stir-fried vegetables, both of which were very tasty. It was also a great preview of the quality experience that awaits us on board.