The first Qantas Airbus A380 to be refitted with the airline’s latest seat products, including a new upper deck passenger lounge, has now re-entered service. It will be progressively flying on the airline’s three superjumbo routes from Singapore starting with QF2 to Sydney this evening, 1st October 2019.
All 12 of the airline’s A380 fleet are due to have the upgraded cabins fitted by the end of 2020, for a consistent long-haul Business Class product across the airline.
Configuration
The mid-life upgrade of these jets allows Qantas to keep the total capacity of the aircraft almost identical, but with a more premium-heavy configuration boasting additional seats in Business Class and Premium Economy.
| Class | Old Config. | New Config. | Change |
| First | 14 | 14 | — |
| Business | 64 | 70 | +6 |
| Premium Economy | 35 | 60 | +25 |
| Economy | 371 | 341 | -30 |
| Total | 484 | 485 | +1 |
It’s good news if you’re due to travel on one of the older aircraft over the next year or so and your flight is substituted for one with the new configuration, as that will mean more chance of an upgrade on flights booked close to capacity, especially for Economy Class passengers.
Business Class
Let’s start by looking at the main enhancement on these newly refitted A380s, which is in the enlarged Business Class cabin.