Review: Qantas A330 Business Class

With Australian carrier and Oneworld member Qantas operating 40 flights per week from Singapore to five cities, all with the same flat-bed product in Business Class, it was high time for Mainly Miles to jump on board and thoroughly review the experience.

I took a trip on the airline’s shortest Australia – Singapore connection, between Perth and the Lion City, to find out what you can expect from the Qantas product in long-haul Business Class.

Flight details

• Flight: QF71 Perth T3 to Singapore Changi T1
• Class: Business
• Seat: 5K
• Aircraft Type: Airbus A330-300
• Aircraft Registration: VH-QPC
• Aircraft Age: 19.1 years
• Date: December 2022
• Departure / Arrival: 11:25 / 16:45
• Flight Time: 5h 20m
• Cost: 38,750 Avios + AU$106.82 (~S$98)

Taxes and fees of AU$106.82 on this flight predominantly relate to mandatory taxes and charges imposed by the Australian Government and Perth Airport, which you’ll also pay when making a Singapore Airlines redemption on this route.

The slight difference is a small fuel surcharge levied by Qantas of AU$17.50 (around S$16).

The Thompson Vantage XL seat

Qantas was launch customer for the Thompson Aero Vantage XL Business Class seat, introducing it on domestic flights in December 2014 on these very same Airbus A330-300s, then on its international debut to and from Singapore the following month.

Qantas calls this its “Business Suite”, though it’s not really a suite since there are no closing doors, however privacy is quite good and there is plenty of personal space.

The seat now features on all Qantas wide-body aircraft in Business Class, including the carrier’s flights to and from Singapore, with those installed more recently on the Boeing 787 and Airbus A380 sporting some additional enhancements.

Here are the key stats:

• Layout: 1-2-1
• Seat Width: 23″ – 24″ (58cm – 61cm)
• Bed Length: 80″ (203cm)
• Recline: 180^o
• IFE Screen: 16″ (41cm) HD

For comparison, this seat is 3-4″ wider than the Singapore Airlines’ wide-body Regional Business Class seat, with around 3″ more bed length, making it arguably a better option on the Perth route, where SIA exclusively operates its smaller Regional Business Class product on the A350 Medium Haul or Boeing 787-10.

Seat selection

The Qantas Airbus A330-300 has 28 Business Class seats across seven rows in a 1-2-1 configuration.

Two toilets serve the cabin, one at the front left and one at the back right.

As you can see from the seat map, Qantas did not opt for ‘couple’ seats at alternate rows on this aircraft, like Singapore Airlines did with its Regional Business Class product, so all seats are staggered from one another, even in the middle section.

Solo travellers will probably want to opt for one of the window-aligned seats where the console is between the seat and the aisle, for added privacy, which are found on even-numbered rows at 2 A/K, 4 A/K and 6 A/K.

Those in the odd-numbered rows at the A/K seats do have less privacy, but benefit from an extended side console against the window itself, which is useful for storage and working.

I mistakenly selected seat 5K, on the recollection that it was the odd-numbered rows that had better privacy, and by the time I realised my mistake, the solo seats at the even rows on this flight had all been taken.

Nonetheless I was still looking forward to trying the aisle-aligned window seat on this trip.

Do be aware that the seat selection tool on the Qantas website does not help you determine which seats have more or less privacy, so you need to be using a site like aeroLOPA for this!

‘Down the back’, for those interested, the balance of seats on the Qantas A330-300 is made up of 269 Economy Class seats in a 2-4-2 configuration (which tapers to 2-3-2 in the final few rows, as the cabin narrows).

Check-in

This flight was scheduled to depart Perth at 11.25am, however Qantas sent me an SMS the previous morning, advising of a schedule change to a 2.10pm departure, which would see us landing into Singapore at 7.30pm, nearly three hours later than planned.

Luckily this wasn’t a major issue for me (in fact it gave me a longer lie-in and more relaxed breakfast at the hotel that morning), and I arrived at Perth Airport at a more civilised 11am, rather than the 9am I had originally planned for.

Remember that all Qantas flights from Perth, including international services, depart from T3, the carrier’s own terminal, not from T1 where most other international departures (including Singapore Airlines flights) originate.

Don’t make the mistake of heading to T1 to check-in, which is physically located on the opposite side of the runway to T3 and will then involve a 15-minute bus ride for you to reach the right place!

There were five check-in desks open for the flight, one of which was set aside for Business Class passengers and Qantas or Oneworld elite status holders.

There was only one couple ahead of me in the queue and I was checked in just a couple of minutes later.

Initially you have to proceed through domestic security at T3, which is simple since nothing whatsoever needs to be removed from your carry-on baggage, thanks to enhanced scanning technology now available here and at a few Australian airports.

After that though, you’ll need to find the entrance to the Qantas International section, where you then go through Immigration (the auto-gates seem to work a charm), and immediately after that a more regular security screening, which unfortunately does involve removing laptops, tablets and liquids, etc.

Yes, it means you go through security twice! It all sounds a bit convoluted, but from joining the check-in desk queue to reaching the lounge entrance in the international section actually only took me 10 minutes in total, since the terminal was very quiet.

Lounge

Qantas Business Class passengers heading to Singapore on QF71 can use the airline’s Perth International Lounge in T3, which is located after the international immigration and security checkpoint, with the wood-clad entrance more or less unmissable on the right side.

Access is also permitted by Qantas or Oneworld elite status, if you’re flying Economy Class.

Qantas originally built this lounge exclusively for eligible passengers on its Melbourne – Perth – London service, operated daily by a Boeing 787-9 (hence its original name, and still current signage, as “The Qantas Perth International Transit Lounge”).

That meant those travelling from Perth to Singapore on QF71 were instead directed to T4’s domestic Qantas Business Lounge or Qantas Club, but happily that policy changed in May 2022.

All departing international lounge-eligible Qantas passengers from Perth can now access this International Lounge, complete with 15 private shower suites, plus an outdoor bar and dining section.

The lounge has a good range of seating options, ample charging points (Aussie plugs only, plus USB ports, so you may need your adaptor), fast Wi-Fi (50 Mbps) and a nice F&B selection.

Bread is freshly baked by chefs in the lounge itself, so despite having just had breakfast in the hotel I decided to treat myself to a pre-flight snack of goat curd, tomato and basil bruschetta, with a vermicelli and tofu salad on the side – very tasty.

I was even offered the option to join a 15-minute stretching and meditation session by a yoga instructor, but passed on this as it’s really not my thing!

Champagne is not offered, but once the clock hit 12pm (ok it may have been a few minutes before 12!), I asked the bartender for a glass of the Sparkling Wine (Seppelt Fleur de Lys from Victoria), which was an acceptable drop – crisp and light.

The lounge is operated by Accor-Sofitel, like many other Qantas lounges including those in Singapore. Service was very friendly and attentive, with empty plates and glasses cleared away promptly.

Boarding

After catching up on some work in the lounge, I headed down to the gate shortly before the revised boarding time, to find our A330 basking in the Perth sunshine.

Unfortunately departure was further delayed, so we didn’t get on board until 3.15pm, though I didn’t mind taking a seat in the gate area for a change of scenery from the lounge (which sadly has no external views).

While I was waiting, many passengers with onward connections from Singapore on Jetstar were keeping the gate staff busy with their transit concerns, as was a large group continuing to Colombo on SriLankan Airlines. The risks of connecting itineraries I guess!

Settling in

Boarding was through the second main entry door, so it was a ‘turn left’ experience for Business Class passengers after being welcomed by the crew, who all seemed happy despite the delay.

My seat 5K was prepared with the mattress and pillow waiting, plus the in-flight menu and amenity kit on the side console.

The seat cushion and back is finished in a dark fabric, while the headrest is in leather.

This is the case for all 10 Qantas Airbus A330-300s, and the eight Airbus A330-200s configured for international flights, though there are 10 Qantas A330-200s with an all-leather upholstery in Business Class, which are used on domestic services.

The ‘do not disturb’ function had been left on at my seat from the previous flight, so the seat number on the privacy panel was illuminated red, which was a bit strange.

Headphones and bottled water were located in the open storage compartment, directly next to the seat.

Looking ahead to seat 4K in front of me, it was immediately obvious that those even-numbered rows benefit from better privacy, set further from the aisle and with a large fixed divider in place.

Nonetheless, as mentioned earlier, I was determined to give this aisle-aligned seat 5K a go!

The shoulder strap (sash belt) has to be worn for takeoff and landing, and honestly isn’t that comfortable, but it does allow you to have the seat in a semi-reclined position for these stages of the flight, which is nice if you’re trying to get some rest.

The crew member working on my aisle came around and introduced herself, at the same time offering a welcome drink – Champagne, water or orange juice.

I asked for a glass of Champagne, which was promptly served, though it wasn’t the world’s most generous pour at less than half a glass!

Qantas was pouring the non-vintage Duval-Leroy Réserve Brut on this flight in Business Class, which retails at around S$70 a bottle in Singapore and scores 3.8 out of 5 stars on Vivino.

Meal orders for the lunch service then started to be taken, but the crew had not reached my row before it was time to be seated for takeoff, so my order was taken once we were airborne.

I wasn’t too concerned as I had a second choice in mind, but nonetheless, all starter and main course options were still available once they reached me.

Amenity kit & pyjamas

Qantas had its 100-year centenary in 2021, but with the carrier’s international flights still mostly grounded that year, it has understandably been pushing out the celebrations well into 2022, when travel finally returned in a big way.

As part of the anniversary, six different amenity kits representing various decades in the airline’s history are being provided to International Business Class passengers.

I was really hoping for the green 1970s ‘retro roo’ design, which you can see via the link above, but on our Perth – Singapore flight the 1980s ‘aircraft livery’ kit was provided.

This is still a really striking and fun design with retro vibes, and will now join my collection of cable holders while travelling, useful for that if nothing else!

Inside the amenity kit you’ll find:

• A dental kit (toothbrush and toothpase)
• Ear plugs
• Eye mask
• Socks
• Li’Tya products:
  • Face cream (5ml)
  • Hand cream (5ml)
  • Lip balm (5ml)

Qantas provides pyjamas to Business Class passengers on international overnight flights, but not on daytime services like this Perth – Singapore sector.

Sometimes if you ask you can get lucky on a daytime flight, since they may have a few unused sets loaded from previous sectors, but that wasn’t the case on my flight.

Toilets

There are two toilets serving the Business Class cabin on the Qantas A330-300, one at the front left ahead of the forward main entry door and one at the back right side, behind seat 7K.

This gives Business Class passengers a seat-to-toilet ratio of 14:1. That’s very similar to the 13:1 ratio Singapore Airlines offers in Business Class on its A350 Medium Haul aircraft flying this route, and much better than the 18:1 ratio on SIA’s Boeing 787-10s that also operate to and from Perth.

Toiletries by Li’Tya are provided, which also match the brand used for products in the amenity kit.

Both toilets have an extendable baby changing table, which can also be useful for you to put your clothes while you get changed yourself.

Wi-Fi

Remarkably, the Qantas international fleet of aircraft is not Wi-Fi equipped, including the carrier’s Airbus A380s, Boeing 787s and these international Airbus A330s.

That’s well behind the competition in this department, with most international airlines offering Wi-Fi in Business Class on flights from Australia, including Emirates, Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines.

Qantas does offer free unlimited Wi-Fi for all passengers on its domestic flights using Airbus A330s and Boeing 737s, but it is not switched on for international sectors, even when an aircraft has the capability installed for its occasional domestic flights.

In-flight Wi-Fi is seen as something of a necessity these days, rather than a luxury perk, especially in Business Class where many passengers need to remain connected to get some productive work done, so hopefully Qantas can add this capability to its fleet soon.

In the meantime it would certainly sway us towards choosing Singapore Airlines on this route if there’s work to be done on the day in question.

In-flight entertainment

Qantas A330 cabins are equipped with the Panasonic eX3 in-flight entertainment (IFE) system, and in Business Class a 16-inch HD touchscreen is provided for each passenger.

The system can also be controlled using the remote if you prefer, which is hidden under a panel beside the seat, that also incorporates a small vanity mirror.

However, I found that the screen is within easy reach and it was easier to use the touchscreen function to control the system.

Aside from some of the usual recent film releases, the IFE included Asian, Bollywood, Italian Cinema and Harry Potter categories, along with TV box sets.

There’s also the obligatory in-flight moving map presentation, though Qantas A330s do not have external cameras like you find on some airlines.

The IFE screen tilts downwards, so you can still watch movies when you have the seat in bed mode.

Noise-cancelling headphones are also provided, which are not branded but do provide decent audio quality and have a comfortable padded headband.

Seat controls and positions

A single panel allows you to control the seat position, with intuitive buttons.

Here you can use quick shortcuts to put the seat in bed mode, a relaxation setting, or both an upright or reclined position approved for takeoff and landing.

There are also back and lumbar support controls, and even a massage function.

This panel also controls the ambient lighting and houses the ‘do not disturb’ light clearly displayed to the crew at the aisle.

Table

A single table is stored under the side console, which can be released via the push-button at the side.

The table then pops out, allowing you to manually swing it around to become located directly in front of you in the fully extended position.

Unfortunately the table has no support on the far side (the left side in my case), so it’s not as solid as it would be ideally, especially when being used for work on a laptop.

Here’s one of the major benefits of sitting in an aisle-aligned seat in this cabin – the armrest between the seat and the aisle fully retracts – so you can get in and out of your seat during meal time without any issue. This is not possible at window-aligned seats, or the middle seats positioned away from the aisle.

If you don’t like to be trapped in your seat during mealtime, pick an aisle-aligned option.

The other benefit of the aisle-aligned seats is that the extended console, either in the middle section or at the window, acts as a permanent table of sorts. It’s yours to use for things like personal items, and even comfortably accommodates a laptop while the dining table can be used for eating.

Storage options

There are no enclosed storage options with this seat, instead you are primarily restricted to the open ‘L-shaped’ stowage at the window side (or the aisle side for window-aligned seats).

This is a great place for storing your laptop, iPad, menu and amenity kit, but do note that there is no stowage permitted (technically anyway) during taxi, takeoff and landing.

There’s also a decent recess for storing your items at the end of the extended console for aisle-aligned seats like mine, a good place for your shoes, or a small bag.

A small section of the floor at the front of the console, obviously not designed for storage but more to allow long coats to be on the hook above, could probably be used to keep some items if you needed to.

Otherwise you are restricted to storing your items in the overhead locker, though with direct aisle access at every seat and overhead lockers in the middle section as well as at the sides, this isn’t a big deal.

At the back of the seat in front of you there’s a coat hook.

Directly below that is the literature pocket, which you could also use to store something like an iPad if you wished.

In here you’ll find the Qantas magazine, an airsickness bag and the safety card.

Power sockets

A UNI socket power point, USB charging port and headphone jack are all located at the front of the open stowage compartment directly next to your seat.

This makes them easy to access and allows you to charge your devices when they are in hand, on the side console or stowed in the compartment itself.

Food and drink

Qantas doesn’t have a wine list on its menu in Business Class, instead simply advertising “Premium Australian wines selected by the Qantas Neil Perry Sommeliers”.

As you’d expect, the airline champions Aussie wines on its flights (rightly, in our opinion), so there’s no surprise that every option on board this service hailed from one of the Australian states, with the exception of the Champagne, which of course can only be from France.

Here’s how the Champagne, wine and dessert wine selection on this flight stacks up on our favourite comparison website Vivino, out of 5.

Champagne
	Duval-Leroy Réserve Brut Champagne N.V.	3.8 stars
White Wine
	Bleasdale Chardonnay 2021	3.6 stars
	West Cape Howe Riesling 2021	3.5 stars
Red Wine
	Penfolds Max’s Shiraz 2019	3.8 stars
	Rosabrook “Dear Father” Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2019	3.7 stars
Dessert Wine
	Baileys of Glenrowan Founder Series Classic Muscat	3.9 stars

Here is the full list of drinks available on my flight.

For beers, Qantas was serving James Boag’s Premium and Little Creatures Summer Ale, the latter hailing from Fremantle just down the road from Perth itself.

After takeoff I enjoyed another (slightly fuller!) glass of the Duval-Leroy Champagne, which doesn’t rank as a personal favourite, but is still a good Champagne – a nice blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, dry and crisp with a long finish.

Qantas is in good company here – the same Champagne is served in Business Class on Etihad and Swiss International Air Lines, though it doesn’t come up to Charles Heidsieck standards, like you’ll currently get on SIA on most flights in Business.

After the Champagne, I was keen to try a white wine and opted for a glass of the Bleasdale Chardonnay, which was excellent.

Without knowing the Vivino rating in advance, and as a Sauvignon Blanc lover in general, I’m glad I went for this one – sharp and dry with just the right level of oaky notes.

Business Class meal service on the Qantas A330-300 is prepared in the second galley behind row 7, since the forward section ahead of row 1 is configured as a ‘dry galley’ on these aircraft, for basic storage only with no ovens, etc.

The main meal service flow is then from row 1 to row 7 on each aisle simultaneously, so you’ll be served earlier the further forward in the cabin you sit.

Here is the lunch menu offered on my flight.

The crew first set up the table for me, offering a choice of sourdough or focaccia bread, which is then served on the side with a green leaf salad. The crew offer salad dressing if you wish.

More Aussie produce was on show here, with butter by Pere Saya and small salt and pepper sachets by Olsson’s, both heralding from New South Wales.

This time I opted for the Penfolds Shiraz as an accompaniment, which has great flavour and a wonderfully smooth finish.

For the starter I went with the chicken salad, served with wombok, daikon and shallots and finished with a sesame and black vinegar dressing.

There aren’t many marks for presentation here, mostly because the dressing had run to one side of the plate!

The dish itself though was quite good, with well-balanced ingredients and the dressing was spot on – an excellent accompaniment to the chicken in this light starter.

For the main course I chose the Barramundi, and of course I couldn’t resist asking the crew what “Humpty Doo” meant in the dish’s title. Apparently this is the name of the farm the fish is raised on!

This dish was prepared in southern Chinese style with greens, sesame seeds and steamed jasmine rice. The fish was actually sensational, and the rice remained light and fluffy despite the limitations of aircraft ovens.

The seasonal greens were a little overcooked for my taste but still good, and overall I thought the portion size was quite generous.

I’ve certainly had ‘hit and miss’ main courses on Qantas in Business Class over the years, but this ranks as one of the best so far.

For dessert the service flow was different. In this case the crew commence with a single dessert trolley at seats 1 A/E and work down the left aisle to seats 7 A/E, then proceed with whatever is left and serve the right aisle from seats 1 F/K to seats 7 F/K.

This puts you at risk of your first dessert option becoming expired if you sit on the right side of the cabin, and then progressively worse from front to back on the right side.

That’s unfortunately what happened to me in seat 5K, among the last to be offered dessert, with the festive Gingerbread and rhubarb trifle I was hoping to savour unfortunately all gone by the time the crew served my seat.

While I appreciate there’s a balance between providing everyone a choice and reducing food waste, it’s still disappointing to be seated halfway back in a Business Class cabin and for only a single option to be available.

I didn’t fancy ice cream, so opted for the cheese selection instead.

This was a rather basic assortment of three cheeses, with crackers, nuts and grapes. Lindor chocolates were also offered to select (one was enough for me, but I’m sure they’d let you have more!).

The Customer Service Manager was one of the two crew running the dessert trolley, and apologetic for the lack of choice by the time my seat was reached he did recommend that I paired the cheese with a dessert wine – Baileys of Glenrowan’s Founder Series Classic Muscat from North East Victoria.

I wouldn’t have gone for this normally (not least since I had to work the next morning!), but I’m glad I accepted. This was a really delicious drop, and the perfect accompaniment to the cheese.

One aspect of the meal service is that it was far from rushed. I guess that’s either a pro or a con, depending on your perspective, but we were airborne at 3pm and my final cheese course was cleared away at 6pm, leaving only two hours remaining until landing on this short flight.

That’s not a big issue on a daytime flight like this, and I do recall the airline providing a quicker service on its overnight flights from Singapore to Australia, but do bear in mind you shouldn’t be expecting to clock several hours of sleep on this relatively short Perth – Singapore journey, if you also wish to have lunch.

Bed mode

After a generous glass of the 17% dessert wine, it was time to rehydrate with some more water, then put the seat’s bed mode to the test, even though there wasn’t really much time left to sleep as we were already approaching overhead Jakarta.

Another benefit of the aisle-aligned seats in this cabin is that the armrest actually retracts, providing another 5cm of width in bed mode if you need it.

I preferred the slightly cosier ‘armrest up’ position, which allayed my paranoia of rolling over and falling into the aisle (did I mention the dessert wine was 17%?)!

Nonetheless you can retract the armrest and get some more bed width on these aisle-aligned seats, just be careful not to stick your arms or elbows out into the aisle in case a trolley comes past!

Qantas provides a comfy mattress that fits over the seat, and a 300 thread count cotton sheet plus a large comfortable pillow, which made this one of the most comfortable Business Class beds I’ve experienced.

Reclining the seat into bed mode reveals an additional control switch above your head, to control the lighting and also bring the seat back to the upright position without having to reach across to the main seat controls.

The bed extends to an 80″ length (6 ft 8 in or 203 cm), the same length as the 2013 First Class seat on Singapore Airlines Boeing 777s, and 5-8 cm longer than SIA’s flat-bed Business Class seats.

The bed is also aligned with the aircraft cabin, so there’s no need to sleep at an awkward angle like there is in some Business Class beds, though it does narrow towards the foot end as your feet go under the side console of the passenger in front.

Arrival

For disembarkation in Singapore, Business Class passengers usually alight first, however due to the delay all passengers were asked to remain seated to allow those connecting onto Jetstar Asia to Jakarta and Bangkok Airways to Koh Samui to disembark and head to their onward gate, in order to make what had become critical connections.

After that, Business Class passengers disembarked and my luggage was one of the first on the carousel, which meant I was back home in the East Coast only 45 minutes after landing, in usual efficient Changi Airport style.

Seat recommendations

As we mentioned earlier, even-numbered window seats 2 A/K, 4 A/K and 6 A/K on the Qantas A330-300 provide the most private experience for solo travellers, being aligned against the window with the console between the seat and the aisle.

Nonetheless, it was great to try out the aisle-aligned seat, which benefits from an extended side console and an armrest that fully retracts, making the seat wider in bed mode and allowing you to get in and out even when the tray table is extended.

If that sounds more like the benefit you’d enjoy, these are the seats you’ll need to pick on the A330-300:

• 1 A/E/K
• 2 F
• 3 A/E/K
• 4 F
• 5 A/E/K
• 6 F
• 7 A/E/K

The bulkhead seats in row 1 have a larger footwell, giving you more space to stretch out especially in bed mode, but the two bassinets are also located here, so there is an increased chance of disturbance from an infant.

Middle seats 1F, 2E, 3F, 4E, 5F, 6E and 7F don’t have the extended side console (technically its for the passenger next to them), with a shortened console between them and the aisle, but are are 1 inch wider than all the other seats in this cabin (24″ instead of 23″), so those may be a good pick for larger passengers.

Seat 7K is probably a poor choice in this cabin – directly in front of the toilet and main food preparation galley and among the last to be served a main course (and the very last to be served dessert), meaning you’ll likely need to resign yourself to what’s left on the trolley.

Seat 7A on the left side of the cabin fares similarly, but at least doesn’t have a toilet behind it, and sits halfway through the dessert service.

Seats 7E and 7F in the middle section may also suffer some disturbance from galley noise directly behind.

Service

One aspect of flying Qantas Business Class in my experience is the down-to-earth friendliness of the crew.

I fly mostly in Business Class with SIA, and their crew are excellent, but there’s still something a bit robotic about the service at times, with the exception of First Class where the more senior crew are usually far more engaging.

On this Qantas flight the crew lived up to my previous experiences with the airline – chatty, engaging and genuine.

Most of all, the crew were really happy, despite the delay and associated complaints from passengers with connecting flights.

It felt like they still wanted to do a really good job and make us all happy (not so difficult for me – I didn’t have a connecting flight to worry about!).

In my opinion, Qantas strikes a great balance here between professionalism and genuine friendliness, with crew clearly allowed to ‘be themselves’ and let their personalities shine.

It’s quite different from most Asian airlines, and it’s certainly not for everyone given the slightly more casual approach, but personally it works for me and was a refreshing change from the norm.

Which Singapore flights have these seats?

All Qantas flights to and from Singapore have the Thompson Vantage XL seats in Business Class, but the ones reviewed here are the oldest version which are exclusive to the Airbus A330-200 and Airbus A330-300, operating the following services at the time of writing:

• Brisbane: QF51/52
• Melbourne: QF36/35
• Perth: QF72/71
• Sydney: QF82/81

Qantas flights QF1 and QF2 to both Sydney and London use the Airbus A380, which now all have upgraded cabin products including the latest Vantage XL design, similar to those the airline has installed on the Boeing 787, which are a bit fancier than these older ones.

One of the major enhancements in these seats is that the fixed divider between passengers in the middle seat pairs is retractable, allowing a more sociable experience for couples, friends or colleagues travelling together.

The 28-strong fleet of Qantas Airbus A330s is now coming to the end of its useful life, with the carrier already asking Airbus and Boeing to propose tenders for replacement jets from 2023 onwards. Likely new aircraft would be the Airbus A330neo, Airbus A350 or Boeing 787.

It will be interesting to see whether the airline sticks with the eight-year-old Thompson Vantage XL seat for these new jets, or takes the opportunity to once again refresh its hard product offering in Business Class.

How to redeem

You can redeem Qantas Business Class flights between Singapore and Australia with miles accrued in any Oneworld frequent flyer programme, with the exception of Alaska Mileage Plan, which currently only offers Qantas awards on domestic or Australia – US routings, for some reason.

Here are the one-way redemption rates in Business Class:

FFP	Business Class (Perth to SIN)
	30,000 +AU$244
	38,750 +AU$107
	52,000 +AU$228
	57,000 +AU$228

As you can see, Asia Miles provides the best value in Business Class for Qantas redemptions on this route, but Avios levies the lowest taxes and fees by far. You can transfer Qatar Avios 1:1 free into the BA Avios programme, which is why we have listed that scheme in the same category.

I used 38,750 Avios + AU$107 to redeem this particular flight, because I found that decent value overall, with the lowest cancellation fee, plus I wanted to keep my Asia Miles balance intact for a more costly redemption later this year, which would have been scuppered by using 30,000 of them for this trip.

For comparison, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer charges 40,500 miles for a Business Class Saver award on this route flying with SIA, or 65,000 miles for an Advantage redemption.

Summary

Qantas offers a really solid long-haul Business Class seat in the Thompson Vantage XL product it debuted globally some eight years ago.

Remarkably, the seat has stood the test of time and still provides an industry-leading experience, with high privacy levels despite not having the closed-door style increasingly seen in the likes of Qatar’s Qsuite and BA’s Club Suite.

The bed dimensions and bedding in particular were standouts, so I’d happily redeem this seat on an even longer sector like Singapore – London in future.

To top it off, the food and wine were really good, but moreover the crew offered great friendly service, despite not everything going to plan (for connecting passengers, or my dessert choice!).

Their genuine warmth and friendliness will be my lasting memory of this great Avios redemption!

Review Summary

4 / 5 among long-haul Business Class seats

Qantas A330 Business Class A solid long-haul Business Class experience from Qantas on a short Australia – Singapore flight, with fantastic service, good food and drink, plus a comfy spacious bed.

Flew: December 2022

(Cover Photo: MainlyMiles)