Aircraft Qantas A380
Route Sydney to London
Class Economy, seat 71F.
Seat pitch and width 31 inches; 18.1 inches
Seat configuration 3-4-3 with the exception of row 71. Seat 71D, part of the centre four, has no seat in front of it, thus lots of leg room. One to seek out in future.
Luggage allowance Two pieces of checked baggage up to 23kg in total, plus one piece of cabin baggage up to 7kg.
Scheduled flight time 23 hours 20 minutes, including a 90-minute refuelling stop in Singapore.
On-time performance Perfect.
Aircraft condition Spick and span.
Console/entertainment The in-tail camera, which allows you can watch the entire flight from your personal touch-screen console in real time, as if you were sitting above the plane, is a highlight, particularly on take-off and landing. Loads of current-release and other films, TV and radio programs and games.
Comfort The cabin of the A380 is said to be twice as quiet as a 747 cabin and the absence of that constant roar is brilliant. The air pressure is also better and I felt surprisingly refreshed after 23 hours. As in all economy seats, you still feel like there's nowhere to put your legs but this seat is more comfortable than any other economy seat I've endured. Unfortunately, the arm rests don't come all the way up so you can't push them out of the way and slouch all over your travelling companion(s). The underseat baskets for your feet are an improvement on the standard metal bar.
Service Couldn't be nicer. The cabin crew were gracious and made a heroic number of trips down the aisle through the night bearing trays of water and juice.
Amenities Plastic pouches with eye shades, toothbrushes and toothpaste are placed on each seat at the start of the longer leg from Singapore.
Food and beverages The menu, with a choice of two dishes for each of four meals, read so much better than it tasted (the food on the return flight from London was notably better). Ice-creams, hot chocolates and snack bags served separately are a nice touch. The help-yourself drink and snack bars, available throughout the flight, are also appealing, including biscuits, crackers, fruit and soft drinks.
Flight frequency Departures daily, Tuesday to Saturday but not all are on an A380.
Online qantas.com.au.
Tested by Lissa Christopher
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