Qantas First Class Gets Upgrade: New Amenity Kits, Pajamas, Champagne

"What do you make of Qantas’ first class updates?"

Lipstick on a pig.

Aesop is good stuff.

I've always had great crews in QF F, but still crazy there is no wifi on the 17.5 hr flight from dfw-syd.

While the seat itself is mid, the colours, finishes and trim are still gorgeous just like on CX. Anyone see a resemblance between the two?

And unfortunately by the time Project Sunrise takes off, their upcoming First Class would be mid by then.

@Lucky this is classic Qantas. Announce future improvements with a subtle acknowledgement of being subpar today. “We’re a bit sh!t now, but soon we will be less sh!t”

In your linked trip report, you mention that they say you can done "anytime" in QF F. Was that not dine on demand which would mean that isn't a new feature? Or was it just a good crew?

Dine*

Go on Willy, I will bite …. what colour is your lipstick and why do you define QF as a “Pig”?

Fact: No U.S. airline (for example) can hold a candle to QF.
Fact: QF has never suffered a fatal air crash passenger death since 1951.

Seriously now Willy, what do you know about QF that the rest of the aviation world does not?

Ben: have you taken any Marketing classes? I ask because you seem surprised with all the hype coming from airlines and hotels lately when they announce new products/improvements. You said the same about Delta a few weeks ago. Not saying I disagree with you but all they are doing is called Marketing. It is all about fluff, perception and BS, that’s what marketing professionals do. Like it or not, that’s their job.

Really SSS, crude nonsense, yes?

Personally I find QF First class to be better than Lufthansa First Class which you do put in the top products.

LH cabins are super dated. I don't find their food or amentities particularly amazing. Their seats are definitely weak. Service from LH doesn't seem to be notably better than QF either.

I feel like people have a tendency to curve QF and other OW airlines down since LH First has more "exclusivity" in terms of its lounges vs the Qantas F lounges are just OWE accessible lounges.

You can tell he has extreme subjective bias. Whenever one of his preferred airlines rolls out a new change, he'll praise them to high heavens saying how great it is.

But if it's popular to bash an airline like Delta to engagement farm, then he'll be like "Delta is so delusional for using marketing terms". Or for hotels it'll be Marriott, like "Why is this Edition using PR photos and descriptions to brand itself?"

Like if his editorial angle was about consumer fairness and expectations, then fine, but it's really not. He just chooses to flame and praise certain things because it's popular and gets clicks.

I don't think it'll be "mid". What other product is on the horizon that will eclipse it in 2027? We're already almost in 2026. It's coming out in a little over a year.

The QF F seat looks remarkably similar to the JAL F seat, which has been praised to high heavens and should remain the gold standard for quite some time. Maybe CX's Halo Suites? Aside from that I'm not sure. Allegris First Class is a bit of a flop.

It's still a conventional cubicle-like design, nothing creative; I would've expected something like fully enclosed rooms and suites.

Aside from CX, I'd say SQ and whatever EK and QR come up with on their 779s. I'd even argue AFs new La Premiere as it's fully enclosed with curtains.

lol hilariously dumb comment. as if ben hasn't posted numerous posts laughing at united/LH/etc. in addition to Delta/Marriott/everyone else. if its silly, he calls it out. i understand its hard for weirdos like you and timmy to be impartial though, but i guess people just have weird emotional attachments to companies for some reason

So no changes to the lousy hard product. And on the handful of changes to the soft product. It's not even made. It might be in the lower third of first class products of her on the planet.

If you weren't so obsessed with Tim (you brought him up, no one else did), you would realize that the actual point is that it's dumb to make articles like this, when all companies do marketing and use language like this. It really has no material impact.

This piece has nothing to do with US carriers or passenger deaths since 1951, so it's not entirely clear why they're mentioned. The way I read it was Ben discussing changes to the QF FC product, which is hardly competitive from an inflight-service standard. Nothing is innovative in their old or new offerings and the FAs are simply okay on their best days in first. They're aggressive in wanting to make beds (on two occasions I've come back from the lav to find a seat turned into a bed; this was not anticipatory service (as I wasn't ready to sleep), this was a rush job, not sure why - LH has been guilty of this as well) and somewhat responsive to requests, but never enthusiastic about it.

My last QF FC flight was late 2024 SYD-SIN, and I've since switched all my ex-Oz international flying away from QF and over to SQ (or EK / EY, depending on the destination).

Like it or not, that’s Ben's job.

Like it or not, people will comment about how pointless it is.

Surely your first class rankings need updating. The hard product pn Qantas is as good as most of the products on your 'top 12' list and (unlike say, Emirates and Garuda) is actually available.

In practice, you already can dine on demand in Qantas first. If you ask the crew to hold something back for you, they'll do it (in my experience).

However, the *big* problem is the wine list. Not that most airlines invest in wine anymore, but on QF1/2 recently (i.e. Qantas 'flagship' route) they were serving a $24 (AUD) bottle of sauvignon blanc in first. That's just sad.

I don't get the 'launching' of Dine on Demand. It is already a thing.

I have flown QF half a dozen times over the past two years in First. On the longer flights (eg London - Singapore or Sydney to LA) I have always been asked when I want to eat.

Maybe its just something new for the shorter sectors (eg SIN-SYD)?

I would love to know what Neil Perry has over Qantas - he must be privy to some skeletons in the closet of the board members. Qantas catering is DIRE. Uninspiring, boring, certainly not 'contemporary' as they claim to be.

nice improvements, but still no wifi and no espresso. i appreciate the french press but ffs, it’s lukewarm by the time the cart reaches you.

And yet, despite Qantas announcing the A380's (which are the only aircraft to currently have First Class) will remain in service until at least 2032 there are NO plans to fit the fleet with WiFi.

But hey, we will give you a nice new amenity kit.

They serve espresso in both First and Business Class.

In fact one of the more cute aspects of their service on the long flights is their 'piccolo service' where they pass through the business class cabin before breakfast with a tray of piccolos (that's basically an espesso macchiato for a non Aussie).

Willy, thank you for taking the time to respond and to satisfy my curiosity.
However, I still feel that your original comment about QF being a “Pig”, is exceedingly harsh …. 🙂

One agrees wholeheartedly that one’s choice between QF, SQ, EK or EY on the SIN - OZ routes is a no-brainer. QF has always missed out on our custom too.

Might have to give QF a squirt next year just for the hell of it?

Whilst I like Aesop products still, to me for a First Class amenity kit, it lacks that special feeling given how ubiquitous their products have become. I guess least it is Australian in origin. Generally feel Qantas lack imagination with these things.

Ben does a great job of reporting all things fairly!! Calls them all as he sees them with impartially.
Thanks Ben

"Might have to give QF a squirt next year just for the hell of it?"

Go for it, and report back. 🙂

I'll simply avoid them. I won't even get started on the QF culture and the new CEO. Until I hear / see anecdotally that QF has changed in any meaningful way, I will only use them for intra-Oz flights, and even then it will only be if VA's schedule or routes don't work for what I need.

I've been toying with taking the inaugural QF nonstop from SYD-JFK, but A) I don't know if those seats are restricted to executives and/or "influencers," and B) I don't know that I'll want to give QF my custom even if I could get a seat on that flight. We also really don't know when it will be, as it's the 777X of new routes.

aw man! i got robbed 🙂 had my first-ever Qantas flight a few months ago (DFW-SYD) in J and all they served was a lukewarm french press. Not a piccolo in sight. I probably won't fly them again until Project Sunrise, and I'm sure that'll all be fanci for the first few months...