Qantas' Airbus A380, and first class, returns to Sydney-Hong Kong

Nice.

The plan is to have 4 aircraft refurbished by the end of the year.

I will fly if refurbed only

That would be nice. I sort of fed up with "Longreach" old style business seats.

I know that SkyBed MK2 is bound for sunset, and it's old hat now I get it....but....one thing I miss (and will continue to miss) is the physical space that you get in front of you. Yes the new seats are the future and they are great but what you gain in an individual seat I think you lose in space and room.

Those QANTAS cocoon business class seats are a shocker, no air circulates and they are like concrete to sleep on.

The A side seats in F are better as the centre & right side share overhead areas. There is ~some ~ noise in 1A with the bathroom flush.

I just checked the price to fly. It costs $3000+ for a one way ticket. Last year it was only $2500.

What a joke. Qantas does NOT operate a true 1st rate carrier 'first' class per se. This is a deluxe business class at best. Food, amenity kit, lavs, crockery(new cutlery already looks shockingly old) and service standards are nowhere near where a first class service needs to be. Qantas $15000-$18000 prices set high expectations yet are mostly false and misleading. Just because Qantas calls it first, it's not. Bedding is just about the only aspect that warrants first class standards. Only ever buy A on sale if you fly up front on the A380. Anything else is robbery for what you get. Fly with SQ EK QR LH if you're going to pay that much.

Don't get too excited. In terms of F, QF is "one of the worst airlines in the free world."

Agree with the above negative comments about QF ‘first’. Flew to London return last year. The forward flights were very disappointing - food and wine were very average, athough the crew tried hard. One return leg ex SIN was reasonable and that was it. Neil Perry’s catering has long past its use-by date - his menus look mean when they arrive at your seat and the food does not taste of anything much in the air. I was terribly disappointed and I paid in real money for this dubious pleasure. Never again.

Darn, miss being able to select the F seats as J seats when they weren't selling the F class product....

Yep, Qantas First a shocker

I can see that anyone who dare to criticize this product all the QF freeloaders out to give them a minus-yet the truth you cannot deny!!!

Have to laugh at all the Qantas employees at QCC and apologists down scoring anything negative about Qantas First Class. News Flash QCC-: there is no denying any of the criticisms so heads out of the sand and fix it.

Maybe the downvoting is more a reaction to the way some people are just so negative about anything and will use any article to whinge about Qantas and QF first class. I certainly get sick of the endless knocking. My 2c on this is that Qantas first class isn't in the same league as most others such as SQ, Emirates, Etihad or even Cathay Pacific, it's actually not as much about the seat to me because I like the 'open suite' concept, but the Qantas first class f&b has really dropped off over the years. QF First used to have a fantastic menu all round plus an amazing degustation menu, these days several of the first class dishes are also in business class and the degustation is more a sampler of the standard dishes instead of something really special. The service is still great, I find QF F crew will go above and beyond, and I think that in the end people don't fly SYD-SIN or SYD-HKG in first class for the meals as much as for the privacy and exclusivity compared to business class, and the better seat of course. This won't be the case as much when the Business Suite comes onto the A380s but the smaller cabin and more space and 'intimacy' will still have strong appeal.

I’ve flown QF A380 F a few times to USA and I’d say it’s like staying at a decent Sheraton or Westin, crew have always been excellent and I love the seat and bedding. But a Four Seasons or Park Hyatt it definitely is not and I think this is probably where Singapore & Emirates are pegged at especially their F&B which are outstanding on both.

i just went first class to hong kong on the singapore A380 and it was the new first class suites up stairs.

Whatever the merits (or lack thereof) of the QF cabin product, changing from a 787 to an A380 is a large increase in seats - almost double. You would imagine that either some people are being turned away from Dreamliner flights just before the change takes place, or else there would be quite a few empty seats just after the transition.