Qantas' new Kate Spade & Jack Spade business class kits
By David Flynn, November 16 2012
Qantas is adding a dose of New York style to its international business class flights with the debut of new amenity kits for male and female travellers.
The bags come from Kate Spade New York and the brand's homme counterpart Jack Spade.
The women's version is, well, very Kate Spade, with an arty shot of a New York streetscape at night.
The blokes get a nondescript bag which looks more function than flash, with a textured black material topped by a dark blue strip.
While following a no-frills and no-pockets pouch design, at almost 8 inches on the diagonal there's plenty of room for all manner of knick-knacks after your flight – even an iPad Mini, if you're careful to line up the edges.
Of course, that makes it a great fit for Google's Nexus 7 tablet or a 6 inch Amazon Kindle ebook reader.
Inside the kits you'll find all the usual items, which are identical in both the men's and women's packs.
Completing the Big Apple's push into the Red Roo's business class are lotions from Malin+Goetz New York: lip moisturiser, face moisturiser and hand & body lotion.
Don't be too hasty in tossing away the cardboard sleeve they come in: it includes an 'exclusive offer' of two free travel-sized 29ml Malin+Goetz products with any Malin+Goetz purchase at Mecca Cosmetica in Sydney or Melbourne.
The kits are being rolled out as part of the 'sleep service' upgrade to overnight international business class flights, which kicked off last week on the the daily Sydney-Los Angeles flight (QF107/108) before being extended to other redeye runs including Melbourne-Los Angeles flights as well as the long haul to London.
We know you're dying to sound off about these new bags, so let fly in the comments box below!
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David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.
Qantas
06 Sep 2012
Total posts 2
Does it come with a smile?
10 Mar 2011
Total posts 526
They look fine to me... I'm not too fussed about what the bags look like as I rarely keep them.
I am interested in the sleep service though and hope that it has been extended to the London service as I am on it on Sunday. I'm sure it won't be but one can hold out in hope. Not sure why Qantas puts it on the US flights and not London yet.... why advertise a product if it's only on one flight?!
04 Nov 2010
Total posts 670
Not super excited about the bags, in the end a bag is a bag is a bag unless it's exceptionally useful with zipper pockets etc. But I cannot figure out why Qantas is going 'New York' in this when they are an Australian airline, shouldn't they be promoting Australian products? Maybe 'Aesop' for the lotions, I know they are expensive but I'm sure the promotion they would get form being in QF kits would be great for their profile and their business. And surely there must be hundreds of young Australian designers who could whip up a bag!!!
22 Jul 2011
Total posts 96
I think Aesop would have been a good choice a few years ago - now it has lost some of its appeal, as you can find it everywhere. The kits cases are terrible. Agree that Oz designers could have been used and a much better outcome too.
12 Jul 2011
Total posts 75
They look a bit ho-hum in my opinion. i'm more a fan of the Malin + Goetz inside the kits to be honest, considering the stuff is so hard to get hold of. That lip balm is spectacular!
QantasFF
16 Nov 2012
Total posts 57
I hope Qantas doesn't listen to your distinguished contributors Ausflyer and Al - I only want the bags, not the gumph inside. I use them as toiletries, medicines and similar travel cases. Cathay's are far and away the best, Qantas has varied over the years - one of their ugliest was the most useful, a drawstring bag. I recently had my first business class in Jetstar - basically, good value for money, but the freebie bags were appalling. Don't like the look of this one and it doesn't seem useful for much else.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
01 May 2012
Total posts 120
Same here, took a Jetstar biz flight recently and thought their bags were practical and good value. OK, but for a splash of the Jet* orange on the outside compared to the QF Florence Broadhurst bag the contents are identical albeit no Malin + Goetz and Jetstar even throw in a inflatable neck brace. Agree on Cathay, quality.
20 Jul 2011
Total posts 72
The current Cathay bags are virtually idential in size and shape to the current QF ones, but a stiffer material. QF's actually feel like they might be real cotton, rather than some form of plastic.
04 Nov 2010
Total posts 670
I think we all love to find ways to re-use these bags after we get off the plane, Robin. I would have liked these more if they better let you seperate your items into compartments but of cours etis adds to the cost. I think most flyers like what is inside the bag more than the bag itself, I just would have liked more than anything else to see Qanats supporting Australian designs and products.
29 Oct 2012
Total posts 1
They look very modest, I prefer the old design by Florence Broadhurst,am waiting for the new better Pijamas design.
01 Feb 2012
Total posts 370
Is the roll out timing going to be long? I'm flying QF 11 next Saturday. Any chance this will get the new bags? I wouldn't have thought it takes long to roll out something like this
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
10 May 2011
Total posts 732
I agree on the opinion most seem to have that content is better than the bag itself. The Malin+Goetz stuff is very good (Payot they have in F even better) and compare to other airlines they do well on the content. However, although it might not be that important, if you see TG giving you a flash Porsche design bag and looking at the new CX bags I do think QF is a bit behind. They could have done better, as I believe the freebies also serve as a bit of marketing and the bag looks quite cheap in my eyes.
28 Oct 2011
Total posts 650
who cares!!!....i'd bet alot of the various 'branded' amenity kits (and most of its contents) offered by various airlines, are probably 'made in china' anyway!! so who are you REALLY supporting!!??
01 Feb 2012
Total posts 370
Free trade, globalisation, capitalism, employment in China..
19 Nov 2012
Total posts 45
Its only on the 107/108 SYD/JFK/SYD at this stage. Its a soft launch to iron out any service delivery issues. Its not just the new padded fitted sheet and duvet. It's a redesign of the J class meal service delivery with the removal of the exisiting grey tray. Its involves the placement of tens of thousands of new service items around the globe. Catering contractors need to learn new loading and onboard stowages. Many thousand crew need to be trained in the new service sequence. Fully rollout should be complete by FEB 2013.
Qantas - Platinum (Lifetime Gold)
25 Apr 2013
Total posts 55
I have flown with QF on the LA route in business class 6 times since the Kate Spade toiletry bags were announced and have not yet received one. As recently as 11th April, still received the old one. Not that I care as I leave them on the plane anyway. Cathay has the most useful design width for adaptor plugs and cables. I still have the old l'occitane compartmentalised toiletry received on board from QF years ago in my handbag to this day, very useful for keeping everything separated.
I am not enamoured with the quilted blanket on QF, it's not a duvet/doona - give me the soft duvets on Cathay, or even BA, any day. It's an improvement on the cotton lined blankets though, I'll concede that. The mattress improves the seat padding but who puts it on, let alone takes it off, "me or them", is yet to be consistently shown. To be fair, I think they're quite a disruption for the crew at a very busy time in the flight. Dinner over, everyone wants to go to sleep and the crew want to "do the dishes", not go around "making" beds, so sometimes they just don't do it. Don't mind putting it on myself, why not take the guesswork out of it, provide it but let us do it at a time convenient to us rather than the crew.
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