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ON BOARD THE QANTAS A380: First class on board the Qantas 380. -
Skybed in Business Class, Qantas A380. -
Qantas Qantas A380-800 premium economy. Photo: Supplied -
Qantas A380 economy seating. Photo: Supplied -
Qantas A380 economy seating. Photo: Supplied -
Qantas A380 economy seating Photo: Supplied -
Business Class, Qantas A380. -
Economy class on the Qantas Airbus A380. Photo: Jim Rice -
Premium economy class on board the Qantas A380. Photo: Getty Images -
Economy seat aboard the Qantas A380. -
The toilet on board the Qantas A380. Photo: Getty Images -
The first Qantas A380 arrived in Sydney on 21 September, 2008. -
A Qantas A380 taxis to its gate during its inaugural landing at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Texas after flying from Sydney - the world's longest route. Photo: AP -
Qantas A380 business fully flat bed. -
First class on board the Qantas A380. Photo: Craig Abraham -
Qantas A830 first class suite.
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ON BOARD THE QANTAS A380: First class on board the Qantas 380. of -
Skybed in Business Class, Qantas A380. of -
Qantas Qantas A380-800 premium economy. Photo: Supplied of -
Qantas A380 economy seating. Photo: Supplied of -
Qantas A380 economy seating. Photo: Supplied of -
Qantas A380 economy seating Photo: Supplied of -
Business Class, Qantas A380. of -
Economy class on the Qantas Airbus A380. Photo: Jim Rice of -
Premium economy class on board the Qantas A380. Photo: Getty Images of -
Economy seat aboard the Qantas A380. of -
The toilet on board the Qantas A380. Photo: Getty Images of -
The first Qantas A380 arrived in Sydney on 21 September, 2008. of -
A Qantas A380 taxis to its gate during its inaugural landing at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Texas after flying from Sydney - the world's longest route. Photo: AP of -
Qantas A380 business fully flat bed. of -
First class on board the Qantas A380. Photo: Craig Abraham of -
Qantas A830 first class suite. of -
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Flight test Qantas Los Angeles to Sydney
THE ROUTE
Los Angeles to Sydney
THE PLANE
Airbus A380-800
THE LOYALTY SCHEME
Qantas Frequent Flyer/Oneworld Alliance
CLASS
Economy. For an extra $180 I have purchased an Upper Deck Emergency Exit, seat 35D
DURATION
We arrive 15 minutes early after a 14 hour, 40 minute flight.
FREQUENCY
Qantas operates one daily A380 flight linking Sydney and Los Angeles, returning from LA at 22.10 and arriving at 6.10am two days later. An additional direct return flight uses a Boeing 747 aircraft.
THE SEAT
While $180 buys an ocean of legroom, the armrests on my central aisle seat are immovable. But its 44cm width is sufficient. Economy upstairs, located at the back behind Premium Economy, has only 16 seats. In the last two rows, where I sit, there are no seats to one side where the toilet is situated, making for a 0-3-2 layout.
BAGGAGE
Two checked bags up to 23kgs, one carry-on up to 7kgs plus one garment bag.
COMFORT
A large gap in front of row 35 allows me to fully extend my legs while sleeping. I'm located beside the toilet and two rows in front of the galley which means extra noise and at first other passengers passing in front of me to reach the washroom. The proximity to the galley fridges means that, even though I am wearing three layers, I still feel cold.
ENTERTAINMENT
As it's an emergency exit seat my entertainment system is stowed in the armrest for take-off and landing and can only be operated using the touch screen. On the A380, the Q system has more than 1500 entertainment options and includes a smattering of new release movies. I watch Alex Gibney's fascinating doco We Steal Secrets about Wikileaks founder Julian Assange on either side of a decent sleep and find the system easy to navigate. An older fellow passenger complains, however, "that you need a PHD to drive the thing".
SERVICE
With only 16 Upper Deck Economy seats to manage, the two principal cabin staff we encounter are unimpressive. One is super garrulous, loud and borderline over-familiar and the other grumpy and short on people skills.
FOOD
The hot supper served an hour into the flight (close to midnight, local time) is adequate but my Massaman curry main is bland. An overnight goodies bag including pretzels, a fig bar and honeycomb crunch is welcome though and the breakfast omelette decent enough.
ONE MORE THING
This is my first flight on an A380 and I feel the benefit of the reduced cabin pressure on board, arriving more refreshed than usual after the long flight. However, on a walk-through of both decks, cabin temperatures seem to vary wildly and it is most chilly at the back, upstairs.
VERDICT
No better than average despite the extra outlay on an emergency exit seat. Some cabin staff on this flight need to behave more professionally.
Tested by Daniel Scott who flew courtesy of the Canadian Tourism Commission.
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