Qantas A380 Business Class Across the Pacific: Still Worth the Miles?

A reviewer for The Points Guy recently flew Qantas business class on the A380 from Los Angeles to Melbourne and came away largely impressed — with a few caveats for anyone planning the same route.

The flight itself: a roughly 16-hour overnight hop from LAX's Tom Bradley International Terminal to Melbourne, departing at 9:50 p.m. Business passengers get priority check-in, TSA PreCheck, access to the large Oneworld lounge (capacity near 600 guests), two checked bags up to 32 kg each, and priority boarding.

The cabin takes up most of the A380's upper deck — 70 seats in a staggered 1-2-1 layout, so everyone gets direct aisle access. These are Thompson Aero Vantage XL pods, refreshed in the airline's recent refurbishment with a design from David Caon: charcoal leather, brushed metal, faux-wood paneling. Seats recline to an 80-inch fully flat bed, 21 inches wide (24 inches at the hips), with a 15.5-inch entertainment screen. Solo travellers should target odd-numbered A and K seats in the forward cabin; couples get the best setup in the E and F pairs, which share a raisable privacy shield.

The quirks: no sliding doors (those arrive with the new A350s), no USB-C — only USB-A and a universal power plug — and no Wi-Fi at all. On the plus side, there's the famous upper-deck onboard lounge at the front, plus genuinely charming extras like complimentary kangaroo-print pajamas, an R.M. Williams amenity kit stocked with Grown Alchemist skincare, and a full bedding set including a seat cover. The main operational gripe: with 70 seats, meal service drags.

Booking is where things get interesting. A cash one-way on this route ran $4,600–$5,800 the week of the review. Award seats are scarce — Qantas releases partner award space only a trickle at a time, usually in batches. The sweet spots: 80,000 American AAdvantage miles plus $24, or 85,000 Alaska Atmos Rewards points plus $36. Qantas' own Frequent Flyer program wanted a painful 151,800 points plus $364. The reviewer recommends tracking availability with tools like Seats.aero and booking immediately when a seat appears. Note that from October 2026, Qantas plans to operate this route exclusively with 787-9s, so the A380's days here are numbered.

Why it matters: if you've been sitting on AAdvantage miles or Alaska points and dream of flying the double-decker in comfort, this is one of the better ways to burn them — roomy seats, real flat beds, a lounge to stretch your legs in, and a fun slice of Australian personality at 38,000 feet. Just don't count on being online, and bring your own headphones (and maybe a foot size under 14, given the snug foot cubby).