Qatar Airways has previewed its next round of premium upgrades for Australian routes at a lunch event at Woodcut in Sydney — and the centrepiece is a new First and Business Class menu from Ross Lusted, the chef behind the harbourside restaurant.
The new dishes land on board from February 2027 through July 2027, so there's a wait if you're flying sooner. The rest of the refresh, though, is already live: a cocktail and mocktail collection by Lorenzo Antinori of Hong Kong's Bar Leone, plus updated Diptyque amenity kits with body lotion, lip balm, face mist and a 10ml fragrance spray in premium cabins.
Lusted's menu leans hard on Australian produce — he says the same prawns and lamb served at Woodcut go onboard. Business Class gets white cut chicken with macadamia dressing, slow-cooked lamb shoulder with lentils and puffed quinoa, and a caramel roasted apple dessert. First Class goes more seafood-forward: tiger prawns with harissa oil, roasted fish fillet in a saffron-scented seafood orzo broth, and a stone fruit and elderflower dessert. The partnership's catering operation turns out around 20,000 meals a day, and the programme runs on Qatar departures from every Australian port it serves, plus Doha-to-Australia flights.
The drinks list splits by cabin. First Class passengers can order a Tokyo 75 with Roku gin and Champagne, or a Japanese Old Fashioned made with Hibiki. Business gets an Italian Highball and an Old Smoke with Talisker and Amarula. Golden Delilah — vodka, Champagne and apple juice — appears in both, just with different vodka. The A380 inflight lounge carries the full collection, and there are three mocktails for non-drinkers.
The most quietly significant part of the event was a live video call to a cabin crew member mid-flight, roughly two hours from landing, to demo Starlink. The airline says over 150 widebody aircraft are now connected, with more than 23 million passengers having logged on since October 2024. Crucially, it's free across all cabins on equipped aircraft — you don't need a premium ticket to video-call home mid-air. Crew shared stories of unaccompanied kids and first-time travellers checking in with family during the flight instead of waiting to land. One caveat: connectivity depends on the aircraft and local rules, so don't bank on it for every sector.
Why it matters: if you're flying Australia–Doha–Europe in a premium cabin after February 2027, you're getting genuinely restaurant-grade food with local produce, a proper cocktail list and Diptyque kit. If you're in Economy, the win is the Wi-Fi — streamed entertainment and video calls at 40,000 feet without paying extra, on equipped aircraft. Either way, the days of long-haul being a forced digital detox are clearly numbered.
