TheHud! - 09/02/2012 15:09 GMT
LHR-SIN round trip on the A380.
I found the suite very comfortable but over-engineered. For example, the swivel function appears redundant (BA and VS seats are permanently 'swivelled', why not QF's?) and means you can hardly reach the suite / entertainment controls when facing directly forwards.
The seat / IFE controls necessite navigating seemingly-endless electronic menus: eg you have to press at least four buttons to recline your seat a bit. It struck me as being the result of over-excited product developers (does anybody really use the massage functions?!) rather than catering to the needs of travellers. In this regard, I think Qantas would do well to learn from the easy-to-use but sophisticated elegance of the new BA First.
On the plus side, the suite was brilliant for sleeping and the food & wine on the way out were superb (I slept on the way home). I had an under-attentive flight attendant on the outbound leg, but no doubt he was just having a bad day as all the other crew members were great.
As an aside, I wanted to check out the A380 having not flown on one before - so I took a wander up the stairs at the front of of the plane and then walked the upper deck from front to back.
There is a 'lounge' at the top of the upper deck which had the appearance of a bus stop: half a dozen uncomfortable looking seats running along the side of the plane with no windows behind them and a wall (the outer edge of the stairwell) in front. As this 'lounge' is only accessible to Business Class and First passengers, it was no surprise that it was empty and that people preferred the comfort of their own seats!
