Review – Qantas A330 Business Class from Melbourne to Sydney

Qantas A330 Business Class – Introduction

The Melbourne (MEL) to Sydney (SYD) route is the busiest domestic route in the world, connecting two major Australian cities that are centers of commerce, culture, and tourism. On average, Qantas operates an impressive 37 daily and 258 weekly flights between the two cities. I had the opportunity to fly on this route a couple of months ago from Melbourne to Sydney in Qantas business class;

QF 470 (Qantas)
Airbus A330-200
Melbourne to Sydney (MEL – SYD)
Duration: 1h 25m
Seat: 4E and 4F

Qantas A330-200, oneworld livery

This flight review is part of a series covering my recent trip to Australia;

Review – Etihad A350 Business Class from Chicago to Abu Dhabi
Review – Grand Hyatt Abu Dhabi
Review – Ritz-Carlton Melbourne
Review – Qantas Business Lounge Melbourne (Domestic)
Review – Qantas A330 Business Class from Melbourne to Sydney
Review – Park Hyatt Sydney
ANA Business Class Meal Extravaganza: A 22-Hour Culinary Journey

Qantas A330 Business Class – Booking

Qantas predominantly operates the Boeing 737 (narrowbody) on this route, with a few exceptions in its daily service, which are served on the Airbus 330 (widebody) aircraft. I chose the A330 to experience the widebody aircraft service on this route. Given the relatively short distance of 439 miles between the two cities, I booked our tickets with British Airways (BA) Avios. I paid 12,500 points + CAD 37 for the business class flight from Melbourne to Sydney. With a high frequency of daily flights, it was easy to find standard award availability directly on the BA Avios website.

Qantas A330 Business Class – Cabin and Seats

After our quick meal at Qantas Business Class lounge, we went to the boarding gate for flight QF 470, tucked away towards the end of the terminal. The boarding for the flight was done based on the class of service, with Business Class boarding to the left and Economy to the right.

QF 470 – Boarding Area

Qantas A330 is a twin-aisle widebody aircraft and offers a 1-2-1 configuration in the business class cabin and a 2-4-2 configuration in the economy cabin. Business class seats are staggered, so you are never seated directly behind the person in front of you. Window seats alternate between seats closer to the window, offering move privacy, or seats towards the aisle with the console set against the window. Passengers interested in window views would want to select row 2 or 4 in business class which offers seats closer to the window. We chose the middle seats in row 4 to enjoy the experience together.

QF 470 – Cabin Layout (SeatGuru)

Qantas A330 Business Class Cabin

Being in a widebody with lie-flat seats (just the possibility) for a short trip does evoke a sense of luxury that a narrowbody aircraft does not offer. This Qantas A330 business-class cabin was no different, as I immediately felt comfortable and appreciated the staggered 1-2-1 configuration.

Qantas Business Class Cabin (MEL-SYD)

Qantas Business Class

Seat 4E offered plenty of leg room to stretch out, with a good amount of space under the tv screen to tuck away a small bag. The footwell under the tv looked tight and relatively low for the seats to be laid out in a lie-flat configuration. Thankfully I was not planning to lie down on this short hop to Sydney.

QF 470 MEL-SYD: Seat 4E

The seat console was well-designed and included a bottle holder, headsets, power outlets, seat controls, and plenty of space for small items to be tucked away during the flight. Additional storage was available on the other side of the seat, which could store electronics or handbags.

Seat 4E – Controls and Power outlets

Seat 4E – Additional storage

The privacy of the seat was adequate and offered a half screen between the middle seats. While I could not see my seatmate fully seated, a slight tilt forward made for easy conversations. Unfortunately, the privacy screen was immovable and did not offer an option to lower it ultimately.

Seat 4E – Privacy

Window seats in rows 2 and 4 offered the best window views with two full windows and sufficient privacy from the aisle and middle seats.

Window Seat 4A – Qantas A330

Qantas A330 Business Class – Meal Service

Although no pre-departure champagne was being served, the crew had come along and collected our meal orders before take-off. I was impressed with this flight’s vast meal options – chicken, beef, Kangaroo ravioli, and Veg Pasta. I opted for the ravioli in an attempt to try something new.

QF 470 MEL-SYD: In-flight Entertainment

Given the short 90-minute duration of our flight, the crew was in action as soon as the flight reached cruising altitude. As expected, all the food was brought in one tray, which was well presented. The portions were generous, and I loved the cultured soft butter served with the bread – a rarity. The Kangaroo ravioli was delicious, with the meat still moist, and the pasta had the perfect bite without being soft.

Kangaroo Meat Ravioli

Qantas A330 Business Class – Dessert

We had also pre-ordered a vegan meal (VGML) which was correctly loaded on the flight. Two things stood out in the vegan meal – plant-based butter was served with the meal, and a proper dessert was served instead of just a lazy fruit plate. The main meal was also pasta, which was ok, nothing remarkable.

Qantas Vegan Meal (VGML)

Initially, I was worried about the meal service being rushed, but to my surprise, the 90-minute flight offered the perfect time to enjoy the meal and drinks. I must note that the cabin load was light, so the crew pulled off an ideal service onboard.

The beautiful thing about short flights is that as soon as the meal service wraps up, the flight starts its descent toward the destination airport. This flight was no different.

Qantas A330 Business Class – TakeAway

Without hesitation, this was one of the more luxurious flights I have taken for a short hop and the 90 minutes provided just enough time to enjoy the seat amenities and the meal service. At 12,500 Avios (+$37), this was a sweet spot where we enjoyed all the priority services, lounge access, and an excellent business class cabin on a widebody aircraft. Qantas overall has made quite an impression on us, especially with superior catering, and I will be seeking them out over its competitors in the region.

Sydney Opera House, Australia