There’s always a hope nay, a quietly confident expectation, that checking into your flight on an airline-partnered fam trip* will be accompanied by an upgrade. That was my mindset as I arrived at Heathrow this past November to begin a Dubai visit courtesy of Dubai Tourism and Qantas. When the upgrade didn’t happen my face must have told its own story because our Qantas rep, Mark (jovial, Geordie), was quick to reassure me:
‘If there are any upgrades available they’ll be activated at the gate.’
Fingers re-crossed and clutching my economy class boarding pass, I joined my group of fellow fam-trippers and headed through fast-track security. Not only was it fast, it was also a good sign that that upgrade was on the cards after all.
Airside of Heathrow T3 we were given a tour of the First Class executive lounge. Luxurious to say the least, the lounge is actually akin to a five star hotel lobby, with super sleek design touches and plush, spacious seating. Floor to ceiling windows grant excellent runway views, while all day buffet dining gives hungry guests the freedom to fill up pre-flight. An a la carte service is available at designated meal times.
Buisness Class guests enjoy the gourmet Qantas meal service.
Time to head to the gate and discover the fate of that illusive upgrade then. I handed over my boarding pass and, as far as I could see, received the same boarding pass back once scanned. Gutted. Seeing the smiling faces of those in my group who did get an upgrade only heightened my sense of dejection.
‘I wasn’t so lucky,’ I said.
‘No, check your boarding pass,’ someone said.
There they were. The sacred words of fam-trip air travel: Business Class. My check-in clerk had switched the tickets and I hadn’t noticed. Yes!
We were boarded directly onto the dedicated upper deck of the award-winning Qantas A380. A select number of seats, just 64, in a relatively large space, makes the International Business cabin feel at once cosy and spacious. The ever-smiling and friendly cabin-crew served a choice of Champagne or orange juice while I got to grips with my in-seat controls.
Now, I’d done my research on the Qantas Skybeds in International Business and I knew their recline extended to a fully-flat two metres. What I didn’t know was that they feature an in-built massage function…
Despite the electronically enhanced seat, the pièce de résistance of this business class Qantas flight to Dubai was the meal service. A ‘rockpool’ inspired menu put together by Neil Perry invites diners to embark on a culinary adventure in the skies, completely personalised to their tastes thanks to the wide range of dining options available. I plumped for the poached chicken salad with radish slaw and pistachio dukkah, followed by Navarin of lamb with buttered Savoy cabbage and rice pilaf. Dessert was banana cake with cacao nib and banana jam and it was all complemented superbly by the Heathcote Estate shiraz.
Qantas believes that the customer’s journey should be as memorable as the destination. Well, I hadn’t arrived at my destination yet, but as I stretched out in my fully flat Skybed and selected a movie, this belief was looking pretty difficult to disprove.
*fam-trip. Short for familiarisation trip. Also known as ‘educational’. In other words, an opportunity for travel industry executives to become acquainted with the hotels & holidays they sell by visiting them first-hand, all expenses paid. Sorry folks; someone’s gotta do it.
**
Many thanks to Mark @ Qantas and Sangita @ Dubai Tourism for putting together an awesome trip.