A Qantas Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner about to land at Rome Fiumicino airport after a flight from Perth. Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia and the country’s largest airline. It is the second-oldest continuously operating airline, having been founded in November 1920.
In August, I flew Qantas from Los Angeles (LAX) to Brisbane (BNE) and back, on a five-night visit to the city and the Gold Coast.
People told me I was crazy to go to Australia for five nights. Even my wife refused to come on the whirlwind trip, citing exhaustion and jet lag. But my first trip to Australia—three nights in Brisbane, two nights in the Gold Coast—was successful. Thanks to Qantas I arrived in Brisbane and returned to Los Angeles in good shape.
Qantas was previewing a change of service from Los Angeles to Brisbane. Qantas reintroduced the Dreamliner on its Los Angeles – Brisbane service on August 13, 2025, marking the first time the 787 operated the route since COVID. So the 787-9 was “new to the route” as a steward told me.
In October, the Dreamliners are expected to fully replace Airbus A300 on the route between Brisbane and Los Angeles. Qantas plans to replace the A330 aircraft, which average 18 to 19 years in service, with Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners that average around 6 or 7 years of age.
Most importantly, the newer Dreamliner aircraft offer expanded Business Class and Premium Economy service. Qantas 787-9 aircraft have 42 Business class seats, 28 Premium Economy seats and 166 Economy seats. The aircraft change, as Qantas noted, “will significantly increase premium seat availability for customers with the additional choice of Premium Economy.”
Qantas announced the new service just as the airline’s persistent limitations in terms of lift (flight capacity to and from Australia) may be clearing. As of mid-2025 Qantas has boosted its capacity from the US by 15 per cent, made possible by the return this summer of the last two of its popular A380 aircraft. Each has approximately 500 seats, including in-demand premium seats (First, Business and Premium Economy) on the route.
A Qantas Airways Airbus A380 arrives at Los Angeles International Airport on August 23, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
The A380 superjumbos will be deployed on flights between Sydney and Dallas from January 2026. Like the Dreamliner flights to Brisbane, the Dallas-Sydney A380 flights are being resumed after five years. The flight, which takes about 17 hours to cover 8,500 miles (13,69 kilometers), is one of the longest in the world.
By contrast, Brisbane is “only” a 13.5 hour flight from Los Angeles, one of the shortest routes from the U.S. to Australia. Traveling to Brisbane proved an excellent introduction to Australia for me. And the journey whet my appetite for the destination—and not just because I watched a re-released version of Crocodile Dundee on the big video screen in Premium Economy.
Both the outbound and return flights proved anxiety-free and easily manageable. Getting about eight hours of sleep each way proved the best form of time travel.
I flew Business Class on the way out. It was, as expected, excellent, especially once I figured out how to get my seat to lay flat. The seats were big and comfortable, and offered a fair amount of privacy from my friendly neighbor. And of course, the flight attendants came around and offered everyone a soft, comfy pair of Qantas pajamas with kangaroo logo, in addition to champagne, wine and typical business class goodies like a sleep mask, lotions, toothbrush, etc.
Perhaps not “of course.” Expecting good service from today’s often over-worked flight attendants dealing with jumpy, entitled or unappreciative passengers may be asking too much. But not with Qantas.
For example, I had requested a kosher meal. The staff was quite solicitous about serving it, although they were disappointed in its undistinguished heavy-duty plastic wrapping. Why? Because they could not plate and serve the meal with the style they were trained to offer. It was actually quite touching.
A business class seat dressed for a passenger for QF3 at Auckland Airport on June 14, 2023 in Auckland, New Zealand. Qantas will operate three weekly flights from Sydney to New York. The route will transit through Auckland for the first time, before a 16+ hour flight direct to New York.
Business Class was great, but the real revelation was the premium economy cabin. In the Skytrax 2025 ratings of world airlines, Qantas made a significant leap forward, moving up ten places, from number 24 in 2024 to number 14 in 2025. By contrast, Delta was 22nd in 2025, falling one place, United was 51st, falling 7 places, and American Airlines, 83rd, falling five places.
While many competitive airlines offer excellent premium economy service, Skytrax specifically cited the quality of the Qantas Premium Economy cabin in its ratings.
Skytrax also certified Qantas as a 4-Star Airline for the quality of its airport and onboard product and staff service. By contrast, Delta, United and American Airlines are all rated three stars.
Unlike some competitors, Qantas does not yet offer free Wi-Fi. Currently Hawaiian and United are starting to offer free Wi-Fi across the Pacific, based on Starlink. but I was able to do some work while I was awake. More importantly, I was able to sleep for eight hours of the journey from Brisbane to LAX in Premium Economy.
As a frequent flyer friend put it, Premium Economy seats are somewhat like Business Class used to be before the arrival of lie-flat seats. Set in a two-three-two pattern, Qantas Premium economy seats are wide, they lay back like a Laz-y-Boy or Barcalounger, and there’s even an adjustable footrest. Just as important, the food and the attentive, friendly service is certainly a cut above.
Former Qantas chief executive officer Alan Joyce and chief financial officer Tino La Spina inspect the premium economy seats for the airline’s 787-9 Dreamliner after a press conference in Sydney on February 23, 2017.
Another interesting point about the service switch to the 787 Dreamliner is that it is considered one of the fastest airliners in service. A Norwegian Airlines 787 set a transatlantic speed record in January 2018, flying from New York to London in 5 hours and 13 minutes. The Boeing 787-9 aircraft reached a top ground speed of 776 mph (approximately 1249 km/h) at one point, helped by a powerful jet stream.
Interestingly, my flight from LAX to Brisbane was delayed 20 minutes or so by the usual traffic at LAX, but we still arrived in Brisbane early. I didn’t mind waiting half an hour for my ride to my Brisbane hotel, as the driver was just as surprised as I was.
I got a pass to the Qantas International Lounge at Brisbane Airport. The lounge, which was packed, offers bar service, barista coffee, lounge dining, refreshments, showers, a library and high speed Wi-Fi.
Qantas is clearly on the upswing, with more lift, higher rankings from airline evaluators and a new advertising campaign, with a “Welcome to Australia in the sky” video directed by famed Australian director Baz Luhrmann.
I had originally thought that the service change would offer a preview of Qantas’s long-promised Project Sunrise, the world’s longest flight (Sydney to London and Sydney to New York) now set for 2027. The London flight, using a specially modified Airbus A350-1000 with extra fuel capacity, will take over 20 hours and become the longest flight in the world.
Qantas flight QF7879 direct from London to Sydney arrives during the Qantas celebration and centenary event on November 15, 2019 in Sydney, Australia. The centenary celebrations marks Qantas entering its 100th year of service, along with the arrival of Project Sunrise research flight QF7879 direct from London into Sydney. It is only the second time in 30 years that this route has been flown directly.
Project Sunrise will have health-focused amenities like special lighting and a “wellness zone” for passengers to exercise and get healthy snacks to help manage jet lag. Qantas has been working with a multidisciplinary team of scientists from the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre including sleep scientists to reduce jetlag and shape the look and feel for what is effectively a new era of travel.
According to Qantas, some of that research has been applied to Dreamliner flights like LAX-Brisbane, with cabin temperature, lighting, meal timing and ingredients optimized to improve wellbeing.
Even so, few people relish the idea of a 20-hour flight. But if Qantas flight personnel can continue delivering the same high level of customer service on the Project Sunrise flights as I experienced with their Brisbane service, I would try it. As the Qantas ads put it, “Your Aussie adventure begins above the clouds—that’s the magic of Australia in the sky.”
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