Trip Report: JFK-AKL Qantas Boeing 787-9 Business Class

‍NEW YORK — For over a decade, Qantas (QF) was my go-to airline for my visits to Australia. But after COVID, I switched to United. With Qantas reinstating their New York John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) route in the last 2 years, I was curious to give them another shot, this time to Auckland as opposed to Los Angeles, then Australia. 

The new service launched in June 2023 after a long pandemic-era suspension. The previous QF11/12 flight from Sydney (SYD) to New York (JFK), via Los Angeles (LAX), last operated in March 2020, the last time a Qantas tail was seen at JFK until the service resumed over three years later.

I didn’t have a pressing reason to go to Oceania. Still, while surfing on the American Airlines (AA) website, I came across a couple of open seats in June from JFK to AKL in Qantas Business Class for 80,000 AAdvantage miles, a deal I couldn’t pass up. I booked it immediately and planned to fly back the next day on United, a future review.

I arrived at JFK nearly four hours ahead of departure, much earlier than usual, but I was filming a video and wanted to catch the aircraft's arrival. Plus, I was admittedly very excited.

Qantas operates out of Terminal 8 at JFK, alongside fellow oneworld partners, American Airlines, British Airways, Qatar Airways, and Cathay Pacific, to name a few. Qantas check-in was efficient and straightforward. The area is compact, with separate lanes for Economy and Premium Economy/Business.

The agent did a double-take when she saw I was flying to Auckland with just a backpack and no checked luggage. Security was easy too, thanks to the oneworld priority lane. I cleared in time to watch our aircraft, Qantas’ special “Qantas 100” livery, VH-ZNJ, arrive from Auckland.

Afterwards, I headed to the Greenwich Lounge, one of American’s newly renovated flagship lounges at JFK. As a oneworld Business Class passenger, I was supposed to have access, but was denied entry because I’m 20, and you need to be 21 to enter due to U.S. alcohol laws.

I settled for the Admirals Club instead, which was underwhelming with its limited snacks and not much seating.

Boarding, Take-off

I headed down to the gate about 10 minutes before scheduled boarding, only to find a long line already formed at the Group 1 sign. Qantas now boards by group numbers on international flights, with Business Class in Group 1.

Onboard, the Boeing 787-9 is configured in a 1-2-1 layout. I picked seat 11A in the rear mini-cabin, as it was the only true window seat left at booking, one positioned directly next to the window.

Waiting at the seat was some bedding and both a dinner and breakfast menu (the latter to be filled out before departure). Pajamas were handed out during boarding.

We pushed back and departed on time at around 19:55, beginning the 17:30 journey across the Pacific. Service was slow to get going. I didn’t receive my drink and nuts until about an hour after takeoff. In fairness, with such a long flight ahead of us, there was no rush.

1st Meal Service

As we headed south of Nashville, the sun began to set. For my starter, I chose the green pea and watercress soup. It was slightly cold and tasted more like a pea purée, with a strange bitter aftertaste; it was not great.

The sourdough bread was lukewarm but fresh, and the salad came with a refreshing, slightly acidic dressing that I enjoyed.

For the main, I selected the seared beef fillet with brown butter, potatoes, spinach, and carrots. The beef was tough and lacked flavor, and the potato was hard and under-seasoned. Same story for the spinach, bland.

The carrots were the only real standout, thanks to a lovely honey glaze. The meal was decent in terms of quality, but very underwhelming in flavor.

Dessert was much better. I had the almond and mascarpone rice pudding with berry compote, and it was excellent, easily the best part of the meal. Qantas consistently delivers with dessert, and this was no exception. It was creative, flavorful, and not overly sweet.

After the meal, one of the flight attendants came by to offer turndown service. As he made my bed, we talked about aviation and the new route. He mentioned the crew was Auckland-based, which I knew.

With my seat converted to a bed, I relaxed for a bit. There wasn’t much to see outside, but we did pass through some thunderstorms over Mexico, which made for a fabulous view.

Once we crossed the coast and began the long trek across the Pacific, I ordered a hot snack, the prosciutto and pecorino toasted sandwich, which was good. I also grabbed a bag of chips from the Business Class snack bar.

Thompson Aero Vantage XL

Eventually, I decided to get some rest. The Thompson Aero Vantage XL seat folds into a fully flat bed and is incredibly comfortable. At 23 inches wide, there’s ample room to sleep on your side or back. I’m 6'0", and had no issue stretching out. In bed mode, especially in the window seats, privacy was great.

The bedding, which Qantas has used for years, is still great. Business passengers were given a thick, plush mattress pad, warm blanket, and large pillow. I managed to get a solid 8, maybe 9 hours of sleep.

2nd Meal Service

I woke up about two hours before landing and was greeted with a fruity energy shot. I relaxed for a bit before breakfast was served; the cabin lights stayed off during the meal, which was nice for those still sleeping. First came a large warm croissant (not the packaged kind you’ll get on many U.S. and European carriers), jam, muesli with milk, and apple juice. All were great, hard to mess up. 

My main soon arrived, scrambled eggs with beans, mushrooms, kale, and chicken sausage. The eggs had developed a crust on top, were creamy inside, but looked unappetizing. The sides were just okay, though the baked beans were particularly disappointing.

Oddly, I’d seen the crew seemingly cooking fresh scrambled eggs in the galley about 30 minutes prior. Anyway, it wasn’t inedible, but I wished I’d picked something else. Soon after, we began our descent into a rainy, gray Auckland winter morning.

Bottom Line

Qantas offers a solid product on this JFK–AKL route. The seat, though aging slightly, is still competitive and private. The crew was fantastic, thoughtful, responsive, and a step ahead of what passengers needed. Every time I got up to use the restroom, I’d return to a freshly made bed and a refilled water bottle.

The food was the weakest link, not terrible, but bland. I would like to chalk this up to New York catering, but this isn’t my first time having poor food in Qantas business class.

Caveats

My biggest complaint, though, is the schedule. A 04:55 arrival into Auckland might work well for those connecting to early morning flights to MEL, SYD, or BNE, but for anyone ending their journey in New Zealand, it’s a brutal wake-up. And even for those continuing, the logic doesn’t hold.

It’s 02:55 in Sydney at that point, most passengers would have slept on the New York flight, so they’re unlikely to fall asleep again on a short daytime hop to Australia. It’s a tough arrival time, mainly because you’re expected to stay awake the entire day once you land.

That said, it’s still great to see Qantas back at JFK, and I’m glad I gave this route a try.