Review: Qantas Perth-Paris business class

Paris is back on Qantas’ network map, joining London and Rome as the Flying Kangaroo’s third non-stop route from Australia to Europe, with Perth once again serving as the launchpad for these globe-striding Boeing 787 flights.

And make no mistake, this is a long journey.

Like its London-bound sibling, the Perth-Paris flight QF33 clocks in at around 17 hours.

Our Qantas 787 flight to Paris saw the business class seats adorned with celebratory touches.

But this doesn’t feel like a 17-hour flight, and the continuity of boarding the 787 at Perth and stepping off it in Paris makes for less ‘stress’ than having the journey broken part-way with a stopover where that second leg still lies ahead of you.

Of course, there are plenty of people who for many sensible reasons prefer a stopover which breaks their flight from Australia to Paris at Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Doha, for example.

However, there’s also much to be said for the direct approach.

This has nothing to do with the notion of saving a few hours, because the overall time for flying Qantas from Sydney or Melbourne to Perth and onto Paris is pretty much the same as with any competing airline via their own hubs.

Instead, the upside is that you can enjoy all of those 17+ hours without interruption, to spend them however you want.

There’s ample time for eating, sleeping, working, watching some movies or binging a boxed set – and you can do those in whatever order works for you, and not losing big chunks of that time due to faffing about with transit stops. 

Just one sleep and one long flight now gets you from Australia to Paris.

Sydney-Perth-Paris

And yes, we’re aware this is really only a non-stop flight if you start from Perth, which represents a minority of passengers compared to those trekking over from the east coast.

Sydney-siders have it best, with QF33 actually beginning from Sydney, where it departs from Sydney Airport’s T1 international terminal at 1.55pm (to reach Perth at 5.05pm).

This delivers a bonus for Qantas Platinum, Qantas Platinum One and Qantas Chairman’s Lounge members headed all the way from Sydney to Paris – they’ll be able to begin their journey at the superb Qantas First Lounge.

Not so lucky are those consigned to the Qantas Business Lounge at T1, which is still awaiting a long-promised “complete refurbishment and expansion” with upgraded dining and 40% more seating to ease the capacity squeeze.

And before you ask: yes, the domestic Sydney-Perth and Perth-Sydney legs of QF33/QF34 are available to book on their own, and as these are classified as ‘international flights’ you get upgraded meals and drinks from the international menu.

Anyone joining QF33 at Perth has to check in at Terminal 3 and find their way to T3’s poorly-signposted international wing (look for the corridor sandwiched between the Pronto bar and WH Smiths bookstore).

Finding your way to the International wing of Perth's Qantas T3 terminal.

Once through the security and immigration checkpoint, business class passengers, Qantas Gold and Qantas Platinum-grade frequent flyers and Qantas Club members can head to the Qantas Perth International Transit Lounge before QF33 wings its way to Paris.

Qantas' Perth International Transit Lounge.

The Qantas Perth International Transit Lounge has a decent spread of hot and cold buffet dishes, with nods to the new French route including French onion soup, beef bourguignon and baguettes of double-smoked ham, gruyere and cornichons.

Delicious baguettes of double-smoked ham, gruyere and cornichons.

Or you can go for the reliable pork sausage sandwich with caramelised onion, rocket and barbecue or tomato sauce.

This pork sausage sandwich plays into the lounge's 'outdoor BBQ' theme.

Rounding things out are several salads and a cheese board.

There are plenty of healthier options, too...

To help prepare your skin for the long flight ahead, I suggest you take advantage of the Refresh zone (between the male and female lavs) with Lagaia Unedited cleansers and hydration gels.

Before setting out on QF33, take advantage of the Refresh zone.

The boarding gate for QF33 is only a short walk away, and before long the red-tailed Dreamliner – or should that be Seineliner? – is wheels up for the 14,250km journey to Paris.

Qantas 787 business class to Paris 

Anyone who’s flown business class on the Qantas Boeing 787 (along with the upgraded A380s) will know what to expect.

Qantas' 787 business class cabin.

Arranged in a familiar 1-2-1 layout so that every passenger has direct access to the aisle, Qantas’ comfortable 787 Business Suites combine plenty of personal space with a long, comfortable lie-flat bed.

Our Qantas 787 flight to Paris saw the business class seats adorned with celebratory touches.

I’d suggest changing early into the business class pyjamas, which for the first few months of the Paris flights will be special ‘limited edition’ PJs created by Australian-born Paris-based Martin Grant.

Limited edition Qantas Paris PJs and amenity kit.

In a similar soft cotton to Grant’s standard-issue Qantas First pyjamas, they’re available only in M/L and L/XL sizes, but they’re cut with a roomy fit (and the main difference between those sizes is length).

Plenty of room to stretch out in Qantas' 787 Business Suites.

Also recommended: dressing your seat with the supplied padded mattress topper as soon as you can.

It not only makes even sitting more comfortable, but you’ll be ready to catch some shut-eye whenever the mood takes you.

The padded mattress topper makes the business class seat even more comfortable.

Qantas 787 business class meals to Paris

Mindful that your body clock is already set to dinner time, the cabin crew will typically begin taking dinner orders shortly after take-off.

Qantas’ business class menu on flights between Perth and Paris leans into the ‘French classics’, Qantas chef supremo Neil Perry told Executive Traveller.

“We want to serve really delicious flavourful food that’s representative of French culture, and one of the nice things about flying to Paris is you’ve got an amazing playbook of French gastronomy.” 

The dinner service on this flight from Perth to Paris began with an ‘aperitivo' of a crisp, bubbly and refreshing French 75 pre-mixed cocktail of gin, lemon and sparkling wine, alongside the obligatory mixed salted nuts.

Starting the flight off with a French 75 cocktail.

And of course, Champagne is available – on my flight the crew were pouring Jacquart Brut Mosaique, but other flights can have Duval Leroy Brut or Lombard Extra Brut.

Then came a choice of business class starters:

• Pumpkin and ginger soup with chive creme fraiche or croutons 
• Salad of buffalo mozzarella with balsamic roasted capsicum, pickled onions and hazelnut vinaigrette
• Confit duck and mushroom vol-au-vent with pickled fennel, roast lemon and radicchio salad 

Pumpkin and ginger soup with chive creme fraiche.

For business class mains, passengers could choose between:

• Angel hair pasta with broccoli, garlic, pine nuts and chilli
• Bouillabaisse of snapper with Skull Island prawns with potatoes and saffron aioli
• Coq au vin with pancetta, mushroom, potato puree and snow peas
• Barrington Hinterland beef fillet with roast pumpkin, snap peas and wasabi butter

The tender flavoursome coq au vin was one of the best chicken dishes I’ve enjoyed on a flight.

Finishing up with dessert:

• Selection of cow’s milk cheese with accompaniments
• Rum savarin with Chantilly cream and berries
• Ice cream sandwich
• Seasonal fruit selection

Rum savarin with Chantilly cream and berries.

On flights from Paris back to Perth, some of the highlights will include duck and pistachio pate, tuna nicoise salad, and beef fillet with pommel puree, snow peas and Café de Paris butter.

Soothing sleep-promoting lemongrass tea was served at the very end of dinner.

By the time dinner is done you’re only four hours into this marathon between near-opposite corners of the world, with over a dozen hours to go.

Thankfully Qantas’ inflight entertainment system is packed with content, from recent-release movies to boxed sets.

There's even a selection of French movies on Qantas' inflight entertainment system.

A special ‘Paris on film’ collection includes Amelie, Gigi, Midnight in Paris, Mrs Harris Goes to Paris and Before Sunset (although oddly not Before Sunrise or Before Midnight, the first and third movies of this trilogy to make this a bingeable triple-bill).

Perhaps the biggest drawback of Qantas’ Perth-Paris flight is that there’s no WiFi on these 787s – although that’s planned for 2025 – so you can either dial up some viewing on the 16” video screen, watch some shows downloaded in advance on your laptop, tablet or phone, or get stuck into that book you wisely packed.

Sleep your way to the Seine

Given the 7.35pm departure from Perth and 6.55am arrival into Paris, your basic flightplan will be to tuck into dinner as the flight makes its way across the Indian Ocean, relax with a movie or a few episodes of your favourite TV show, and then hit the hay.

If all goes well, you’ll be able to get all the sleep you need and still have time for a mid-flight snack and another movie before breakfast.

There's no WiFi on the Qantas 787s, so make the most of those uninterrupted hours.

The real trick on a flight like this is getting to sleep and staying asleep.

At Executive Traveller we’re big fans of melatonin, a 100% natural supplement that’s both gentle and effective for helping you sleep on a flight or adjust to a new timezone.

After taking a 10mg melatonin capsule I was soon out for the count and managed to clock up eight straight hours of restful sleep.

Make full use of the Do Not Disturb indicator when you're settling down to sleep.

As it was now time to get stuck back into some work, I turned to the mid-flight business class menu.

Feeling pecking in the middle of the flight? Help yourself...

In additional to a selection of self-serve snacks laid out in the galley – Lindt chocolate, chips, dried fruit and nut mix, biscuits, fruit, cheese & crackers – the crew was able to rustle up any of the following:

• Toasted BLT sandwich
• Crudités with wattleseed and beetroot dip, native Australian greens and Persian feta
• Stir-fried tiger prawns with spicy sambar sauce, snake beans and fried shallots

My mid-flight snack was this warmed BLT roll, with a coconut water to rehydrate.

Around 4am Paris time, some 3½ hours ahead of our arrival, the crew came around offering piccolo lattes.

A very civilised way to start the day.

This was the prelude to breakfast, which was on par with what you’d expect on most other long-range Qantas flights.

There’s solid Aussie representation in the Brookfarm ‘wild berry’ granola with Davidson plum, blueberries, pecans, almonds and Australian blush honey.

More substantial plates on offer were:

• Free-range scrambled eggs with potato rosti, bacon and cherry tomato salad
• Buttermilk pancakes with spiced orange compote, mascarpone and pecans
• Herbed ricotta and egg white omelette with sunflower seed romesco, spinach and cherry tomatoes

Herbed ricotta and egg white omelette, served with fruit salad and a croissant.

By the time breakfast was cleared away, flight QF33 was barely 60 minutes’ away from Paris – and thanks largely to the solid rest and the jetlag-minimising design of the Boeing 787, I arrived fresh and more than ready for my first day in the glorious French capital.

One non-stop flight from the Swan River to the Seine...

In summary: this ultra-long flight is not for everyone (many travellers will still prefer a stopover) and of course it’s best done in business class, but there’s no denying the appeal of flying from Australia to Paris in one mighty stress-free leap. 

David Flynn travelled as a guest of Qantas