The best Airbus A380 business class on Melbourne-Europe flights

Great rundown on these five A380 options, Chris. Agree that Etihad is number one and Qatar a close second if only it wasn't let down by the poor Qantas bunker lounge.

Some comments have been removed because they chose to discuss the perceived failings of Melbourne Airport rather than the A380 business class options available from Melbourne-Europe. Keep the discussion on topic, please.

Qatar's use of the Air France Salon Premiere lounge is a poor example of outsourced lounges. The lounge is absolutely horrible - and is just not up to Qatar standards. 

Pictures of Qatar's new lounge at CDG have appeared on Flyer Talk. The lounge opened in December but it may still be in soft launch stage and not officially opened.

Qantas A380 J-class offering is a disgrace from start to finish.

Their PR machine continues to lie through it's teeth, and assure the public that their J-class remains a competitive product in the marketplace. Simply not true, and literally every business traveler knows it.

• Dismal IFE system.
• 2-2-2 seating layout.
• Inflight "lounge" (/awkward couch) is an oxymoron.
• The disgraceful Skybed Mk2 would nowadays be far more at home as a LCC (Jetstar, AirAsia, etc) "premium class" offering.
• No internet.

On the bright side... QF's A380s are halfway through their operational lifespan, and (if previous behavior is anything to go by) due for a top-down refurbishment soon.

Of course... until Qantas P.R. is given the green light to announce anything, all they can do is continue to bulldust about their product's adequacy. But you can be sure there are renewal plans in the works.

Just imagine escaping to the on board QF A380 lounge and putting up with some dude practicing his Business presentation with his connected lap top to that TV screen, Yuck. It needs a fully stocked bar and snacks.

In my opinion Qatar's J is slightly better than Etihad's and their DOH/LHR/DXB lounges are excellent. But both (and SQ's) are still fantastic products, especially if you live in Australia and can A380 all the way to Europe.

Qantas a380 J product is just woeful. Don't know how they can justify charging almost double compared to Qatar. 

Worth mentioning how bad Singapore's lounges are in general, the one on Melbourne is particularly awful.

I could live with 2-2-2 if the QF seats were still flat but alas. I love their soft product and safety but have now looked past them for EU until they update. Overall I think QR and SQ are my top picks on this route although I wish they had chauffeur drive! 

When you stop and think about this topic, these are really all first world problems. As tired as the Qantas A380 product may seem, it's still way better than your normal run of the mill economy most of us have to use.

As an ex- Platinum FF with Qantas , I have flown with them  on numerous occasions internationally in all cabins. Unfortunately, I do agree that QF hard products are a complete let down in comparison to their competitors. Their First and J class are now an embarrassment the grey Interior, "A380 lounge"- LOL and outdated sky beds which now show their age is not comfortable. I have expressed my thoughts to QF but it's obviously had fallen on deaf ears. QF were the pioneers of J class and led an elite premium product but over the years their management continue to cut costs. I remember I really noticed the difference once connecting to QF in Dubai after using Emirates. However, QF continue to charge a premium amount.  In fairness to Qantas they are only carrier out of their competitors that is not government owned/subsidised, also they don't have  the advantage of cheap non-union based workforce like the middle eastern carriers. In conclusion  QF food and crew are great but just their hard products are such a disappointment, that I now have taken my business to Qatar, I find their hard products and crew are consistently better. 

Looking forward to a similar article in a few years time comparing all the a350 and 787 J offerings from MEL-LHR:)

QF business class is bad if not one of the worst together with MH, they have no luxury and no comfort to offer on any aircraft or route, not when compared to other carriers which are still competitive pricewise but leave them for dead when it comes to offerings. For business class not to even have an array of magazines it's just ridiculous and this is just one of many other shortcomings, we're all being scammed and ripped off badly by QF (and MH for that matter) and yes, if I am forking out so much money to fly business or first I expect comfort, luxury and a whole range of offerings or I might as well fly economy, pay less and get offered pretty much the same. As for QF crew, they are tired and can't be bothered, with a few exceptions, especially the young crew on new contracts who seem to be genuinely nice and genuinely happy to provide a great service unlike their more senior colleagues who feel we owe them a favour! and like someone pointed out QF really cares very little about any kind of feedback!

I have flown all these options except Qatar but have to stick with Qantas.  As was previously stated "...they are only carrier out of their competitors that is not government owned/subsidised, also they don't have  the advantage of cheap non-union based workforce like the middle eastern carriers." I just can't support those airlines and the conditions under which they operate and it costs me financially and in comfort terms to do so. But it just feels wrong supporting the others any more, I can't do it.

Qantas A380 Skybed is a disgrace.  Zero personal space (can barely even fit two glasses on the ledge between seats), zero privacy (the divider does nothing), and the bed itself is uncomfortable and sags significantly.  No Wi-Fi.  The only saving grace is the food which is good, but not amazing unlike how some hardcore rusted on QF fanboys go on about it, like it's from some high class restaurant.  To be honest, I find most airlines business class food to be no better than a decent cafe.

I am not a QF apologist but... the reason I don't fly QF J-class to Europe is the EK leg. The EK seat is the most uncomfortable J-class seat around unless you are a midget. And I have only had one in six EK legs where the staff are acceptable; mostly surly with a 'WTF are you bothering me for' attitude. Yes, MEL QF lounge is pitiful. Yes, QF 2-2-2 config is unacceptable. But at least I can sleep in the seats and interact with the cabin crew.

When I flew J on QF A380 to LAX in 2009, I thought it was the bees knees, but sadly they really haven't kept up with the ME carriers.

Flew recently from MEL to DOH on QR on the 777. Good to see they are now changing to the 388. Although QR's 777's are great, the 2-2-2 configuration is no problem whatsoever as the bed is low and therefore easy to step over. ( Take a look Qantas )

Great comparisons Chris. I've only flown EY and QF (A380 in J) so I can't speak for the rest, but overall I found EY a far superior product and experience. Most notably the hard product (greater privacy, better bed, huge TV screen). However I found the QF crew much more friendly and less 'stiff' than EY, and the J lounge in LAX was superb. I envisage that the gap will narrow if/when QF upgrades its A380 to the new business suite.