9 Things You Didn’t Know About Flying Qantas

There's a Fourth Class

On most international Qantas flights, you'll have a choice beyond the standard economy, business, and first-class cabins: It's called premium economy, and while the ticket is more expensive than regular economy, it's not nearly as pricey as business. The premium-economy ticket buys you space in a smaller cabin (only 32 seats) with its own dedicated cabin crew, comfier seats, and better food, too.

Qantas Spends More Than $19 Million a Year on Wine

Free booze always tastes great, but you can be sure you're getting the good stuff on Qantas. The airline's "Sommeliers in the Sky" program trains cabin crew on wine. The airline also invests more than $19 million in the Australian wine industry every year through the Qantas Wine Program—and sources more than 250 wines to serve on flights.

Qantas Is the World's Second-Oldest Airline

Founded in 1920, Qantas has been around for quite a while. In fact, it's the second-oldest airline in the world. KLM, which started in 1919, beats Qantas by a year.

Qantas Isn't Just for Australia

This Australian airline flies to more destinations than just Down Under. It serves routes all over the world, and it's a member of the Oneworld alliance—which means that you can opt to use your Qantas frequent-flyer miles toward, say, an award flight on fellow Oneworld member American Airlines.

Even the Non-Window Seats Get a View Outside

Some Qantas flights offer in-flight entertainment in the form of a camera mounted on the plane that live streams the action and views from outside onto the seatback television. This is especially fun during takeoffs and landings.

At Least One Checked Bag Is Always Free

Even on domestic flights! See the baggage allowances here.

Qantas Is Great for Short-Haul Flights

I recently flew Qantas 10 times in a two-week span. Eight of those were short-haul trips within Australia. Even on trips of under two hours, I was served full meals—in economy class, no less. Qantas also serves mini bottles of water, which is perfect for flyers concerned about the quality of airplane water. The majority of my flights involved not only a hot meal but also a separate dessert course, such as ice cream.

You Can Watch HBO and New Movies in the Air

On longer flights, everyone gets their own personal seatback entertainment system, fully loaded with everything from cable TV shows to movies that aren't even available to rent yet. On a recent flight, I watched some HBO shows and Lone Survivor, a movie that wasn't even rentable when I left the States. On many flights, you'll have access to more than 500 television programs and up to 100 movies.

You Can Help Yourself to Snacks on Long-Haul Flights

Even in economy! There's a fully stocked self-service snack bar on long-haul flights, in case you're hungry between meal services.

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