I have been saving up my Qantas points for a few years now for the right time to use them, and a trip to the USA with my wife and 5 month old baby seemed like the PERFECT time.

A few things to cover first:

1. YES you can fly First Class on Qantas with a baby
   If you are paying for the flight you will pay 10% of the adult fare, which is going to be pretty steep. If you are upgrading, you only pay the upgrade on the adult ticket though (Nice little hack)
2. YES they have a seat with a basinet: The first class basinet is more like a sleeping pod for the baby but its certainly available!
3. If you are worried about the other passengers and staff while you are flying – don’t be. You have paid for the ticket like everyone has, and we found the staff to be amazing, and the other passengers fine (First class is that big and well serviced most did not even realise we were flying with a baby.

We had confirmed business class eats which were great, and we would have been totally happy with (Apart from not being able to secure one of the bassinet seats), but were pretty pumped when we found out the day before our flight out of LAX that we had all been upgraded (We were all on independently bought tickets which I have read is a big advantage to increase the chances of an upgrade)

Being that we were now confirmed in First Class, we decided to get to the airport early to enjoy the benefits that come with the ticket pre flight:

• Extra baggage allowance (This was super useful for us travelling with a baby and all that comes with her…think stroller, carseat, bedding, feeding stuff…)
• Dedicated First Class checkin which saved us a load of time as the line was over 20 deep for economy when we arrived.
• Access to the First lounge (I’ll get to that later) and all that goes with that

Checkin Process

Our checkin process was very smooth, and even though getting through security checks was a little trickier with our carry on (formula, baby medications, sterile water…and a baby), we got through in a fairly quick time frame and everyone was very helpful.

Travelling in First gives you the option of the normal Qantas Business Lounge, as well as the Qantas First Lounge – for us the choice was pretty simple.

Pre-Flight – The Qantas First Lounge

The Qantas First Class lounge was amazing and featured the following:

• Room for 221 guests
• Complimentary premium alcohol
• Super fast Wi-Fi
• Complimentary premium Food (Full dining service at this Neil Perry Restaurant)
• Showers
• Complimentary Snacks, Newspapers/Magazines, TVs, Flight Monitors, Internet Terminals

Travelling with a baby, the major benefits of this lounge were:

• Super quiet
• Plenty of space: We pulled up on a pair of couches and let baby spread out on one.
• Table service: We were able to order whatever we wanted from where we sat
• Great bathroom facilities
• Short walk to gate

The Flight

Once we were on the plane and settled into our seats, it was time to explore:

Major advantages to travelling in First Class with a baby (seems like a silly statement):

• So much room
• Extra attentive service from flight attendants
• Lay Flat beds
• Seperate baby sleeping area which does not impact the space for adults
• Room to walk around when the baby becomes unsettled
• Plenty of extra supplies for babies if you run short
  • Nappies
  • Formula
• Spare pair of hands to hold baby if you need a break!
• Bigger bathroom with more appropriate size change table (When compared to economy)

Was it worth it?

Considering I used points to upgrade the family to First Class – absolutely it was worth it! The experience is not something you get everyday, and certainly made our first family flight much easier on us all.

Would I pay for it? Not a chance. Business Class is certainly worth the expense in my opinion but the difference in price to secure a First Class ticket is just crazy.

I certainly hope I get to experience First Class again, potentially on another airline, but I will certainly remember this experience fondly.

My final tips for flying Qantas First Class with a baby

• Get there early and use the First Lounge
• Get on the plane early
• Order food at the start if you are hungry
• Make friends with the stewardesses
• Get baby to sleep asap (Or whether they need)
• Get the basinet made up right away.

Happy flying!