What to Expect Flying QF5 from Sydney to Rome via Perth

Qantas flight QF5 is the flying kangaroo’s seasonal service from Sydney to Rome via Perth. The return flight from Rome to Perth, and onwards to Sydney, operates as QF6.

Launched in 2022, the route is back this year and is extremely popular with Aussies heading to Italy for European summer holidays. Qantas flights to Rome operate from mid-June until early October, taking in both the Australian winter and spring school holidays. The route will be back in 2024 for another season.

QF5 is operated by a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. The journey from Sydney to Rome via Perth takes 22 hours and 30 minutes to cover a total of 16,638km.

Are you flying soon on QF5 from Sydney or Perth to Rome? This guide explains everything you need to know to prepare for your journey and have an enjoyable flight!

Qantas’ Sydney-Perth-Rome schedule

Qantas flights to Italy depart Australia on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. The return flights depart Rome, bound for Perth and Sydney, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

The leg from Sydney to Perth takes around five hours, while the Perth-Rome journey takes 16 hours. There is a 90-minute layover in Perth between sectors.

This is the QF5 schedule to Rome:

• QF5 Sydney 18:20 – Perth 21:20
• QF5 Perth 22:50 – Rome 08:50 (+1 day)

And this is the QF6 schedule back to Australia:

• QF6 Rome 10:50 – Perth 08:30 (+1 day)
• QF6 Perth 10:00 – Sydney 16:05

The flights are designed to offer easy connections at both ends. You can connect via Sydney or Perth from other Qantas destinations in Australia and New Zealand. After arriving in Rome, Qantas customers can also connect onwards to 16 European destinations including Milan, Venice, Geneva, Nice and Madrid with ITA Airways.

Qantas customers flying to Europe can also book an open-jaw ticket, arriving in London on flights QF1 or QF9 and leaving Europe from Rome. This could be a clever way to save money on the UK’s “Air Passenger Duty” departure tax.

Qantas flight QF5: The aircraft

Qantas flights QF5, and the return QF6, are served by a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft with 42 Business, 28 Premium Economy and 166 Economy Seats. The Boeing 787 is the newest long-haul aircraft type in the Qantas fleet.

Qantas does not offer wi-fi internet on its Boeing 787 aircraft, but seat-back in-flight entertainment is available at every seat.

Economy Class

On the Qantas Boeing 787-9, Economy Class is in a 3-3-3 configuration. The seats are a bit on the narrow side, but the legroom is comparatively generous with 32 inches of seat pitch.

If you can manage to score an exit row seat in row 46, it could be well worth paying the additional $190 for the extra legroom. The legroom in row 40, the front row of Economy Class, is also quite good.

Couples may prefer the seat pairs 59A/B or 59J/K, which are in the last row and have only two seats by the window due to the curvature of the airframe. The main downside of these seats is that they are directly in front of the lavatories.

Premium Economy Class

There are four rows of Premium Economy seating in a 2-3-2 layout. These seats are wider and offer more legroom than Economy – although they could use a couple more inches of legroom to be truly comfortable.

You can read a review of Qantas Premium Economy from Rome to Perth here.

Business Class

Every Business Class passenger on the Qantas Boeing 787-9 enjoys direct aisle access with the 1-2-1 layout and a lie-flat bed.

For maximum privacy (and a better view out the window), solo travellers may prefer a window (A or K) seat in rows 1, 3, 5 & 7; as well as 10K, 11A or 12K.

Read more: The Ultimate Qantas Business Class Seat Guide

Business Class passengers receive complimentary pyjamas (a.k.a. “sleeper suits”) on the Perth-Rome leg. Qantas also provides amenity kits to passengers in Premium Economy and Business. In 2023, limited-edition Western Australia-themed amenity kits are being offered on flights from Rome to Perth.

Getting an upgrade on QF5

Qantas’ Perth-Rome flights are extremely popular, and there may be limited availability in the premium cabins. Nonetheless, if you have an eligible ticket – and enough Qantas points – you can request a Classic Upgrade Reward to Premium Economy or Business Class.

Upgrading is possible if you’re booked on the Qantas flight number (i.e. QF5 to Rome or QF6 from Rome – and not a codeshare flight), and you don’t have an “Economy Sale” ticket.

You’ll be notified whether your upgrade request is successful within a week of the flight’s departure – and potentially even as late as at the gate, during boarding. Priority is given in the upgrade queue to Qantas Frequent Flyer members with the highest status tier.

If you’re flying all the way from Sydney to Rome on QF5, you would need to request an upgrade either for both sectors (Sydney-Perth and Perth-Rome) or neither. You cannot upgrade only one of the sectors unless you’re changing to/from a different flight number in Perth.

How many Qantas points do you need to upgrade on QF5?

The number of Qantas points required to upgrade on QF5 or QF6 is as shown in the table below. You can also check on the Qantas website.

If you don’t have enough Qantas Frequent Flyer points to request a Classic Upgrade Reward, Qantas may invite you to bid for a Bid Now upgrade using money. But if you have sufficient Qantas points, we’d suggest requesting a points upgrade as these are processed with a higher priority than Bid Now upgrades.

Lounges at Sydney Airport

Although the first leg of QF5 is a domestic journey, the flight departs from Sydney Airport’s international terminal. You’ll clear immigration and international security in Sydney.

If you’re flying in Business Class, you can access the Qantas international Business Lounge at Sydney Airport prior to the departure of QF5. This lounge is also available to Qantas Club, Qantas Gold and Oneworld Sapphire members, and Qantas complimentary lounge invitations are accepted here.

The Qantas Business Lounge in Sydney is perfectly serviceable – albeit a bit dated. But if you have Qantas Platinum, Qantas Platinum One or Oneworld Emerald status, you should instead visit the excellent Qantas First Lounge next door.

If it’s open, you may also be able to use the Emirates Lounge in Sydney. However, this only opens around 5.10pm – three hours before Emirates’ first evening departure to Dubai – so you won’t have much time there before QF5 starts boarding around 5.35pm.

Transiting at Perth Airport

If you’re flying all the way from Sydney to Rome on the same aircraft, you won’t need to clear security again in Perth. While waiting to board the second leg of the journey to Rome, passengers eligible to use Qantas lounges can access the Qantas international transit lounge in Perth.

This lounge has ample seating, buffet food & drink options, showers and even a wellbeing studio for some pre-flight stretching.

Which lounge does Qantas use at Rome Fiumicino Airport?

When departing from Rome on Qantas flight QF6 to Australia, eligible passengers can use the Plaza Premium Lounge on the upper level of Terminal 3, in Area E.

Since June 2023, Plaza Premium Lounges are also available to Priority Pass members.

In-flight meals on QF5

A full dinner is served in all cabins on the five-hour leg from Sydney to Perth. Supper is then served after departure from Perth. Prior to landing in Rome, a full breakfast is served.

Additional snacks and drinks are available on request – and from a self-service snack bar – during the long interval between supper and breakfast.

The menus vary by cabin class and rotate every few months, but there’s a distinctly Italian flair to the menus on this flight.

You can see what food Qantas is currently serving in Business Class on the dedicated AFF thread. We also have a discussion thread on Qantas international Economy Class meals.

Flying QF5 between Sydney and Perth only

If you don’t want to fly all the way to Rome, it is possible to fly on QF5 just for the domestic leg from Sydney to Perth. In fact, this could be a great way to fly across the Australian continent because you’ll get to enjoy the full international service on board.

One disadvantage – depending on your perspective – is that the QF5 leaves from the international terminal at Sydney Airport. You’ll need to check in earlier than you would for a domestic flight and will be subject to the international LAGs (liquids, aerosols & gels) restrictions.

You’ll also need to clear Australian immigration and customs in Sydney and Perth. But as you’re not leaving the country, your boarding pass will have a “D” sticker on it.

On the plus side, if you have access to Qantas lounges, you can use the international lounges in Sydney when flying to Perth on QF5.

Some history of the QF5 flight number

Until April 2013, the QF5 flight number was used on Qantas’ Sydney-Singapore-Frankfurt service. This route was discontinued, but the QF5 flight number continued to be used until 2018 on the Sydney-Singapore route.

Qantas first began serving both Frankfurt and Rome in the 1950s, with a Super Constellation aircraft that flew from Sydney to London with stops in Darwin, Jakarta, Singapore, Bangkok, Calcutta, Karachi, Cairo, Athens, Rome and Frankfurt. Over the years, most of the stops were removed as new aircraft were developed that could fly further.

Prior to the launch of Perth-Rome services in 2022, Qantas had previously flown from Sydney to Rome via Bangkok as QF15 until 2003.

Matt Graham

The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 70 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course!
Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil & Kazakhstan. His interests include economics, aviation & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine.

You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.