The first pictures of Qantas’ refurbished Airbus A380 superjumbo jets are here. Qantas’ fleet of 12 A380s is undergoing a massive, multimillion-dollar cabin upgrade which includes not only new business-class seats but a special lounge for premium passengers. The capacity of Qantas A380s after the upgrade will be the following: 14 First Suites (unchanged), 70 Business Suites (up by six), 60 Premium Economy (up by 25) and 341 Economy (down by 30) for a total of 485 passengers (up by one).

“Working with Airbus, we’ve been able to use the cabin space more efficiently and improve the economics of the aircraft while also providing a better experience in every part of the aircraft. By the end of this upgrade, we’ll have next-generation seating across our entire long-haul fleet of A380s, A330s, and 787s,” said Qantas CEO, Alan Joyce. Now, the upper deck is all premium class upper deck (now occupied by Business and Premium Economy) and the on-board lounge is “expanded.”

These, of course, are just the PR photos. The first refurbished Qantas A380 (VH-OQK, will operate as QF2 from London to Sydney via Singapore) just took flight earlier this week on Tuesday, October 1st. But, if any FlyerTalkers have or will have taken a trip on the refurbished A380s, please pop your photos in this First Photos thread, or in the Qantas forum and ping me, FlyerTalk’s managing editor, @IBMeg and we’ll compile a FlyerTalk review. Now, let’s get into what’s new.

The Expanded Onboard Lounge

Arguably, the most hotly-anticipated part of this Qantas refresh. The onboard lounge is located on the upper deck, near the staircase. It has enough seating to accommodate up to 10 Business and First passengers.

The First Class Seats

Qantas’ 14 First Class Suites, located on the lower deck, have received a light refresh with “new contoured cushioning, seat finishes and a larger, higher resolution entertainment screen.”

The Qantas Business Suite

Some of Qantas’ space-saving efforts occur in the new Qantas Business Suite. The Skybeds are gone, and the business-class seats are in a 1:2:1 configuration so everyone has aisle access.  Says Joyce, “Working with Airbus, we’ve been able to use the cabin space more efficiently and improve the economics of the aircraft while also providing a better experience in every part of the aircraft.”

More Premium Economy Seats

Qantas’ new Premium Economy seats first debuted on the Qantas Dreamliner. The new cabin fits almost twice as many premium economy seats (35 to 60).

The Economy Situation

The Economy cabin received a new color palette and “improved” inflight entertainment. And, if you fly Qantas, or have any insider information, feel free to drop in a comment on just what those upgrades are.