Imagine you are on board long haul flight in economy class for around 20 hours. Your seat has little recline and you’re sitting upright for the best part of a day. What would you want on board the aircraft to make your flight more comfortable?
Qantas are working on Project Sunrise which will see non-stop 20 hour flights from places like Sydney to London and New York. As part of this, they have been taking suggestions from passengers on what they want.
Long Haul Passenger Desires
One thing I particularly like when flying long haul is a sense of space and not to feel confined. This is the reason I select an aisle seat when flying for lengthy periods of time.
Several suggestions have been popular in the research Qantas has been undertaking. Wireless noise cancelling headphones are considered very important. It makes sense, you feel more disconnected from the flying experience with decent headphones and don’t have noise intruding while enjoying a movie.
Another item on the top five list is apparently an on board cafe, offering alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Many people tend to complain when they are left alone on a long haul flight with no water service or anything like that. It makes sense that passengers would want the option to get what they want when they want it, like on trains.
Overall Thoughts
Considering these long haul flights will last almost an entire day, it is good to see Qantas getting all the suggestions they can. I would be very surprised to see exercise equipment such as stationery bikes or rowing machines offered on board.
What would you want on board one of these long flights? What would ease the experience for you if you were flying in economy class? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
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Featured image via Aer Lingus.
Project Sunrise routes via Qantas.
A 35” pitch and a lot of alcohol.
Hahahaha! Very true, booze does help pass the time! More pitch is always welcome too, so I agree!
I like the idea of a mini spa or massage chairs as previously stated but how do you accommodate so many people with only a few chairs?
True, though I don’t think there are going to be that many passengers on board. They keep saying around 300, though it could well be less. People have mentioned part of the cargo hold turned over for passenger use as they won’t be able to carry much or any cargo on the flights. I guess we just wait and see! Thanks for the comment!
Legroom ! And not being squashed when passenger in front reclines. Will see how Singapore airlines does the real deal long-haul next month when I’m on the EWR-SIN non-stop in PE. I have one of the single seats in the back, so at least I have window & aisle to myself.
Yes, apparently the new Premium Economy on the Qantas 787s have been getting a few comments about the legroom not being as good as it could be. Nice that you’re doing the EWR-SIN next month. Hopefully it’s amazing! Having a single seat and getting and window and aisle is already half way there in the comfort stakes as far as I’m concerned. Hope you enjoy it!
I think people will always tend to find a way to complain. I remember flying economy on transpacific flights NRT-SFO back in the 90s and we passed the time with a deck of cards and a gameboy.
Nowadays I think an ultra longhaul flight will be fine as long as there’s a decent IFE, wired headphones (though I prefer to bring my own), and space. Let’s face it. Unless it’s peak season, a flight is most likely not going to be full. If I can be one of those lucky passengers to get an empty seat next to me in economy, then I’d be more than happy!
Well, Qantas have been reporting load factors of over 90% on their Perth to London flight, so they expect the ultra long haul flights to be very full. I completely agree on everything else you say. People will always find something to complain about, and decent IFE, headphones and space are key. It’ll be interesting to see what they come up with. Thanks for the comment!
Um…not happening. Sure, passengers *want* a bar/lounge and exercise room. What they’re going to get is more seats, because that’s how money is made.
Is anyone fooled by this? We do this song and dance every time there’s a new airline product, whether it be a new plane or a substantially different route.
Well sure, I can understand your scepticism, especially after Airbus touting the Airbus A380 with bowling alleys and gyms. It’s a little different in this case I feel, as it’s the airline doing this research. Qantas already have yoga classes in their Perth lounge for passengers going on and off the Perth to London flight, and they say it’s really popular.
The word is that they won’t be able to put a full load of seating into the Project Sunrise aircraft due to weight restrictions required to get the aircraft to go the distance, so apparently there will be space for such amenities. It may or may not happen, but I feel something will for these flights. Thanks for the comment!
I would love for there to be a massage chair with a masseuse… Pre-book time before the flight
That’s a great idea! Might need more than one masseuse though for a 20 hour flight. That would be one tiring journey for them. Thanks for the comment!
I’d be happy with those massage chairs some airports and malls have where it will take your credit card and will give you a message for 5 – 30 minutes. It’s not as good as a human, but it’d be a great option to have!
I know those chairs, they’re apparently quite good. I’ve never tried them myself. I think there’d be a stampede on those on a 20 hour flight! The issue would be having enough of them, I guess! Thanks for the comment!