Qantas are due to take delivery of the Airbus A350-1000 from 2025. These will be used to start non-stop flights from Australia’s east coast cities to London, New York and more. There are new cabins being introduced for the ultra long-haul services, including a new first class seat.
When I was looking at it in detail, something was bothering me. I thought the new layout was all wrong, until I realised that I had made myself a similar layout when flying before.
The New Qantas First Class Seat
There will be just six seats in first class on the oneworld alliance carrier’s new A350. Happily they are offering both a seat and a bed for proper comfort on sectors that will last up to 20 hours.
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- People are going to use that seat as their bedside table – I see phones and water bottles placed there.
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- It also has a door for privacy, plus a wardrobe.
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- A 32″ UHD TV screen, dining table for two and more.
In the press release, Qantas say it’s supposed to evoke the feel of a boutique hotel on a miniature scale. With wireless induction device charging, free Wi-Fi and more, it promises to be a great experience. Something was bothering me when I viewed the images though.
Bed Placement
When I first saw the LOPA (the “Layout of Passenger Accommodation” – aka the seat map!), I noticed the beds were under the window. The seat is on the aisle side for all the seats. As a devotee of the window seat, I didn’t like how I’d be situated away from the view (assuming I can afford a ticket, of course – which I can’t!)
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- You can see this here in the cutaway.
A few days later it occurred to me that I had done exactly this on a few occasions. When flying Qatar Airways from Doha to Auckland in business class on the Boeing 777-200LR, each time I had nobody sitting next to me… and so I had the crew make up the seat beside me as a bed.
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- It’s so nice to have a seat and a bed.
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- Very comfortable!
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- Notice a trend here?
On every occasion, from the first time I flew the sector, all the way through to the return trips, the bed was at the window and I sat on the aisle. That is how the crew made up the bed for me, but it’s also the most private.
Overall Thoughts
Of course, with the Qatar Airways seat, the bedding had to be put away during descent and the seat returned upright. That meant I could sit in the window seat for landing.
With Qantas the bed is fixed and because of that it has to be under the window. Otherwise how else would a passenger get in and out of the suite? There is also the service aspect to consider as well.
I have to say that flying Qantas first class is a bucket list item for me. With just six seats, it’s going to be more difficult – and that’s before you consider the cost, which is prohibitive for someone like me. Perhaps I’ll be able to snag a frequent flyer seat one day, but that’s doubtful too as its notoriously difficult to get one on the Aussie airline.
What do you think of the new First Class seat that is coming to Qantas? Have you flown First Class with Qantas before? What’s it like? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
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Featured image via AirInsight.
LOPA and First Class via Qantas.
I always love looking out the window for take off and landing but I’d be willing to sacrifice having to sit back from the window if I were getting this suite for a 20 hour flight! Whatever about first class, the window adjacent seats in business class on these Qantas’ A350s seem to have a protrusion that actually blocks the view. I can’t see what purpose it has for the life of me, apart from annoying passengers?
Fair enough! … and I hadn’t noticed that. Looks like fodder for another article from me about that. Looks terrible… maybe it’s to protect you if someone sticks their feet up there during flight behind you?? 🙂