Qantas Airlines, the largest airline in Australia, is known for their quality in flight product. They have recently unveiled a new version of their premium economy seat. The airline has been updating their business class product on their A330s, and the new 787-9 will have this new product as well. However, the airline will also install these new seats on their 787-9s

Qantas New Premium Economy

Qantas’ new premium economy class seat will be installed starting on the 787-9. The seat is an improvement to their current Premium Economy product. The seat will be 10% wider, and add more recline. Qantas has installed a specific cradle for seats, and will make the seat angle in a Z shape for better sleep quality. It will have two USB ports, but share one power outlet for every two seats. The airline will configure the 787 with a 2x3x2 configuration. Premium economy will consist of 28 seats.

In my opinion, these seats are a major improvement to their current seats. Those are very similar to the ones offered by British Airways. The airline commands a pretty high premium for their premium economy product, and I hope that this new seat will justify paying such a high price.

The 787 and the Kangaroo Route

One of the novel aspects of the 787 is that it comes with unparalleled range economics. This has made the aircraft the first operator of the non-stop Kangaroo route. For those unfamiliar with the term, the Kangaroo Route is the flight from Australia to the UK. Currently, all flights are one stop. British Airways stops in Singapore, Qantas in Dubai. The airplane has finally offered decent economics to provide the flight’s feasibility. The flight will be around 17 hours, depending on the weather.

Landing Thoughts

I hope to see Qantas new premium economy product be applied to the rest of their fleet, such as the A380s and A330s. This is probably wishful thinking, as the airline has recently installed new business class seats on their A330s. The A380s will probably not be refurbished, as they still offer the old business class. Given the new seat will be on the 787-9, I do not know how much I would like to fly on a seat for 17 hours. No matter how good the product is, 17 hours is a lot. Even on Emirates First Class, I felt that 14 hours was a lot. We will have to see if the airline can break even on the route. Qantas has one of the best options to cross the Pacific, and I hope they incorporate the 787-9 to the US very soon.

What do you think? Do you like the new Qantas Business Class? Would you fly their non-stop Kangaroo Route? Let us know!

Images from Qantas and Traveller.com.au