After the unveiling of the new Qantas Project Sunrise business class and first class seats, I noticed something unusual. While it looks like the business class seat will be comfortable in bed mode, there’s a missing piece when sitting down.

For those that might not have heard, Project Sunrise flights are the planned non-stop services from Australia’s east coast to London, New York and more. These will clock in at 20 hours, which is a long time to be in the air.

Project Sunrise Business Class

The oneworld alliance airline has done quite a substantial amount of research into these flights. They have analysed every aspect of the passenger experience, even flying Boeing 787-9s non-stop from London and New York for tests.

When you look at the detail of the business class seats, it seems there is part of the seat missing. The base where you sit is angled at one corner, which you can see below.


I’m sure this is to make the seat fit into whatever is at the other end for when it’s in flat bed mode. Still, it looks a little weird and will it decrease comfort? A few people pointed this out to me, so it’s not just me wondering about this.

Also mentioned was the piece of the seat at the window side that seems to block the window, which you can see in the picture at the top of this article. Looking at it though, it may not be a big deal when you imagine a person sitting there.

Overall Thoughts

The Project Sunrise business class seat will provide plenty of comfort on the long-haul flights. Without actually sitting in the seat, it’s hard to work out just how it will feel and how much you can see out.

Happily all the creature comforts have been considered, as outlined in the press release. It transforms to a 2 metre long bed, has a cushioned leather ottoman, an 18″ HD screen, wireless (and wired) device charging, plus free Wi-Fi for all passengers.

Are you looking forward to the Project Sunrise flights? Is it something you’ll want to use or will you prefer a one stop flight as things are today? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

Like planes? See my “Does anyone remember” series.
Flight reviews your thing? Mine are all indexed here.
Follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.