New First Class cabins with separate fully-flat beds will feature on the world’s longest flights from Sydney and Melbourne to London and New York, Qantas announced on Monday alongside a multi-billion-dollar order for 12 Airbus A350-1000 aircraft that will make the flights a reality.
The aircraft will be fitted with specially adapted fuel tanks to make the distance-busting flights possible and Qantas says it will introduce industry-leading levels of comfort across every cabin class to make the 20+ hour flights bearable.
The crown jewel of the Qantas A350 will be a brand new First Class suite with a separate bed and recliner lounge chair which comes complete with a 32″ television screen, a personal wardrobe and lots of other storage within a private suite that is separated from the cabin by a sliding door.
The A350 will only have six First Class suites but Qantas says passengers in every class will have plenty of room to spread out. Compared to some airlines that can squeeze more than 300 passengers onboard an A350, the Qantas A350 will have space for just 238 passengers.
There will be 52 Business Class Suites (suggesting the addition of sliding doors), 40 Premium Economy seats with 40″ of pitch and 140 Economy seats offering 33″ of pitch.
Qantas also plans to install a special ‘Wellbeing Zone’ where passengers will be allowed to stand up and stretch out during the course of the nearly day-long flights. There will also be a separate walk-up bar for Business Class passengers.
Chief executive Alan Joyce officially announced the A350 order at a special event in Sydney on Monday after details of the events were leaked a day early. The announcement was delayed by two years due to the pandemic but Qantas still hopes to have the planes ready by 2025.
Work done before the pandemic has already influenced the airline’s service and design concepts for the flights and Joyce says demand has never been so strong for direct non-stop flights to and from Australia.
“For more than 100 years, Qantas has been at the forefront of transforming the way the world travels, particularly through direct flights,” Joyce commented.
“Now, the A350 and Project Sunrise will make almost any city in the world just one flight away from Australia. It’s the last frontier and the final fix for the tyranny of distance that has traditionally challenged travel to Australia.”
“The Qantas A350 travel experience will be truly exceptional, particularly across the premium cabins. Our First and Business Class Seats will set a new benchmark for premium long-haul travel,” Joyce continued.
As well as London and New York, Joyce also said the aircraft could be used on other ultra-long-haul flights like Frankfurt and Paris.
