QANTAS: First routes and flights for A321XLR released. Available for booking

The public can now book seats on Qantas’s brand-new Airbus A321XLRs, with the first commercial flights scheduled for Thursday, 25 September 2025. These aircraft promise a noticeable upgrade in comfort and connectivity for passengers used to the trusty old Boeing 737-800s.

The first two aircraft, named Great Ocean Road (VH-OGA) and Outback Way (VH-OGB), will debut on the Sydney–Perth and Sydney–Melbourne routes.

What’s in it for passengers

There is plenty to look forward to with a bunch of customer-focused improvements:

• Wider seats and a more spacious cabin feel – no seat pitch squeeze despite 13% more capacity than the 737
• Larger windows for better views
• Fast, free Wi-Fi to keep you connected gate-to-gate
• Overhead bins 60% more capacity – less bag Jenga
• Quieter cabins thanks to new-generation engines
• 20 lie-flat Business seats eventually on some aircraft, not on these aircraft or flights
• Seatback entertainment not on these aircraft, but eventually on selected long-range configurations

For frequent flyers, there is a 66% increase in premium seats which if Qantas releases more of those seats, means more upgrades to go around. With 20 Business seats versus just 12 on the 737, your chances of turning that pile of points into a flatbed recline should get a whole lot better.

More range, more destinations

With an extended range of 8,700 km – 3,000 km further than the 737 – the A321XLR opens up direct links that simply weren’t possible before. Think Southeast Asia, Pacific Islands and more point-to-point domestic services.

What this means in practice, if Qantas so chooses:

• From Sydney: Bali, Manila, Port Moresby, and much of coastal Southeast Asia are now within reach on a narrowbody.
• From Melbourne: direct services to Fiji, Samoa and Nouméa become realistic.
• From Perth: long legs to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta are suddenly in range without needing a widebody

It’s essentially a ‘long legs, small body’ aircraft – giving Qantas the flexibility to deploy premium product on routes that don’t fill an A330 or Dreamliner.

By the end of this financial year, Qantas will have seven A321XLRs in service, growing to 48 in total. Only sixteen of those will feature lie-flat Business seats and inflight entertainment throughout, designed for the longer-haul missions.

First flights on 25 September 2025

• QF645 Sydney 10:35 – Perth 13:35
• QF650 Perth 14:35 – Sydney 20:40
• QF467 Sydney 16:20 – Melbourne 17:55
• QF484 Melbourne 18:50 – Sydney 20:15

How the A321XLR compares to the 737-800

Feature	Boeing 737-800 (current)	Airbus A321XLR (new)
Seats	174 (12 Business, 162 Economy)	197 (20 Business, 177 Economy)
Premium capacity	12 Business seats	20 Business seats (+66%)
Cabin layout	3–3 in Economy, 2–2 in Business	3–3 in Economy, 2–2 in Business
Seat width	~17 inches Economy	~18 inches Economy (wider)
Overhead bins	Standard capacity	60% larger, fits more bags
Wi-Fi	Free	Fast, free Wi-Fi fleetwide
Entertainment	Mixture of overhead/seat back and no screens	No seatback screens (only on long-range config)
Range	~5,700 km	~8,700 km (opens SE Asia & Pacific routes)
Noise	Older generation engines	Quieter next-gen geared turbofan engines
Sustainability	Baseline emissions	Lower CO₂ per seat, SAF-ready

Future A321XLR Route Map speculation

Here is the range map that Qantas produced to show the new possibilities that the A321XLR offers compared to the ageing Boeing B737-800 fleet. Qantas has not committed to any of these new international possibilities, but they remain exciting options.

2PAXfly Takeout

For travellers, the A321XLR should mean more space, more bag room, quieter cabins and better Wi-Fi. For frequent flyers, it should mean more Classic and Classic Plus reward seats, as well as greater upgrade availability. However, that will depend on how Qantas chooses to implement frequent flyer redemption availability.

The new aircraft, which are just arriving, are configured for domestic use. They won’t show the full potential of the aircraft on those thin international routes. That is where the real revolution will occur.