QANTAS: New A321XLR now flying Brisbane to Sydney route

Qantas’ newest narrowbody, the long-awaited Airbus A321XLR, has officially landed in Brisbane, beginning regular flights between Sydney and Brisbane from today. It’s another milestone in Qantas’ fleet renewal program,and the first time Queenslanders get to experience the most modern single-aisle aircraft flying.

For passengers, the A321XLR represents a very real step up in comfort, space, and tech and a ‘preview’ of what domestic travel across Australia with Qantas will soon look like.

What you’ll notice on board

Let’s start with what passengers care about (and what Qantas brags about most): the cabin. The A321XLR has:

• A wider and longer cabin than the 737
• Wider seats
• Higher ceilings
• Larger windows
• A quieter interior
• 60% more overhead bin space

If you’ve spent the last decade being forced to gate-check bags on full 737 flights, that last point may feel like a gift from the travel gods.

Initial feedback from customers, according to Qantas Domestic CEO Markus Svensson, is that the larger baggage space is the standout feature. And he’s probably right. Passenger satisfaction often rises proportionally to the amount of stuff they can bring on board without fighting row 28 for an overhead bin.

This cabin also features fast, free Wi-Fi, a feature Qantas is incorporating across its next-generation fleet, including international.

However, none of this comes without a downside. There are still only three toilets on board, despite the increase in cabin capacity

A quieter ride

Brisbane Airport’s CEO, Gert-Jan de Graaff, made a point of emphasising how much quieter the A321XLR is compared with the 737s it replaces. Good for communities it will fly over, but also a win for travellers.

Where it’s flying now

For now, the A321XLR will run Sydney–Brisbane daily (at most one return service per day through the end of 2025), with its presence increasing as more aircraft are delivered. The aircraft first entered Qantas service in September, operating mainly on Sydney–Adelaide and Sydney–Melbourne rotations.

Brisbane is the latest high-frequency trunk route to get the upgrade – a big deal for Queensland, Qantas’ spiritual birthplace.

A long-range narrowbody that changes the network

Although passengers may not care why the aircraft exists, they will definitely benefit from what it allows Qantas to do.

The A321XLR can fly 8,700 km, that is roughly 3,000 km further than the Boeing 737-800 they are replacing. That opens a smorgasbord of new route possibilities:

• More transcontinental flights from the East Coast to Perth
• New short and medium-haul international services
• Nonstop links between regional capitals and overseas destinations

Although not installed on this ‘domestic’ model, 16 of Qantas’ 48 A321XLRs will get lie-flat Business seats for those transcontinental and medium-haul international missions. Potential routes include Perth–Auckland, Brisbane–Fiji, Adelaide–Singapore, and Sydney–Manila, all with a single-aisle aircraft but long-haul comfort.

Cabin numbers

The A321XLR’s cabin configuration adds 13% more seats than the Boeing 737s. They have a total of 197 seats, 20 in Business Class and 177 in Economy. The increased number of seats comes with no reduction in seat pitch, because the aircraft is just plain longer and more efficiently designed. The Business cabin, with its change from 12 to 20 seats, increases by a whopping 66%, which should help availability on peak business travel routes.

Observant readers will notice that the chart above indicates a total of 200 seats, whereas the paragraph above states 197 seats. That’s because there is a row of seats (Row 35 A, B & C) that are used as crew rest on long-haul and transcontinental flights, and therefore remain unsold.

Fuel burn and sustainability: a quieter virtue

The A321XLR also burns significantly less fuel per seat than the Boeing 737-800, thanks to lighter materials, aerodynamic design and the Pratt & Whitney GTF engines. From a passenger perspective, that means lower emissions and quieter engines.

A321XLR rollout

Qantas currently has two A321XLRs in service, with a third, Seven Peaks Walk (VH-OGC), due to arrive in the coming weeks. The airline has committed to 48 of the XLR’s, forming part of a massive order book of more than 200 aircraft.

2PAXfly Takeout

This is the kind of upgrade domestic travellers will feel immediately. The A321XLR offers a quieter, roomier, better-lit, more modern cabin than anything Qantas has flown domestically for decades. The larger bins alone will save marriages, friendships, and aisle-way tempers on full flights.

The XLR also gives Qantas the chance to rethink how it connects Australian cities with nearby international markets. With lie-flat Business Class seats coming on later aircraft, this narrowbody is going to allow single-aisle aircraft to fly on international routes.

If you’re flying Sydney–Brisbane in the next few months and you spot an A321XLR at the gate, treat yourself. It promises to be one of the nicest narrowbody experiences you can have anywhere right now.