QANTAS: Adds Economy Plus to Project Sunrise, but other seats will be Economy Minus

Qantas has previously promised to provide Economy passengers with greater legroom befitting these ultra-long Project Sunrise flights. Like the politicians it seeks to influence through its invitation, Chairman’s Lounge makes promises it doesn’t keep. A standard 33-inch pitch in Economy is one of those.

Forthcoming non-stop flights from Sydney to London and New York will now offer Economy Plus seating with extra 34-inch legroom. That is generous by modern international economy standards, especially for an ultra-long-haul flight. Passengers in this cabin will also get priority boarding and early access to overhead locker space.

That sounds like a sensible upgrade for flights expected to stretch beyond 20 hours. It is. But there is a catch hiding at the back of the Airbus A350-1000ULR cabin.

The 42 Economy Plus seats will sit at the front of the 140-seat economy cabin. Qantas Platinum One and Platinum frequent flyers will be able to select those seats at the time of booking, while Gold members can access them 24 hours before departure, subject to availability. Everybody else will have to pay extra for these seats.

Qantas has retained the A350’s original economy seat count by shaving space from some seats towards the rear of the cabin. Executive Traveller reports that standard Economy rows will be 33 inches, but some will be only 32 inches.

So, yes, Project Sunrise will have more legroom overall than any current Qantas aircraft. But not every economy passenger will receive the same improvement.

The 34-inch rows are genuinely generous

For perspective, a 34-inch pitch is two inches more than Qantas’ Boeing 787 Dreamliner economy cabin and three inches more than the airline’s Airbus A380 economy seating.

It also compares well with the principal one-stop options between Sydney and London. Singapore Airlines offers around 32 inches of seat pitch in economy on the Sydney–Singapore–London route. Qatar Airways generally provides 31–32 inches on its A350s and Boeing 777s via Doha. Cathay Pacific’s A350 economy cabin is also around 32 inches.

That means the new Economy Plus seats will provide more knee-room than the offering on the main Asian and Middle Eastern routes to London. On a flight lasting around 22 hours, that extra couple of inches will make a non-premium seat more tolerable but still deeply regrettable.

The standard 33-inch rows are also respectable. They are one inch ahead of Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Qantas’ current Dreamliner economy product, and two inches ahead of the A380 seats used on Qantas’ existing Sydney–Singapore–London flights.

The rear rows are less special

Thirty-two inches is still not bad economy seating. It matches Qantas’ Dreamliner and is broadly competitive with Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific. But it is hardly an obvious ‘new standard of comfort’ promised for the non-stop Project Sunrise flight to London or New York.

It is also worth remembering that seat pitch is only one measurement. Seat width, padding, recline, foot space beneath the seat in front, tray-table design and the behaviour of the passenger ahead all make a difference. Two seats with the same pitch can feel quite different in real life.

Qantas says its A350 economy seats will have multi-layer memory foam, breathable wool-blend upholstery, a 13.3-inch entertainment screen and Bluetooth audio. There will also be the much-hyped dedicated Wellbeing Zone between premium economy and economy, with stretch handles, a hydration station, and guided movement exercises.

New York comparisons are more complicated

For Sydney–New York travellers, the appeal of Qantas’ non-stop service (when it happens) is likely even clearer. The current Qantas journey via Auckland uses a Boeing 787 with 32-inch economy pitch, while Air New Zealand’s newer 787-9 cabins generally provide 31 inches.

United, American, and Delta itineraries via the US West Coast tend to offer standard economy pitches around the low-30-inch mark across their long-haul fleets. Those journeys also involve a US transit airport, with all the baggage collection, immigration queues, and re-screening that entails.

A nonstop Qantas flight with a 33-inch regular seat or a 34-inch Economy Plus seat will therefore have a meaningful comfort advantage. The ability to avoid a connection may be worth more than an extra inch of pitch.

2PAXfly Takeout

Qantas’ Economy Plus seats look like a strong product for Project Sunrise, and they will be among the roomiest standard-economy-style seats available on Sydney–London and Sydney–New York flights.

But choose carefully. The best seats will be at the front, the standard seats should be solid, and the small number of 32-inch rows at the rear may feel rather less revolutionary after 18 or 20 hours in the air.