Jetstar Narrow-Body Jets Getting Business Class

Jetstar will install Business Class on its new Airbus A321XLR jets, which are due to arrive from 2027. This will be the first time Jetstar, the low-cost carrier owned by Qantas, has installed Business Class seats on a narrow-body plane.

The Airbus A321XLR is the extra long-range version of the Airbus A321, capable of flying even further than the Airbus A321s and A321neo LRs which are already part of the Jetstar fleet.

In total, the Jetstar A321XLR is expected to have 12 Business Class seats and 196 Economy seats. The airline also plans to offer Wi-Fi on these planes.

What can Jetstar passengers expect in A321XLR Business Class?

Jetstar’s Airbus A321XLRs will have three rows of recliner Business Class seats in a standard 2-2 layout. These won’t be lie-flat seats, but will be similar to the kinds of seats you’d expect in domestic Business Class or international Premium Economy.

Based on the information Jetstar has released so far, it looks like these will be cloth-covered seats similar to what you’d find in Business Class on Air Canada’s Boeing 737-8 MAX.

We’d expect the on-board service to be similar to what Jetstar currently offers in its Boeing 787 Business Class. This includes complimentary meals, snacks and drinks on board, as well as a pillow, blanket and amenity kit.

What routes will the Jetstar A321XLR fly?

We would expect Jetstar to deploy its Airbus A321XLRs onto medium-haul international routes. These could include flights such as:

• Sydney and Brisbane to Rarotonga
• Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to Bali
• Perth to Singapore, Bangkok and Manila
• Brisbane to Cebu
• Cairns to Tokyo and Osaka
• Perth to destinations in India or Sri Lanka

Jetstar is also expanding its 787 Business cabin

Next year, Jetstar will also begin refurbishing its existing Boeing 787-8 fleet. As part of this, it will more the double the size of its Business Class cabin and install crew rest facilities, enabling the 787 to fly further.

By introducing the A321XLR to its fleet, Jetstar expects to be able to free up Boeing 787s to operate on even longer routes than Jetstar currently flies. For example, Jetstar might look to add flights from the Australian east coast to Sri Lanka or India. It could even offer a left-field route like Sydney to Las Vegas.

Jetstar’s decision to expand its Business Class offering comes as global demand for premium cabin travel continues to increase – especially among leisure travellers willing to spend a bit more for added comfort.

Jetstar Business Class is basically equivalent to Premium Economy on full-service airlines. Across the industry, Premium Economy is emerging as the most profitable part of the plane.

You’ll soon be able to upgrade with points into these seats

By the time Jetstar’s new A321XLR Business Class takes off, you’ll even have the opportunity to upgrade into one of these seats using Qantas Points!

Qantas Frequent Flyer announced earlier this year that it plans to introduce points-based upgrades into Jetstar Business Class in 2026. While we don’t yet know exactly how this would work, we’d expect the number of points required to be similar to what you’d need to upgrade from Economy to Premium Economy on Qantas.

Qantas will add lie-flat Business seats to some A321XLRs

The announcement from Jetstar comes as Qantas plans to add lie-flat Business seats to a sub-fleet of its new Airbus A321XLRs.

Qantas recently took delivery of its very first A321XLR, which will enter commercial service in a few weeks.

The first batch of Qantas A321XLRs just have domestic-style reclining Business Class seats. But Qantas will start taking delivery in 2028 of 16 new A321XLRs with proper lie-flat Business seats that are suitable for long-haul flights. Those jets will also have seat-back TV screens at every seat.

Routes like Adelaide-Singapore, Canberra-Singapore and Melbourne-Bali are likely to be among the first that Qantas flies with A321XLRs featuring lie-flat Business.

While some people may prefer not to fly long-haul on a narrow-body jet, the experience can be alright if the airline puts proper thought into the cabin design.