Qantas Launches Economy Plus Seats with Extra Legroom
Qantas has officially launched its new Economy Plus extra-legroom seating, promising more space on board for flyers. Eligible frequent flyers can select these seats for free, and they’re available to anyone else for an additional charge.
Economy Plus is now available on Qantas’ Airbus A321XLR, Airbus A220 and Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Over the past few months, Qantas has been busy reconfiguring its Boeing 737s, pulling out a row of Economy seats in order to add extra legroom to the first six rows of Economy. The majority of Qantas 737s are already reconfigured, and the rest should be done within a few weeks.
The airline will expand this offering to its Airbus A330 fleet later this year, when it refurbishes the cabin interiors on that fleet.
What is Qantas Economy Plus?
If you’re familiar with Virgin Australia’s Economy X product, the new Qantas Economy Plus is pretty much identical. The benefits of Economy Plus are:
- Up to 40% more legroom (with at least 10 centimetres more space between your seat and the one in front)
- Priority boarding (with Group 2)
- Priority access to overhead lockers
Unlike Delta Comfort, for example, this isn’t a separate cabin class. It’s simply an extra-legroom seat within the Economy cabin and a few extra perks attached. You’ll still get Economy Class service on board and earn the usual Economy points & status credits.
In general, Economy Plus seats are either towards the front of the Economy cabin, in the exit rows, or directly behind the exit rows.
Many frequent flyers are happy to get some extra legroom. And Qantas is of course happy to collect the extra money from anyone else who wants to pay for more comfort.
“We’re always looking for ways to enhance the onboard experience and maximise comfort for our customers. We believe this new seating product will be popular with our corporate and leisure travellers when it launches next year,” Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson said.
Qantas’ Platinum One flyers could already select extra-legroom and exit row seats for no extra charge on all Qantas flights. This benefit also includes long-haul flights, where Qantas is not offering Economy Plus.
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Complimentary Economy Plus for top-tier flyers
Qantas now offers complimentary Economy Plus seating from the time of booking to Qantas Platinum, Platinum One and Oneworld Emerald frequent flyers.
Passengers with Qantas Gold or Oneworld Sapphire status can select Economy Plus seats for free, if there are any left, once online check-in opens 24 hours before departure.
Before checking in, Qantas Gold and Silver members get complimentary access to the other Economy seats in the forward part of the cabin. Qantas has rebranded these as “Forward Seats”.
Some of those Forward Seats are also now available to passengers without status, but for a fee. (For what it’s worth, I would not pay extra for the benefit of sitting in a “Forward Seat” as far back as row 15!)
Other passengers on the same booking as a Qantas frequent flyer with status can also use the seating benefits associated with that member’s status.
Changes to the front row of Economy
On its Boeing 737-800, Qantas now distinguishes between row 4 (the front row), regular Economy Plus seats, and exit row seats.
Platinum One frequent flyers can select any available seat for free. But Qantas Platinum members only get access to seats in row 5 or beyond for free.
Eighty hours before departure (known as “T-80”), any remaining seats in row 4 become available for anyone to select. But these seats now attract quite a hefty additional fee, even for Platinum frequent flyers. The upshot is that, in the new Qantas 737-800 Economy layout, row 4 has even more legroom than before – more than Business Class, in fact. So, these are now especially great seats.
Qantas Economy Plus pricing
All other Qantas passengers will have the option to purchase Economy Plus for a fee, which varies depending on the route and exact seat type. For example, Economy Plus seats on the following routes start from these prices:
- Sydney-Melbourne from $30
- Melbourne-Auckland from $35
- Melbourne-Perth from $65
- Melbourne-Bali from $90
You also have the option to pay for Economy Plus with Qantas Points. But you probably shouldn’t because this is poor value.
Which seats are designated as Economy Plus?
Qantas designates the following specific seats as Economy Plus:
| Aircraft type | Economy Plus seats |
|---|---|
| Airbus A220-300 | Row 4, the A&C seats in rows 5-9, and row 12 (exit row) |
| Airbus A321XLR | Rows 6-7 and 15-18 (rows 15 & 16 are exit rows) |
| Boeing 737-800 | Rows 4-9 and 12-13 (exit rows) |
Many airlines already offer a similar product
This is a genuinely great benefit for Qantas frequent flyers. It’s also a clever strategic move as it neutralises one of the key benefits that Virgin Australia currently offers to its Platinum members which Qantas does not: complimentary Economy X seating. In fact, with Virgin Australia removing a row of Economy X seating in its recent Boeing 737 cabin refurbishments, Qantas will soon offer more extra legroom Economy seats than Virgin on its 737s.
The major US carriers also offer a large section seats with more legroom in the front section of Economy. Just as Qantas and Virgin Australia are doing, they typically offer these for no extra cost to loyal frequent flyers, and as an up-sell to anyone else.
On their short-haul planes, many European airlines also offer seats with more legroom in front of the exit rows. However, they do this because they want the flexibility to sell those seats as Business Class.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
With Qantas Economy Plus, you get an extra-legroom seat, priority boarding in Group 2 and priority access to overhead lockers for your carry-on bags.
Qantas has Economy Plus available on its Boeing 737-800, Airbus A321XLR and Airbus A220. It’s coming to the Airbus A330 fleet from mid-2026.
While you can use Qantas Points to pay for Economy Plus seat selection, this is a relatively poor use of points. We’d suggest paying cash and saving your points for another redemption.
Qantas Economy Plus comes with a seat pitch of at least 34 inches, which is more than enough to stretch your legs out. The exit rows and front row seats may have even more legroom.
Economy Plus is a standard Economy seat with extra legroom. Premium Economy, offered on long-haul international flights, is an entirely separate cabin with a better seat and premium service.
Economy Plus starts from $30, in addition to the Economy airfare, but depends on the route and exact seat type. Qantas Gold, Platinum and Platinum One frequent flyers get complimentary access to Economy Plus seats.
If you value comfort and convenience, Economy Plus is probably worth the price. You get at least 10cm more space for your legs, and can avoid fighting for overhead baggage space with Group 2 boarding and dedicated lockers.
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