Qantas Reveals new A321XLR and 787 Business Class Seats (new 787 frames only)

[MEL_Traveller]

Can I ask is there 9 or 10 rows for A321XLR?
I am concerned not having enough J seats which means they will be full.

It is extremely rare for qantas flights to go out with spare seats in the premium cabins these days. Doesn’t make any difference if it’s a smaller or larger plane (number of rows won’t make any difference to that),

 

[Princess Fiona]

Aren't these the same A321 seats that AA uses and that have been almost universally panned?

Yup, flew this last week LAX-JFK and it was atrocious.
Can’t use your IFE screen during meal service, can’t see out the window properly. Woeful seat storage and they are pretty narrow. Wouldn’t want to be a POS in these seats.

 

[levelnine]

The new coffin class.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Can’t use your IFE screen during meal service…

I’m hoping that’s just an AA crew thing? Other airlines with herringbone don’t seem to have the same issue, or if they do, you can continue to use the IFE just move it as a when service occurs.

 

[mviy]

It is extremely rare for qantas flights to go out with spare seats in the premium cabins these days. Doesn’t make any difference if it’s a smaller or larger plane (number of rows won’t make any difference to that),

Was on a QantasLink E190 operated by Alliance Airlines recently with spare seats in Business though at least one of those may have been broken in some way.

 

[AuSammy]

Missed opportunity to change the staggered layout to alternating honeymoon/divorce for the middle seats?

Only interested in airlines that offer the seats you describe as “divorce”.

Have no interest in talking to partner, let alone a stranger while in the air.

 

[RooFlyer]

Regardless which way it’s facing it’s a win in my book considering I’d never thought we would ever arrive at this point being narrow body suites.

Downside being these narrowbodies are going to do medium haul routes. For me, not just about the lie-flat seat (although that's important) - its the overall space available to pax. Aisles will be blocked (esp in economy) and no where just to stand and hang out on those long-ish flights; not enough storage for a medium haul so you'll probably be up and down getting stuff out of lockers.

BTW, anyone seen the Economy seats?

 

[Berlin]

These Herringbones on the A321 look horrific! I always loathed Air NZ for this stupid coffin seat design and now Qantas comes 20 years later just to install similar rubbish on their new planes!

I’m someone who LOVES looking out of the window so I absolutely hate locked 787 windows and seats pointing away from the window which guaranteed leave me with neck pain when I get off the flight.

Total fail from Qantas if you ask me! And no, that stupid flimsy door will not help, if anything it will make it feel like a coffin even further!

 

[MelbFlyer]

Downside being these narrowbodies are going to do medium haul routes. For me, not just about the lie-flat seat (although that's important) - its the overall space available to pax. Aisles will be blocked (esp in economy) and no where just to stand and hang out on those long-ish flights; not enough storage for a medium haul so you'll probably be up and down getting stuff out of lockers.

Overall, this is just a fail from all angles.

A narrowbody on a medium to long haul route - ie. BNE-MNL / CGK in the future etc, that's the first mistake.

I feel sorry for those who had an A330 scheduled on their BNE-MNL flight, only to find out it's been downgraded to a narrowbody.

I also felt short changed having a B738 for DPS-MEL, whereas SYD has an A332.

You've then got the incorrect / horrible orientation of these lay flat seats and then you've mentioned that passengers will have nowhere to go to stretch / have a short walk etc.

Not only that, but also limited catering options due to a smaller galley etc.

I understand that for airlines it's all about reducing costs, lining the wallets of executives etc, but it's you and I - the consumer who gets screwed and suffers. Essentially paying more for less.

These Herringbones on the A321 look horrific! I always loathed Air NZ for this stupid coffin seat design and now Qantas comes 20 years later just to install similar rubbish on their new planes!

I’m someone who LOVES looking out of the window so I absolutely hate locked 787 windows and seats pointing away from the window which guaranteed leave me with neck pain when I get off the flight.

Total fail from Qantas if you ask me! And no, that stupid flimsy door will not help, if anything it will make it feel like a coffin even further!

100% agreed!!

 

[jrfsp]

I think even the staggered 2-1 layout that TAP and EI went with would have preferable to the herringbone particularly if these will be used on more leisure focused routes

 

[MEL_Traveller]

BNE-MNL is an hour longer than BNE-PER? Not sure how many people ‘need’ to stretch and hang out. People manage in a 737, and with a flat bed any available time would be spent trying to maximise sleep?

Not ideal for herringbone, but better than a recliner. and folk are free to fly PR i guess. The bed length is the important thing here.

I think even the staggered 2-1 layout that TAP and EI went with would have preferable to the herringbone particularly if these will be used on more leisure focused routes

Maybe, but then folk would have complained you had to climb over a neighbour and the -quite small - footwell for the throne seats.

 

[stm1sydney]

I think even the staggered 2-1 layout that TAP and EI went with would have preferable to the herringbone particularly if these will be used on more leisure focused routes

Yeah, I think that is a good point - they will be leisure routes so business class will be mostly boomer couples. The coffins are terrible and don't lend themselves to pairs of travellers. I quite like the SQ 737M business class seats 2-1-2 (couple, throne, couple) on each side - spacious and comfortable and full-length lie-flat. Not much privacy though.

 

[Princess Fiona]

I’m hoping that’s just an AA crew thing? Other airlines with herringbone don’t seem to have the same issue, or if they do, you can continue to use the IFE just move it as a when service occurs.

Oh you can move it but it’s totally impractical. The crew will serve you.

 

[RooFlyer]

I always loathed Air NZ for this stupid coffin seat design and now Qantas comes 20 years later just to install similar rubbish on their new planes!

I think CX had coffins too, for a while?

From OMaaT, linked above:

Herringbone seats were among the first flat bed seats we saw a couple of decades ago, so why are they making a comeback? The reality is that a herringbone configuration is more efficient than a reverse herringbone configuration, and on narrow body planes, space really comes at a premium, in order for the economics to work. So as narrow body planes increasingly fly longer distances, we’re seeing a return of these less spacious seats.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I think CX had coffins too, for a while?

From OMaaT, linked above:

Indeed CX had them. For quite a while. They were not too bad, much better than the VS/NZ model.

On the upper deck of the 747 the bed was flush with the window: with your head directly facing the window you could flip over on your tummy, prop a pillow under you chin, and watch the world pass by below!

 

[Princess Fiona]

Apparently the QF Seat is not quite the same as the AA one (Collins)
It’s similar to Jet Blue (Thompson Vantage Solo)

Thompson

So a bit more shoulder space, storage room, sturdier table. Maybe not anywhere near as awful as AA.
Our friend at Onemileatatime much more complimentary about the Jet Blue seat.
But I am still not a fan of herringbone seats.

 

[QfHrGr]

With these coffin seats (bad omen), one will also have to do an about turn on entering the coffin space to sit.
Might have to fling out the 'bad' in the seating by doing a swift half pirouette instead, arms fully stretched.

 

[elanshin]

Im surprised by nost peoples reactions here. I think we're going to have to see exactly QF's execution here. There are some reviews out there that ranks JetBlue's Mint suite as among the top J suites (widebody included) especially their row 1 (in the top 10).

Also looking at how the reverse herringbone is setup on narrow body, I'm not sure if I'd actually like it more given how angled it is compared to widebodies. You're a lot further from the window and your head will be right by the aisle. I suspect with the right setup, this setup is probably more space than reverse herringbone as well.

 

[SYD]

Indeed CX had them. For quite a while. They were not too bad, much better than the VS/NZ model.

On the upper deck of the 747 the bed was flush with the window: with your head directly facing the window you could flip over on your tummy, prop a pillow under you chin, and watch the world pass by below!

They were pretty awful on the A330s. Literally like lying in a coffin, 6ft under due to the higher privacy walls!

https://runwaygirlnetwork.com/2023/07/coffin-class-new-inward-facing-herringbone/

 

[SYD]

Actually, having had a chance to look at the renderings in detail. These seats look far superior to the “coffin class” of old. More side bench space etc. I guess we’ll see in time how they actually fly.

https://www.executivetraveller.com/news/qantas-a321xlr-business-class-suites