QF A380 vs B787 Premium Economy

[KLH]

Hi and Happy Fathers Day to all you dads back home. I'd appreciate opinions on Qantas A380 vs B787 Premium Economy. I was about to book our LAX/SYD flights (QF12 on the A380) when the fare class jumped $1400. The cheaper alternative is LAX/BNE (QF16 on B787). We have flown PE on the A380 DFW/SYD before and it was very comfortable. I've read various reviews about the B787 PE rows being closer together and less room to move, hence our preference for the A380. Thoughts or experiences to share?

 

[sudoer]

Both use the same seat.

A380 PE has side storage bins if you can get a window seat - this makes the space quite a bit more comfortable, especially if you have wide shoulders. Also a better chance of a J upgrade given there are more than 2x the number of J seats and an F cabin (which those in J can upgrade to)

787 has inflight wifi and a slightly more comfortable cabin pressure & humidity.

 

[Forg]

Comparing the seat maps, the A380 arrangement looks slightly less “packed in” between other classes (which could be the source of comments saying the B787 “seats are narrower”) and the toilet arrangement a little better … although if you feel more jostled up the back of the bus, the B787 arrangement has you in the middle. Dunno if it might be noisier, being a bit further behind twice the number of engines … and IIRC the engines in the A380 are slightly noisier, if you notice that amount of noise difference?

 

[Aussie_flyer]

A380 definitely much better!

 

[elanshin]

I'd say the biggest difference right now until the 380 fleet has wifi is wifi. Otherwise give the edge very slightly to the 380s.

The other thing to keep in mind is that theres a much higher chance of the 380s to go tech and be delayed/cancelled than the 787s

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Hi and Happy Fathers Day to all you dads back home. I'd appreciate opinions on Qantas A380 vs B787 Premium Economy. I was about to book our LAX/SYD flights (QF12 on the A380) when the fare class jumped $1400. The cheaper alternative is LAX/BNE (QF16 on B787). We have flown PE on the A380 DFW/SYD before and it was very comfortable. I've read various reviews about the B787 PE rows being closer together and less room to move, hence our preference for the A380. Thoughts or experiences to share?

The seat pitch is exactly the same on the a380 and 787.

The 787 is more intimate, far fewer passengers.

The side bins on the a380 give more overall space if you are seated by the window.

The a380 is probably a bit more exclusive given you have half the upper deck just for you, with no economy pax passing during boarding.

That being said I wouldn’t be holding out or paying more for tbe a380 over the 787.

 

[esseeeayeenn]

I miss the old seatmap site.
According to seatmaps.com, the 787 seats are 1 inch wider at 20" versus 19" on the A380.
Qantas states both seats are 22.8"wide - no idea where the truth lies.
However seatmaps claims the a380 has better pitch, 39" to 42" versus 38"on the B787.
QF claims the two are both 38"
Again, no idea where the truth lies.
Recline is identical at 9"on both according to seatmaps, QF doesn't seem to specify.

 

[SJF211]

I miss the old seatmap site.
According to seatmaps.com, the 787 seats are 1 inch wider at 20" versus 19" on the A380.
Qantas states both seats are 22.8"wide - no idea where the truth lies.
However seatmaps claims the a380 has better pitch, 39" to 42" versus 38"on the B787.
QF claims the two are both 38"
Again, no idea where the truth lies.
Recline is identical at 9"on both according to seatmaps, QF doesn't seem to specify.

Whilst I have no idea if it’s correct or not this ET article from 2017 about the 787 says the seat cushion is 19.5 inches wide, which could be seen as 20” from the seat map. The hip width is 22.8” (this is presumably where QF gets their number from). Noting that the middle “E,” seat is wider at 20.5 inches and 23.3” respectively. For what it’s worth aerolopa reports them as having identical measurements.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I miss the old seatmap site.
According to seatmaps.com, the 787 seats are 1 inch wider at 20" versus 19" on the A380.
Qantas states both seats are 22.8"wide - no idea where the truth lies.
However seatmaps claims the a380 has better pitch, 39" to 42" versus 38"on the B787.
QF claims the two are both 38"
Again, no idea where the truth lies.
Recline is identical at 9"on both according to seatmaps, QF doesn't seem to specify.

I think seatmaps is fairly outdated?

The 38-42 inches I think was premium economy on the 747. And maybe the a380 when it was first introduced? (The latter is just a guess to try and be fair to seatmaps).

 

[Noah Count]

@KLH are you tied to QF or do you have other options. I spent many years as a QF P1 flyer and QF were always the fall back option when travelling with my family. I also act as the unofficial TA for family and friends, tomorrow my Mum and Dad are travelling (SYD) to the US with ANA in J, it was half the cost QF Y+ direct.

 

[KLH]

Both use the same seat.

A380 PE has side storage bins if you can get a window seat - this makes the space quite a bit more comfortable, especially if you have wide shoulders. Also a better chance of a J upgrade given there are more than 2x the number of J seats and an F cabin (which those in J can upgrade to)

787 has inflight wifi and a slightly more comfortable cabin pressure & humidity.

The storage bins are one of the reasons why I lean towards the A380. Most handy for storing stuff during flight.

 

[KLH]

I'd say the biggest difference right now until the 380 fleet has wifi is wifi. Otherwise give the edge very slightly to the 380s.

The other thing to keep in mind is that theres a much higher chance of the 380s to go tech and be delayed/cancelled than the 787s

Wifi isn't a deal breaker for us as there's usually something to watch on the inflight entertainment. We can also download shows/games onto our tablets that we can watch/play offline. Fortunately my company doesn't allow us to take work overseas so logging into work won't be an issue

 

[KLH]

Comparing the seat maps, the A380 arrangement looks slightly less “packed in” between other classes (which could be the source of comments saying the B787 “seats are narrower”) and the toilet arrangement a little better … although if you feel more jostled up the back of the bus, the B787 arrangement has you in the middle. Dunno if it might be noisier, being a bit further behind twice the number of engines … and IIRC the engines in the A380 are slightly noisier, if you notice that amount of noise difference?

Noise is probably a lower concern vs inflight comfort. My husband has a bad back which is why we opt for PE over economy on long haul flights. The last time we flew PE was back before QF upgraded the seat design, so this will be our first look at the 'cradle' design.

 

[KLH]

The seat pitch is exactly the same on the a380 and 787.

The 787 is more intimate, far fewer passengers.

The side bins on the a380 give more overall space if you are seated by the window.

The a380 is probably a bit more exclusive given you have half the upper deck just for you, with no economy pax passing during boarding.

That being said I wouldn’t be holding out or paying more for tbe a380 over the 787.

@KLH are you tied to QF or do you have other options. I spent many years as a QF P1 flyer and QF were always the fall back option when travelling with my family. I also act as the unofficial TA for family and friends, tomorrow my Mum and Dad are travelling (SYD) to the US with ANA in J, it was half the cost QF Y+ direct.

Good to know. QF has always been our primary since the 90s, and we have access to the Q Club lounges which are great for layovers. For sure they are definitely the most expensive option over other US carriers - wish they weren't but I think they have the monopoly for many Oz bound travellers. I've been doing some Google flight compares for prices and there are definitely cheaper options. My preference has been with One World carriers for the FF points.