First Qantas A220 revealed

[henrus]

I havnt tried but going off that review which said the padding is less than the current 737 seat.

I’ve sat in both seats and yes I agree there is a little less padding but overall not a huge difference.

 

[encryptededdy]

Assuming the exact same seat pitch, I would assume the thickness of the padding is a tradeoff vs. legroom. If that's the case, then this is probably the correct choice for a short haul aircraft.

 

[RooFlyer]

I would assume the thickness of the padding is a tradeoff vs. legroom.

You mean the airline's thinking was:
We've given 'em legroom, so we are within our rights to take away some padding and save weight/fuel. Bloody SLF can't expect comfortable legs AND a comfortable seat !

 

[henrus]

Assuming the exact same seat pitch, I would assume the thickness of the padding is a tradeoff vs. legroom. If that's the case, then this is probably the correct choice for a short haul aircraft.

Seat pitch is the same. Width is actually 0.8 inches more on the A220 then the 737.

If QF really was trying to reduce cost/weight they wouldn’t have fitted it with things like device holders, in seat power/usb etc.

Arguably the seat is more premium then the 737 however as an aircraft I prefer the ride on the 737 (larger so less turbulence), this combined with the fact that the a220 wifi is temperamental on its first day (which is kind of understandable but also kind of not acceptable given the number of flights operated prior to passenger launch).

The aisle on the A220 feels wider then the 737 as well but I’m not sure if that’s just me.

 

[QF_Flyer]

Jayden Wong's video has a shot of the cabin divider as seen from Row 4. He also mentions that there's airbag seatbelts in row 4, unlike the 737 (although I could swear some QF 737s do have airbag seatbelts in row 4...)

View attachment 373275

But did he mention the amazing coat hook? That's what I want to know.

 

[QF_Flyer]

Seat pitch is the same. Width is actually 0.8 inches more on the A220 then the 737.

If QF really was trying to reduce cost/weight they wouldn’t have fitted it with things like device holders, in seat power/usb etc.

Arguably the seat is more premium then the 737 however as an aircraft I prefer the ride on the 737 (larger so less turbulence), this combined with the fact that the a220 wifi is temperamental on its first day (which is kind of understandable but also kind of not acceptable given the number of flights operated prior to passenger launch).

The aisle on the A220 feels wider then the 737 as well but I’m not sure if that’s just me.

Agree the wifi was very temperamental on the inaugural, that said I got 10mbps or so download speed. It was more maintaining a connection that was an issue, but I assume everyone was doing the same thing!

 

[RichardMEL]

But did he mention the amazing coat hook? That's what I want to know.

He does love coat hooks for sure

He's even influenced others - a sure sign of success!

 

[RichardMEL]

OK I flew on both the 220's today (VH-X4A and VH-X4B) and have a few thoughts/opinions on the J cabin for anyone that care

I sat in 1A and then 2A. In that respect, the bulkhead limits legroom and it feels a little tighter than row 1 on the 737, while row 2 of course one can stretch under the seat in front. My preference would be for row 2 or 3(on the right only) for that reason. Bin space is a little better for row 1 than on many of the 737's, but there's still some equipment in a smaller bin over 1AC.

Seat: I'd say it's not quite as comfy as the 717 J seat it replaces, but is absolutely fine for a few hours of flight. If QF puts this aircraft on say 4+ hour sectors, it might get a bit challenging, but personally I had no real problems with it (but only on short sectors).

Tray table is sturdy and the inbuilt device holder is pretty neat. No cup/glass holder spot though which I found interesting.

The inter-seat table is smaller than on the 737, but has a higher "lip" to it which is possibly a little more helpful during turbulence (and the 220 seems to suffer a little more than the 737 from this in some situations).

Power: I'm perplexed at why there isn't universal AC power in J (when Y has it in every row). Perhaps a space issue, or I'm not sure, but seems odd. However the 60W USB-C makes up for this to some degree - specially with more modern laptops and other devices which support charging direct via USB-C then it may not be so much of an issue. Of course there's also USB-A though this is an ever disappearing standard as time moves forward and just about everyone (some dragged kicking and screaming) have moved to USB-C.

Wireless Charging: Up thread someone asked about this if it was fast charging. I'm going to say no. Further, I found this next to useless for me sadly (I tried on both flights). My S24+ which yes is new, and a hog, did fit snugly in the charging area, and it registered the wireless charge.. but basically that gave my phone at least bugger all. Now, I do have a (not too thick plastic) backing case on my phone, but that does not get in the way of my wireless charger at home, so not too sure what to think. Perhaps with smaller phones this might be better and more useful, but sadly this was not good for me. Plugging into the 60W USB-C of course gave me juice. So Jury out on that one. The placement of the charging pad in the armrest is pretty handy and ensures a device won't fall out while charging, which is good.

WiFI: For me at least worked consistently as on a 737 with no dropouts. Speed of around 10Mbps which isn't too bad imo - certainly enough for say youtube or some other streaming.

Something that did surprise me a bit is that the 220 in J was a little bit noisier (around 70-75Db) vs down the back of the 717 a few rows from the rear mounted engines (which was around 70). It's not major, but did surprise me just a tad. It's still a pretty quiet aircraft though (the engine spool up is pretty neat thought ).

I didn't go to the lav so can't comment on that.

The thing takes off like a rocket - not quite a 717 but still it can go. As noted above it could be a bit prone to turbulence though we were flying at a lower altitude (as most MEL-CBR do), perhaps flying higher on a longer sector it may be a bit better - though I think others have noted thi also. It's not bad by any means, just think a 737 would be more stable in similar conditions.

All in all pretty good flights. Crews were fine. Still spruiking the new aircraft and how much better it will be than the 717 and all that. Pretty standard QF short hop experiences - with that slight new plane smell thrown in.

 

[QF_Flyer]

OK I flew on both the 220's today (VH-X4A and VH-X4B) and have a few thoughts/opinions on the J cabin for anyone that care

I sat in 1A and then 2A. In that respect, the bulkhead limits legroom and it feels a little tighter than row 1 on the 737, while row 2 of course one can stretch under the seat in front. My preference would be for row 2 or 3(on the right only) for that reason. Bin space is a little better for row 1 than on many of the 737's, but there's still some equipment in a smaller bin over 1AC.

Seat: I'd say it's not quite as comfy as the 717 J seat it replaces, but is absolutely fine for a few hours of flight. If QF puts this aircraft on say 4+ hour sectors, it might get a bit challenging, but personally I had no real problems with it (but only on short sectors).

Tray table is sturdy and the inbuilt device holder is pretty neat. No cup/glass holder spot though which I found interesting.

The inter-seat table is smaller than on the 737, but has a higher "lip" to it which is possibly a little more helpful during turbulence (and the 220 seems to suffer a little more than the 737 from this in some situations).

Power: I'm perplexed at why there isn't universal AC power in J (when Y has it in every row). Perhaps a space issue, or I'm not sure, but seems odd. However the 60W USB-C makes up for this to some degree - specially with more modern laptops and other devices which support charging direct via USB-C then it may not be so much of an issue. Of course there's also USB-A though this is an ever disappearing standard as time moves forward and just about everyone (some dragged kicking and screaming) have moved to USB-C.

Wireless Charging: Up thread someone asked about this if it was fast charging. I'm going to say no. Further, I found this next to useless for me sadly (I tried on both flights). My S24+ which yes is new, and a hog, did fit snugly in the charging area, and it registered the wireless charge.. but basically that gave my phone at least bugger all. Now, I do have a (not too thick plastic) backing case on my phone, but that does not get in the way of my wireless charger at home, so not too sure what to think. Perhaps with smaller phones this might be better and more useful, but sadly this was not good for me. Plugging into the 60W USB-C of course gave me juice. So Jury out on that one. The placement of the charging pad in the armrest is pretty handy and ensures a device won't fall out while charging, which is good.

WiFI: For me at least worked consistently as on a 737 with no dropouts. Speed of around 10Mbps which isn't too bad imo - certainly enough for say youtube or some other streaming.

Something that did surprise me a bit is that the 220 in J was a little bit noisier (around 70-75Db) vs down the back of the 717 a few rows from the rear mounted engines (which was around 70). It's not major, but did surprise me just a tad. It's still a pretty quiet aircraft though (the engine spool up is pretty neat thought ).

I didn't go to the lav so can't comment on that.

The thing takes off like a rocket - not quite a 717 but still it can go. As noted above it could be a bit prone to turbulence though we were flying at a lower altitude (as most MEL-CBR do), perhaps flying higher on a longer sector it may be a bit better - though I think others have noted thi also. It's not bad by any means, just think a 737 would be more stable in similar conditions.

All in all pretty good flights. Crews were fine. Still spruiking the new aircraft and how much better it will be than the 717 and all that. Pretty standard QF short hop experiences - with that slight new plane smell thrown in.

Good summary and I pretty much agree with all of this. The guy next to me last week commented on wireless charging not working with the case on, I personally had no issues with a case less iPhone 15 Pro, but the Max might struggle to fit. Can’t comment on the charging speed on a 40 minute in air flight where I picked it up every five minutes, I hate wireless charging in general, the USB-C (two per seat in J, nonetheless) is much better imo.

I also quickly noticed the lack of a glass holder, when the turbulence made me possibly earned me the dubious honour of being the first make a mess of the A220 when my sparkling bottle slid off the table onto the floor (thankfully mostly empty).

I reserve judgement on longer flights - based on the seat and leg/foot rests, it may be tolerable as far afield as maybe Fiji or so (from the east coast obviously), but my back will be the judge of that if/when. I’m still all in on FJ’s A350 for that specific route (except a DSC prompted 737 two-segment booking, which I’m sure I’ll regret when the time comes).

 

[RichardMEL]

Oh i forgot about the foot rest. Did not bother with it on short flight!

Next flight I take on one I'll try my phone without the case to see if that's any better.

Good summary too @QF_Flyer

 

[encryptededdy]

Yeah, no AC power is a bit strange, but not a big deal. I just hope people don't break the USB ports by shoving in incorrect plugs.

Also I suppose if you're the type who's very paranoid about using public USB ports...

 

[MelbFlyer]

60W USB-C is great, you could charge a phone or a notebook from low to almost if not full over a 1.5-2hr flight.

Much better than the barely useful USB-A ports that most planes still have these days.

I always carry an AC adapter (25W) plus a 20,000mAh powerbank (30W) with me, so charging over inbuilt USB ports isn't too much of an issue.

 

[RooFlyer]

OK I flew on both the 220's today (VH-X4A and VH-X4B) and have a few thoughts/opinions on the J cabin for anyone that care

A very handy summary, thanks

 

[RichardMEL]

Oh, another minor observation I had about flights - both of them had two Captains (4 stripers) up front and one of them had what I will assume to be French-Canadian accent - leading me to postulate he is from Airbus(Bombardier) in Montreal - probably still doing training or line checks or whatever. Or maybe he's been living here for 15 years

Certainly unusual to have both tech crew as Captains - but makes sense for a new type into service I guess.

 

[DC3]

… one of them had what I will assume to be French-Canadian accent …

Merci

 

[RichardMEL]

Truly random, but I just realised that X4A, our green tailed friend, appears to have no AUS flag by the registration. X4B does as part of the regular livery.

i don't believe the flags of country of registry are strictly required on commercial aircraft, and I'm not ascribing any meaning for the lack of it. Just was looking at some pics I took and realised.

 

[SYD]

Truly random, but I just realised that X4A, our green tailed friend, appears to have no AUS flag by the registration. X4B does as part of the regular livery.

i don't believe the flags of country of registry are structly required on commercial aircraft, and I'm not ascribing any meaning for the lack of it. Just was looking at some pics I took and realised.

I suspect that was quite deliberate.

 

[DC3]

I suspect that was quite deliberate.

… as distinct from accidental

 

[Himeno]

The USB-C port confuses me.
I've never seen a cable that has a USB-C port on both ends.

 

[calmelb]

The USB-C port confuses me.
I've never seen a cable that has a USB-C port on both ends.

They are very common now. Most new phones include one plus they're available to buy anywhere. Even if you have an older iphone without usb c, you can get a usb c to lightning cable to charge your phone as well