Qantas' New A321XLR

[ChrisMars]

ET reports in its review of the first flight yesterday that the aircraft will have “a full-height partition wall and curtain” between business and economy from plane #4 onwards, with the first 3 to be retrofitted later (along with the addition of the extra loo).

Wondering if the logic of lack of separation is to better manage loo emergency situations by allowing, maybe on case by case, Y pax to use the J toilettes, on those 3 toilettes airplans.

 

[milehighclub]

Interesting that OMAAT article says the extra 3rd/4th toilet will be directly behind business - which would definitely be a full height partition.

It's definitely at the back with the other two

 

[SYD]

Interesting that OMAAT article says the extra 3rd/4th toilet will be directly behind business - which would definitely be a full height partition.

No, it just uses DLs neo config as an example.

Upthread, it’s mentioned the XLR option is somewhere mid whY cabin.

 

[moa999]

No, it just uses DLs neo config as an example.

Quoting from the article :

* In the coming months, the airline will start taking delivery of A321XLRs with an additional toilet right behind business class, which will come at the expense of a row of three economy seats

it’s mentioned the XLR option is somewhere mid whY cabin.

Yet

It's definitely at the back with the other two

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Albeit don't think other 321s have had a toilet that far forward. Behind the wing or right at the back have been seen.

In the OMAAT they give the example of Delta, with WC immediately behind business class at the front of the main cabin.

 

[Saab34]

I’m sure they can install another one when it goes in for its next cabin re fresh in 25 years time

 

[dairyfloss]

Interesting that OMAAT article says the extra 3rd/4th toilet will be directly behind business - which would definitely be a full height partition.

Albeit don't think other 321s have had a toilet that far forward. Behind the wing or right at the back have been seen.

Delta and JetBlue both have them forward of the wing, port side, behind [domestic] First seating

 

[SYD]

Quoting from the article :

I missed him specifically suggesting that.

Yet

It’s up thread, but they need to remove a few rows of seats (so that’s not going to be at the rear).

Some airlines have a quirky integrated loo / jump seat - which doesn’t help if the FA is taking a break!

 

[ednnf]

Looks like currently qantas isn't charging row 17 & 18 for extra legroom. And row 35 is displayed 3 toilets config.

 

[anat0l]

View attachment 472179

First new Qantas Airbus jets come with one toilet for every 90 economy passengers – worse than Jetstar, Scoot and Ryanair

Full service carrier says it will add additional toilets to its first three new Airbus 321XLR models – but they will be in service for three years beforehand

www.theguardian.com

The Facebook post by The Guardian had an interesting set of headline pictures:




Now there's a few ways to look at this.

First of all, the three carriers they mention are all LCCs but, more specifically, have Y only cabins. There's no restriction if anyone on those airlines wants to use the front toilet (and yes I am well aware of the potential irony that QF will actually enforce the front toilet as J only). Of course, the optics is that an LCC takes better care of their cabins wrt toilets compared to a legacy carrier a la QF; even the ratio of 90 per toilet seems rather staggering (years ago, when QF reconfigured their A380s, we on AFF were stunned that QF would go to a 50 per toilet ratio in Y).

I realistically wonder what was anyone thinking when they settled on 2 toilets to service 180 Y pax. Now of course you're all saying, "revenue, simples". That's like saying QF would get rid of seatbelts and/or go to standing room only in Y if it were given the chance, but for some reason (notwithstanding basic safety and CASA rules) they aren't (or aren't yet), so it seems there's some element of human decency or whatever you want to call it in the decision making.

Second, The Guardian ironically didn't mention BA. Of course, when BA have set aside enough rows for Club, the ratio is still in their favour compared to the fixed configuration of QF (assuming that BA also police their front toilet to be used by Club only). But all in all, no one really wants to be winning this kind of p***ing contest.

 

[RooFlyer]

Looks like currently qantas isn't charging row 17 & 18 for extra legroom. And row 35 is displayed 3 toilets config.

How does that work? They've put the seat map from 3 years hence, hoping that people won't notice the stingy 2 config that they are going to be on?

Poor Qantas. On the days where they should be in the limelight of a new aircraft/era, the tight-coughd Joyce era comes back to bite 'em. But as the current management is largely the old management, could be said it serves them right.

 

[moa999]

They've put the seat map from 3 years hence

You mean a few months.
Future VH-OGE has already been spotted under construction.

https://aviation.flights/aib/A320/12762

 

[Mattg]

It's definitely at the back with the other two

That's a shame. When you're sitting towards the front of economy on an A321, and there's a trolley blocking the aisle for an extended period, it makes accessing the toilets difficult when the only option is to walk to the back of the plane.

This is something I really noticed flying trans-Atlantic in an A321 earlier this year.

Long-Haul Economy Class on an A321: How Bad Could It Be?

TAP Air Portugal flies its narrow-body Airbus A321neo LR on long-haul trans-Atlantic routes including Lisbon-Montreal. We review the Economy Class experience.

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

 

[levelnine]

Has anyone had a positive experience on a long-haul narrow body aircraft?

I keep seeing reviews of Iberia's A321XLR long-haul routes and they uniformly complain about the many compromises that have to be made compared to a wide body (eg this business class one & this economy class one).

 

[FlyingKangaroo]

Has anyone had a positive experience on a long-haul narrow body aircraft?

The most positive experience I have seen and can discern is that it opens up routes that otherwise wouldn't be served nonstop. Better a narrow-body nonstop than nothing at all.

Where it replaces wide-bodies, no.

 

[Daver6]

Delta and JetBlue both have them forward of the wing, port side, behind [domestic] First seating

View attachment 472215View attachment 472216

What's good about this config is it easily opens up a second toilet for J pax to use as well.

The Facebook post by The Guardian had an interesting set of headline pictures:
View attachment 472217
View attachment 472218
View attachment 472219

Now there's a few ways to look at this.

First of all, the three carriers they mention are all LCCs but, more specifically, have Y only cabins. There's no restriction if anyone on those airlines wants to use the front toilet (and yes I am well aware of the potential irony that QF will actually enforce the front toilet as J only). Of course, the optics is that an LCC takes better care of their cabins wrt toilets compared to a legacy carrier a la QF; even the ratio of 90 per toilet seems rather staggering (years ago, when QF reconfigured their A380s, we on AFF were stunned that QF would go to a 50 per toilet ratio in Y).

I realistically wonder what was anyone thinking when they settled on 2 toilets to service 180 Y pax. Now of course you're all saying, "revenue, simples". That's like saying QF would get rid of seatbelts and/or go to standing room only in Y if it were given the chance, but for some reason (notwithstanding basic safety and CASA rules) they aren't (or aren't yet), so it seems there's some element of human decency or whatever you want to call it in the decision making.

Second, The Guardian ironically didn't mention BA. Of course, when BA have set aside enough rows for Club, the ratio is still in their favour compared to the fixed configuration of QF (assuming that BA also police their front toilet to be used by Club only). But all in all, no one really wants to be winning this kind of p***ing contest.

Well you're unlikely to win a p***ing contest as you'll be standing in a long line holding on with your full bladder

 

[RooFlyer]

You mean a few months.

Month, years, or whatever, the question remains. Why do they have a seat map of an aircraft not in service (and so far, tail-less) on the booking site? A stuff-up, I'd guess, but you have to imagine quite a few stuff ups to have it eventually on the booking web site.

 

[downgraded]

Delta and JetBlue both have them forward of the wing, port side, behind [domestic] First seating

View attachment 472215View attachment 472216

All those extra legroom seats at the front of Y... If only QF had stronger competition.

 

[kookaburra75]

Has anyone had a positive experience on a long-haul narrow body aircraft?

I suppose it depends on your expectations. In the 70s on a couple of occasions (we were kids then so even free lemonade was a thrill), and into the 80s, long-haul narrow body was the only choice, complete with smoking sections. It was just what we had. Fly once on an Il-62 and everything else is 'luxury'.