The Ultimate Qantas Business Class Seat Guide

A great Business Class seat can make all the difference between an uncomfortable and a restful flight!

Across the airline’s long-haul and short-haul fleets, there are ten different types of Qantas and QantasLink Business Class seats. Some are lie-flat suites, while others are just recliner seats. Naturally, some Qantas Business seats are better than others.

In some cases, there are also variations between the seats found on different aircraft belonging to the same fleet type. For example, there are two types of Qantas A330-200 Business Class seats with subtle differences. There are also two different types of Qantas Airbus A380 Business Class seats, although Qantas is now mostly flying A380s with refurbished cabin interiors.

Here are all of the Qantas Business Class seats, ranked from best to worst…

Qantas Airbus A380 Business Class seats

On most Qantas A380 aircraft, Business Class passengers enjoy modern lie-flat suites in a 1-2-1 configuration. These seats are similar to those found on the Boeing 787-9.

Each seat has access to a personal in-flight entertainment system. Although Qantas does not yet offer Wi-Fi on its A380s, this will be installed in the future.

The bulkhead rows (11 and 16) offer more room for your feet when sleeping. If you’re travelling solo, look for a window seat in a row where the seat is directly beside a window (this is every second row, due to the staggered configuration) for more privacy.

Another benefit of flying Business on the Qantas A380 is access to the onboard lounge, located in front of row 11 on the upper deck.

There is still one Qantas A380 in service (VH-OQL) that has not yet been refurbished with new Business Class seats. This aircraft is mainly being used on the Sydney-Hong Kong route at the moment, but also appears occasionally on flights to and from Los Angeles.

The un-refurbished A380s still feature the older Business Class SkyBeds with a 2-2-2 layout. These are lie-flat but often a bit “droopy” when fully reclined.

Qantas Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner Business Class seats

The modern Business suites on Qantas’ Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners are similar to the seats found on the new version of the A380. Each of the 42 Business class seats converts to a comfortable fully-flat bed.

With a 1-2-1 seat configuration, every passenger has direct aisle access. Like the A380, there is seatback in-flight entertainment but no Wi-Fi yet.

For privacy, the best seats for solo travellers are 1A, 1K, 3A, 3K, 5A, 5K, 7A, 7K, 11A and 12K as these are directly by the window. The seats in row 1 also have a larger footwell.

Some travellers say that they find the Dreamliner cabin slightly claustrophobic for long flights, compared to the A380. The Qantas Dreamliner seats may not quite be “mini First class” but most people find them modern and comfortable.

Qantas Airbus A330-300 Business Class seats

Qantas’ Airbus A330-300s have similar cloth-covered “Business Suite” seats to the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, laid out in a 1-2-1 configuration. The main difference is that the cabin is slightly narrower and the privacy divider between the two middle “E” and “F” seats cannot be lowered.

Once again, each seat has direct aisle access. Wi-Fi is not yet available on this aircraft, but is coming soon.

Due to the staggered configuration, the best seats for solo travellers are the more private “A” and “K” seats directly beside a window, which can be found in rows 2, 4 and 6.

Qantas A330-300 flights operated by Finnair

If you’re flying from Sydney to Singapore on QF291/292, or Sydney-Bangkok on QF295/296, you’ll be on a Finnair aircraft. This plane is operated by Finnair crew on behalf of Qantas under a “wet lease” arrangement.

Although you’ll still receive Qantas service on board (including Qantas catering, amenity kits and bedding), the plane is fitted with Finnair’s excellent Business Class AirLounge seats.

For more details, see our review of Finnair A330 Business Class with Qantas service from Sydney to Bangkok.

Qantas Airbus A330-200 Business Class seats

There are two versions of the Qantas A330-200. This includes 8 internationally-configured aircraft with the same Business Suites as found on the A330-300.

The other A330-200s are configured for short-haul flights. They have lie-flat Business Suites covered in leather, instead of cloth, and Wi-Fi is available while flying over Australia.

On seat maps, you can tell whether a Qantas A330-200 has the international configuration because the seat 5K does not exist. (An extra toilet has been installed there instead, meaning there are only 27 total seats in the Business cabin on the long-haul version compared to 28 seats on the short-haul version.)

Qantas’ domestic-configured A330-200s are used mostly on selected domestic flights, especially to/from Perth, and some short-haul international routes. On both configurations, the best seats for solo travellers are 2A, 2K, 4A or 4K.

Some travellers prefer the privacy of the mini-cabin in the last two rows of Business class (behind the exit doors), but beware that this is directly in front of the Economy Class bassinet seats where babies are often seated.

Read our Qantas A330 international Business Class review here.

Qantas Boeing 737-800 Business Class seats

The narrow-body Qantas Boeing 737-800 has just three rows of Business class recliner seats in a 2-2 layout.

These Qantas Business Class seats are perfectly fine for short domestic hops. But you may prefer to avoid this aircraft if possible for longer domestic flights and international journeys – particularly overnight flights. The Qantas 737 Business cabin is also less private as there is no curtain separating Business and Economy and some cabin crew don’t make an effort to prevent Economy passengers entering the Business cabin.

The leather seats are wide and you’ll have a reasonable amount of legroom, but passengers on the window seat of rows 2 or 3 cannot get out without disturbing their neighbour. Some passengers like row 1 as there is nobody to recline into you and you’ll be served first, but there is limited legroom due to the bulkhead in front.

Around half of the Qantas Boeing 737-800 fleet offers seatback in-flight entertainment screens. On other aircraft, you can access Q-Streaming content to your own device via the Qantas Entertainment App. Most Qantas Boeing 737-800s have free wifi available on domestic flights.

QantasLink Airbus A220-300 Business Class seats

Qantas’ newest Business Class product can be found on its brand new Airbus A220-300s, which enter service on 1 March 2024.

There are 10 comfortable leather Business Class recliner seats on the A220 in a 2-2 layout. There are no seat-back entertainment screens, but there is free high-speed Wi-Fi on board and you can stream entertainment content to your own device.

Seats 1A and 1C have slightly more legroom than the other seats, due to the position of the wall in front.

QantasLink (Alliance Airlines) Embraer E190 Business Class seats

Alliance Airlines operates Embraer E190 jets on behalf of QantasLink with 9 or 10 Business Class seats in a 1-2 configuration.

The leather Business seats are comfortable, offering around 38 inches of seat pitch. The best seats are in the front row (1A, 2C and 2D) as there is more legroom and for solo travellers, it’s hard to look past the solo “A” window seats with direct aisle access.

QantasLink is rolling out streaming entertainment on Alliance-operated E190s, but there is no wifi or power outlets available.

Read our QantasLink E190 Business Class review here.

QantasLink Boeing 717 Business Class seats

The two-class QantasLink Boeing 717 also has 3 rows of Business seats in a 2-2 layout. The recliner seats are a little narrower than on the Boeing 737, and there is an annoying under-seat box that takes up some of the legroom if you’re in a window seat in the second or third row.

QantasLink has reinstalled streaming in-flight entertainment on its Boeing 717 aircraft. Content can be viewed on your own device through the Qantas Entertainment app. There are no power outlets or wifi.

The best seats are 1A and 1C, which have extra legroom and are served first. Note that seats 1A and 1C have around 10cm more legroom than 1D and 1F, which are also behind a bulkhead.

These seats are comfortable enough for short domestic flights, especially if you’re in row 1. Thankfully, these aircraft don’t typically appear on longer routes.

Read our QantasLink 717 Business Class review here.

Future seats in the works

Qantas currently has two other new aircraft types on order: The Airbus A321XLR and Airbus A350-1000.

Qantas has already revealed the Business Class seat design for its Airbus A350-1000s, which will be delivered from late 2025. These will be lie-flat beds with sliding doors in a staggered 1-2-1 layout, and the planes will have wi-fi.

The A321XLRs will feature reclining Business Class seats in a 2-2 layout, although Qantas has not yet revealed the exact design at the time of writing.

Qantas Business Class meals & service

Want to know what’s on the menu at the moment? AFF has just the discussion thread for you!

Check out our Qantas Domestic & International Business Class meals/menus thread to see what AFF members have been served recently in Qantas Business Class.

Summary of Qantas Business Class seat types

This table summarises the different features of Qantas Business Class seats on each aircraft type:

Matt Graham

The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to more than 100 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course!
Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. His interests include aviation, economics & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine.

You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.