Qantas has recently revealed a series of updates aimed at improving the passenger experience. The airline is preparing to debut new business class suites on its soon-to-arrive Boeing 787 deliveries and intends to retire its Airbus A380 fleet sooner than originally planned. Furthermore, Qantas has introduced the business class suites for its upcoming Airbus A321XLR deliveries, representing a significant advancement from the existing A321XLR offerings.
Qantas will operate 16 Airbus A321XLRs outfitted with flat bed suites. The airline has close to 50 A321XLRs on order, which is the longest-range variant of the A321, designed for “long and thin” routes. At first, Qantas will acquire these aircraft in a standard domestic layout, lacking seat back entertainment, to replace Boeing 737s on domestic and short-haul international routes.
Beginning in 2028, Qantas will roll out 16 A321XLRs featuring flat bed business class seats, seat back entertainment, and additional amenities, meeting customer demands for this aircraft type. The A321XLRs will be arranged with 16 business class seats in a 1-1 herringbone configuration, the initial narrow-body Qantas planes to offer flat beds. Each seat will come with a privacy door, a 19″ entertainment screen, wireless and USB-C charging, and storage for personal belongings. Passengers will also benefit from fast and complimentary Wi-Fi.
The new business class offering will utilize the Thompson Aero VantageSOLO seat, akin to those available on Iberia and JetBlue A321XLRs. It is yet to be determined if a “business class plus” product will be included in the first row.
Qantas aims to deploy these high-end A321XLRs on key domestic routes, such as between Perth and the East Coast, and for international growth. Possible routes encompass locations in Southeast Asia and India, providing new nonstop flights from cities like Adelaide, Brisbane, and Perth.
In summary, Qantas’ new A321XLR business class offering is anticipated to be competitive, with the primary question being which routes the aircraft will operate.