Follow me on Twitter at @MacgregorWrites and Instagram at @sandragetssidetracked. It features some of the comforts of business class, like more room and better food, and I would highly recommend it for intrepid travelers making one of the world’s most prolonged long-haul flights. The seat on the … I can’t remember the last time I felt that way after seated so long in any other economy class product! Home; Media Releases; Roo Tales; Qantas Responds; Speeches; Gallery; Media Enquiries. More than anything else, its really crazy to think that the seat that I had on this flight was likely the equivalent of a business class seat on that other flight so long ago. The lesson here is to be sure you book and pick your seat as early as possible so you can avoid the last row of seats with impeded reclines. But you know what I mean. A CRJ-200?… Um… Wow… I couldn’t imagine the refuel stops….. Or where the flight would of ended after the passengers rioted…. There are 28 seats in a 2-3-2 layout, so there remains … … - - [Tom] This is premium economy in a 2-3-2 configuration on the 787-9. Based in Australia, Aaron is soon to be embarking … There were also 2 USB ports per seat, which was incredibly handy, as well as lots of storage space for items of varying sizes so you can keep plenty of items close at hand. Though I will admit to being somewhat befuddled (as were my seat mates) by the massive and cumbersome seatbelt that seem better suited for a ride at the fair than an airplane. Yeah, the Air Transat A330-300 economy class cabin was really cool, but in a different way. As much as I hate to admit it, I’m anxious to try it again – but in a non-bulkhead row just to see how things compare. All Rights Reserved, This is a BETA experience. It cost 55,000 Alaska miles, which I considered to be a fair price for a product as good as QANTAS premium economy. Although the term seems to have a negative connotation but truth be told, it is far more superior than Cathay’s premium economy. 03. Duration: 14 hours 42 minutes As always, the beats are courtesy of Epidemic Sound (which I highly recommend to any YouTuber in need of music for their own videos). This trip down to Sydney (via Melbourne) was an award ticket obtained through the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. Reclining the Qantas Premium Economy Seat with pillow attached . The perfect seat for a 15 hour flight actually. On Singapore Airlines in a mixed class of economy ex Perth on an A350 or 787 and premium economy … Yes, the food is still served on a single tray just as it is in normal economy class cabins all over the world, but the difference here in premium economy is the fact that they use actual dishware. The Dreamliner is also said to have 65% bigger windows to create an airier atmosphere and larger sense of space. © 2021 Forbes Media LLC. Indulge in multi-course meals designed by a renowned Australian chef, premier Australian … I’m going to answer that question by stating that it’s unlikely that I will ever purchase a standard economy class seat for a long international flight ever again. Hmmm. My work has appeared in a variety of publications like the New York Times, the UK Telegraph, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe and the Toronto Star. San Francisco, CA (SFO) – Melbourne, VIC (MEL) The knowledgeable flight attendant was even able to make an informed recommendation about a wine selection for my meal (a glass of lovely 'Morrison's Gift' by Margaret River winery Hay Shed Hill). The new seats are not much better than a Coach seat, with restricted leg room, less available recline, and … It was definitely worth it in my opinion. There was lots of overhead storage and no one had to fight for a place to put their carry on (an all too common occurrence in economy for some airlines). Those measurements are among some of the best in premium economy. The Qantas Dreamliner 787 Premium Economy Cabin The seats are in a 2-3-2 configuration, with a 38-inch pitch (source: Traveller.com.au ), which basically measures the distance between a point on one … Random comment, but QF does have three options for meals in Y, similar to this menu with a salad and generally two hot mains. There are 28 seats in a 2-3-2 … On second thought, let me rephrase that. The problem is that this wasn’t the first time that I’ve ever flown QF, so it’s no surprise that it kind of feels like I’ve done this before. It was continuously stocked with wines and snacks for customers to help themselves whenever the mood would strike and gave passengers an opportunity to chat with other passengers and flight attendants. Aaron Hilsz-Lothian. And as far as I’m concerned, any economy class seat that I can sleep in is totally worth it and I’ll happily do it again and again. I’m a Canadian writer and editor who specializes in travel, food and wine. For a Sydney to Los Angeles Premium return trip in mid-November, a Qantas premium fare starts from $4340, Air New Zealand from $2294 and Virgin Australia from $4337. And quite frankly, I didn’t care if it was going to be crappy economy class sleep…I was so drained that any kind of position I could get myself into where I could drift off for a few minutes would have felt like heaven. Keep in mind that these QANTAS premium economy seats are not lie flat, but they do recline more than a standard economy seat does. Let’s face it. Qantas has unveiled the final seats for its new Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes with a new premium economy design. Air New Zealand lounge Sydney Recently, I flew Qantas’ premium economy from London, England to Perth, Australia. QANTAS 787-9 premium economy San Francisco to Melbourne Vietnam Airlines A321 business class Singapore to Ho Chi Minh City While comfortable, the consensus among our members is that the Premium Economy … Boasting a seat 10 per cent wider and with a greater recline than the … Recently, I flew Qantas’ premium economy from London, England to Perth, Australia. The seat also came with a large, comfy, 100% wool blanket, noise-cancelling headphones (that actually worked well) and a cute Napoleon Perdis amenity kit, which included an eye mask, a dental kit, lip balm and socks. It is a lot more comfortable than the 747 that’s for sure. Let me explain. Thanks Chris! Unfortunately, I was stuck in the last seat before economy (23B) which meant that my seat reclined against a wall and thus I did not enjoy the full reported 9.5 inch recline. I thought another very nice, quite charming touch, was that the staff introduced themselves to each of the passengers in premium economy and referred to us by your last name—these Qantas people really do their homework! Continuing Qantas’ theme of trying to build hype around the plane and trickle out all the details, Qantas has now revealed the details of their 787 premium economy … The Qantas Premium Economy pillow case, designed to attach to your headrest . Spoiler alert: there was no Vegemite on the menu, and no real-life kangaroos were spotted at any point during the flight. Bigger, more comfortable seating thanks to better seat pitch, width and recline. As fate would have it, it turned out that this flight to Australia was also delayed three hours, which gave me a grand total of 6 hours to mope around the airport with nothing to do. I personally found the materials and textures used in these premium economy seats to be really sharp. Accordingly, Qantas 787 Business Class and Premium Economy are two high flying dreams come true. Seat: 20A (premium economy). It’s nice that they offer 3 meal choices in economy even if it’s not as substantial as what is served in Premium Economy. An adjustable footrest with netting for extra support adds to the quality of the extra legroom. Upon sitting you’ll also find your menu (which listed dinner and breakfast, as well as snacks) waiting for you, so you’ll have plenty of time to mull over your food and wine choices. The 236-seat plane is equipped with “state-of-the-art technology to reduce turbulence, improve noise quality and reduced aircraft vibrations for a smoother flight.” It’s also reputed to burn approximately 20% less fuel than traditional aircraft its size. Anyway, for a lack of a better term, I would like to describe Qantas’ premium economy class as ‘business minus’. Non-bulkhead rows (row 21-23) measured 38 inches of pitch, while the bulkhead row 20 … It isn’t going to be that exciting. Oops. Yes, I have had enough of airlines bragging about their Boeing 787, I’ll take the 777 the next time I travel, no questions asked. And you’re darn right that I made sure to get an early enough flight to protect myself against any unforeseen delays. I’m a Canadian writer and editor who specializes in travel, food and wine. This QANTAS 787 experience proved to me that premium economy is so good that its going to make me not to worry so much when I can’t find a business class seat for a decent price on a big international trip in the future. Yup, that’s right! The entertainment screen was large and easy to use with a good selection of movies and entertainment. The problem with terminal A is that there are very few electrical outlets to charge your devices, and the food is crazy expensive. 06. On this night flight we were also … QF50 Qantas Dreamliner Premium Economy Class. Sorry you got a middle seat. The presentation and quantity in PY is much better, however, and there’s no appetiser in Y as it’s just the larger main along with bread and dessert. Especially since SFO to Australia is nearly 15 hours in the air. It’s a shame, as the hard product looks solid. I think the fact that I didn’t do any research before this flight is what made it so impressive to me. Absolutely. It’s certainly a good deal if you can score it for that low of a cost. Qantas’ 787 Premium Economy seat is a brand new design which has been advertised as “revolutionary”. The Business Suites and Premium Economy seats featured on the Dreamliner will also be installed on the airline’s Airbus A380 … Qantas Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner Premium Economy. Walking down the jet bridge to the plane, all I could think about was sleep. Aside from that inconvenience, I did enjoy the 38 inch seat pitch and the 22.8 inch seat width—definitely an appreciable difference from economy, where seats have only a 32 inch seat pitch, 17.2 inch and 6 inch recline. Worse yet, there is no air side access to any other terminal here at the airport, so it was kind of like being in airport jail. Qantas’ premium economy is a nice size, with only 28 premium economy seats in a 2-3-2 configuration—and in premium we even got our very own dedicated flight attendants. Aircraft: 787-9 Qantas touts its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner premium economy seat as 'revolutionary' and a world champion in the better-than-economy stakes. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. The flight was on their 787 Dreamliner, which, according to the company’s website, is one of the most … I’ll be completely honest and say that I didn’t get a good look at the standard economy class meals on this flight, but based on pictures that I’ve seen from other reviews, QANTAS premium economy meals are far more substantial and are of higher quality then what you would get in the butt end of the airplane. I’m not even sure how I should start this one. Search Bar. Isn’t there another Australian airline with a red and white color scheme? QANTAS BOEING 787-9 DREAMLINER PREMIUM ECONOMY … Qantas Boeing 787 premium economy seat specs There are 28 seats in the Qantas Dreamliner’s premium economy cabin, arranged in four rows of 2-3-2 and sandwiched between the business class and economy sections. No kangaroos spotted! Qantas is known for its customer service and it did not disappoint, especially in premium economy. There's only four rows. Skip to content. Qantas has today revealed the Premium Economy seat that will furnish its all-new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners upon delivery in October. ... Qantas to place Boeing 787 on Sydney – San Francisco route. 08. Qantas premium economy: pre-takeoff … The flight was on their 787 Dreamliner, which, according to the company’s website, is one of the most advanced aircraft for long-haul flights. The extra bit of food is nice as well. And yeah – I realize everybody has a different definition of what “affordable” is, but for me, is long as it sits somewhere reasonably priced between the cost of basic bare-bones economy and business class, I’m good with that. Wednesday, January 30, 2019 The aircraft will feature 28 of the new seats, fitted in 4 rows in a 2-3-2 layout between business and economy. SANspotter.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn commissions by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. First or business class would certainly help, but failing those luxurious options, Qantas’ premium economy is a nice step in the right direction in making a marathon flight downright livable—and even occasionally enjoyable (yes, really). View the onboard seat map for the Qantas Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft.! ), jet-lag inducing, body-benumbing flight fun. Skip navigation. Vietnam Airlines A350-900 business class Ho Chi Minh City to Seoul Boarding started shortly after 10 PM, and by that point I was both physically and mentally exhausted. Additionally, though I don’t usually think much of airplane food, my meal of braised beef with potato mash was warm and tasty. 07. Row 20 is the best, as long as you don’t get stuck sitting there with a family traveling with an infant (they have priority to sit there since that’s where the bassinets are). See any kangaroos? Sometime between then and now, they changed the planes on me and ended up being in the 3rd row instead of the bulkhead row in the 747. My recent Delta A350 premium economy flight from Seoul to Detroit (trip report coming soon), was award ticket that I obtained for just 33,000 measly Sky Miles. Premium economy guests get to take advantage of priority boarding, which is a nice way to kick-start a long flight. Thai Airways 747-400 business class (upper deck) Sydney to Bangkok Today Qantas has unveiled the seat and some aspects of the premium economy cabin design. Updated: Qantas Dreamliner Premium Economy … No, I don’t mean all pointy and prickly – I mean super stylish in a “omg I want these seats at home” kind of way. Not only is the QANTAS premium economy seat a huge step up from the standard economy seat, you also get extra perks such as noise canceling headphones, full size blanket and pillows, and enhanced menus. And then, there’s the presentation. Qantas has introduced an all-new premium economy seat for the 787 and increased the number of seats available for this popular class. Sorry. It should also be noted that it’s possible to score some really good deals using points and miles for premium economy seats. It looks like row 20 is the best premium economy seats, the three back rows does not appear to have any legroom, did you speak to anyone in those rows and if they had any comments. 01. I prefer the 747 as well (for the history/novelty), but it was neat to give the 787 a try. The Premium Economy seating on the Qantas 787 is a huge step down from their retiring 747 fleet. There are overhead lockers above all of these. What I mean is that once this travel blogging thing starts paying enough to elevate me out of poverty, then I’ll I have no problem paying for premium economy. Upgrade your web browser for an enhanced experience. But there was no way in hell that I was going to miss the flight to OZ! Hi Ramon – yes, you are correct. Haha… Anyway, I ended up switching to a window seat after takeoff (20A) so the middle seat didn’t last long. I wish that was standard across the board with all the other airlines! I tried my best to keep busy writing blog posts and editing photos, but all I’m gonna say is that being stuck for six hours in terminal A at SFO is an unfortunate situation to be in. There are more storage areas, a seat-back mood light designed to … I shot over 15 GB of video for this flight, which is just stupid in the grand scheme of things. As far as comparing this premium economy experience to my basic economy experience to Australia many (many) years ago, the difference ended up being much bigger than I thought it would be. However, before they launch that new route, Qantas will first operate the 787 between Melbourne and Los Angeles as of December 2017. Qantas promised premium economy passengers “a class leading experience and a revolutionary new seat” when unveiling its new Boeing 787-9, but the seat is barely evolutionary in function and pitched 3-4” below key competitors Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand. You may opt-out by. Without hesitation, I can say yes – absolutely, the food in premium economy is far better than what you would get in the standard economy product. Honestly I think one of the primary reasons why I enjoyed this experience so much was because of the fact that I was in a bulkhead seat. Mind. The blog post in my opinion unfairly paints the Premium Economy seats on the Qantas 787 Dreamliner’s in a bad light and I wanted to share my experience traveling in the seats while countering some of the claims made by the author. I shoved the pillow at my feet until I noticed that most of the other passengers (clearly experienced Qantas Prem Econ fliers) were dutifully attaching it to the headrest. These little touches may not seem like much, but they are certainly not something you’d experience in economy and go far to make a mammoth flight much more “human” and personable. Registration: VH-ZNA For a return flight on November 14 ex Perth and returning on November 28 the fare in premium economy on Qantas is $6,311. Every seat has been designed to offer the ultimate comfort for long-haul flyers. As a matter fact, I believe these to be a deluxe version of the same seats that are in the Hawaiian Airlines A321neo’s right now. (Fare online Sept 15). Premium economy seats on the Qantas 787-9 Dreamliner are arranged in four rows of 2-3-2 seating. Just knowing that premium economy is available (and viable) is a very relieving sensation actually – and I really like the direction that airlines are taking the concept of an enhanced economy product. Until then, I’ll be schlepping it out in regular economy dreaming of being a premium economy flyer (someday). News Room. There's much to like about Qantas' new premium … The Qantas Premium Economy space is an intimate affair with only four rows in a 2:3:2 configuration for 28 seats. Argentina (English) ... 28 Premium Economy and 166 Economy seats. You had the bulkhead, but many gripes to be heard down here in Oz about the lack of seat pitch on the 787, especially compared to the A380. Of course, it’s only viable if they can keep the cost down and affordable to the masses, and I really hope that we don’t see a gradual increase in price as the airlines start to realize that many people are willing to pay for such an upgrade in comfort. I reserved my seats to Australia in January. Anyway, premium economy easily pays for itself in terms of comfort and overall well-being on flights over 12 hours in my opinion (such as LAX or SFO to Australia). On the Qantas Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, such perks are just the beginning of its premium economy service. QANTAS 787-9 premium economy review San Francisco to Melbourne, QANTAS 737-800 first class Melbourne to Sydney, Thai Airways 747-400 business class (upper deck) Sydney to Bangkok, Thai Airways A350-900 business class Bangkok to Singapore, Vietnam Airlines A321 business class Singapore to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Airlines A350-900 business class Ho Chi Minh City to Seoul, Delta Air Lines A350-900 premium economy Seoul to Detroit, Trip Report: British Airways Club Europe (business class) Stockholm to London, Trip Report: Virgin America first class San Diego to San Francisco, Trip Report: United Express (Skywest) economy class Los Angeles to San Diego. Shot over 15 GB of video for this flight is what made it so much easier sit... Hours in the economy class cabin ) was an Award ticket obtained through the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan one! Been designed to offer the ultimate comfort for long-haul flyers seat are nothing revolutionary and a... 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