Qantas new Premium Economy Seat (Source: Qantas)

New Qantas Premium Economy Seats to Debut in October 2017

New Qantas Premium Economy (Source: Qantas)
The New Qantas Premium Economy seats (Source: Qantas)

This morning Qantas revealed its next generation Premium Economy seat. Debuting on its fleet of Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners from October this year, the new Qantas Premium Economy cabin will feature a wider seat that has a unique recline motion and five individual storage compartments. The Qantas Dreamliner will seat 236 guests across Business, Premium Economy and Economy. The first of eight Dreamliners will be delivered in October this year with international services in December between Melbourne and Los Angeles. Flights between Perth and London will begin in March 2018.

New Qantas Premium Economy Seats (Source: Qantas)
New Qantas Premium Economy Seats (Source: Qantas)

The 38-inch pitch and 22.8-inch wide seat reclines more than the existing Premium Economy seat and shifts several sections to support your body. The seat is almost 10% wider than the airline’s existing Premium Economy and as wide as Business Class on some airlines.

The Premium Economy cabin is separated from other classes of travel. It will have 28 seats in a 2-3-2 layout. That’s a relief. At least it is not in a 2-4-2 configuration which we absolutely hate.

The headrest can be fitted with a specially designed pillow, and the footrest has been re-engineered.

25% larger Panasonic In-flight Entertainment Screen on board Qantas' new Premium Economy screens (Source: Qantas)
25% larger Panasonic In-flight Entertainment Screen on board Qantas’ new Premium Economy screens (Source: Qantas)

Guests can enjoy the in-flight entertainment with a 25% larger Panasonic in-flight entertainment seatback screen. Each seat comes with two USB charging point and shared AC power and a personal LED light that minimises disturbance to other guests.

Qantas 787 Premium Economy Seat
Qantas 787 Premium Economy Seat (Source: Qantas)

These new seats are based on a prototype by Thompson Aero Seating and have been heavily customised by Australian industrial designer David Caon. David Caon founded his studio in Sydney in 2009. He has worked in Milan and Paris alongside another Australian designer Marc Newson for clients such as Dom Pérignon, Samsonite and Qantas. His work with Qantas include the interiors of its Airbus A380 as well as the refurbishment of its Boeing 717s and Boeing 737s. He has also worked on the design of some Qantas International lounges including Hong Kong and Singapore.

Qantas first introduced Premium Economy in 2008 with its Airbus A380 aircraft. It was later rolled out onto the Boeing 747. It will assess updating existing Premium Economy cabins in-line with its fleet planning and product cycles.

Qantas 787 Premium Economy SeatQantas new Premium Economy Seat (Source: Qantas)New Qantas Premium Economy Seats (Source: Qantas)Qantas new Premium Economy (Source: Qantas)25% larger Panasonic In-flight Entertainment Screen on board Qantas' new Premium Economy screens (Source: Qantas)Watch Netflix, Foxtel or Listen to music on Spotify with Qantas Wi-Fi (Source: Qantas)Qantas Concierge (Source: Qantas)

Watch Netflix, Foxtel or Enjoy Spotify Music On Board

Watch Netflix, Foxtel or Listen to music on Spotify with Qantas Wi-Fi (Source: Qantas)
Watch Netflix, Foxtel or Listen to music on Spotify with Qantas Wi-Fi (Source: Qantas)

Earlier this month, Qantas also announced that customers on W-Fi enabled domestic flight can watch Foxtel, Netflix or listen to their favourite music on Spotify with speeds up to 10 ties faster than conventional in-flight Wi-Fi. This will happen late February when the service is switched on it first domestic aircraft. The rest of its fleet of domestic Boeing 737 and Airbus A330 aircraft will follow from mid-2017 onwards. It is in talks with suppliers to extend Wi-Fi services onto its international and regional (QantasLink) fleets to develop a product that can overcome a number of technical, performance and coverage challenges including options for Wi-Fi over large stretches of water.

Foxtel will offer three days free access to its Foxtel app every time you fly so you can stream live sports, news and TV shows. You don’t have to sign-up to a subscription to watch on board. Netflix will offer new customers access to the entire Netflix service as part of a 30-day free trial. Existing Netflix members just have to log in to continue watching at no extra charge. Spotify will also offer a 30 day free trial to its Premium music service that is free of ads.

Qantas Concierge Facebook Messenger Bot to Inspire you To Travel

Qantas Concierge (Source: Qantas)
Qantas Concierge (Source: Qantas)

Qantas launched its Facebook Messenger bot, Qantas Concierge earlier this month. This allows customers to receive faster responses and more relevant information through easily accessible channels. Customers can access sale information and destination inspiration in line with their interests be it beach destinations or amazing AirBnBs around the world.

Qantas’ new Artificial Intelligence backed service will become more user-friendly and effective over time as it learns from customer interactions and conversations.

Qantas plans to grow the chat bots capability throughout this year to offer a full suite of concierge services including operational notifications such as itineraries, flight and gate change updates and boarding passes. Qantas will be another support channel complementing its call centre and social media response teams.

 

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.