October 27, 2016 – Qantas has released some details about what it has planned for its flagship B787-9 Dreamliner, arriving in a year’s time. The cabin interiors have been designed by Australian industrial designer David Caon, as a progression of the Qantas aesthetic established by Marc Newson.
The aircraft will seat 236 passengers across business, premium economy and economy, with the premium economy cabin claimed to offer a “class leading experience” and a “revolutionary new seat”, which will be unveiled in early 2017.
The Business Suite meanwhile, is the next generation of the seat recently installed on Qantas’ Airbus A330 fleet. These suites are based on the Thompson Vantage XL platform, customized by famed designer, Marc Newson. The A330 seats already provide a high level of privacy, which will be made more flexible on the B787 with the ability to adjust the divider between each seat.
The suites – arranged 1-2-1 will also have a fully-flat bed and direct aisle access, as well as the ability to stay reclined during take-off and landing
Economy passengers will enjoy an all-new seat, with a 32in pitch – an inch more than on the national carrier’s A380s – and new features including a personal device holder and USB ports, more storage areas, a seat-back mood light, and a HD IFE display 5% larger than the airline’s current 10.6in displays. The seats, designed by David Caon, will also feature an updated version of the popular Qantas ‘footnet’ first introduced on the A380, designed to cradle the legs during sleep.
Unveiling the business and economy seats at an event in Sydney, Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said the interiors had been carefully designed with longer routes and changing passenger preferences in mind.
“We’re planning to make the most of the B787’s amazing range, so we’ve designed the cabin to give Qantas passengers a better experience on long-haul flights. Many of the cabin design elements reflect what our customers have told us. Personal storage rates really highly, so we’ve created extra space in economy for customers to store their personal devices and water bottles. We’re proud that our new economy seat includes features other carriers reserve for premium economy.
“We’re also redesigning the in-flight experience for the Dreamliner, from rethinking our menus to making better use of the self-service bars during different phases of flight,” added Joyce.
Further details on initial Qantas Dreamliner destinations will be revealed in coming months, with the first international flights going on sale before Christmas. The aircraft will gradually take over routes currently operated by the airline’s B747 fleet as well as adding new city pairs to the airline’s international network.
