Qantas readies new premium economy ‘cradle seats’ with more legroom
The airline aims at the sweet spot for those 18-21 hour flights.
By David Flynn, March 2 2023
Executive Traveller exclusive
Following the launch of its Project Sunrise first class roomettes and business class pods, Qantas is turning its attention to the reveal of back of the (Air)bus, where 180 passenger will settle into new premium economy and economy seats for non-stop flights from Sydney and Melbourne to London, New York and Paris.
And for starters, they’ll be settling into new-design seats with extra legroom: expect 40” of pitch in premium economy (two inches more than on the Boeing 787) and a 33” pitch in economy (an additional inch over the 787).
The premium economy cabin of the ultra-long range Airbus A350s will see 40 seats nestled in front of a ‘wellbeing zone’ dedicated to “movement, stretching and rehydration” – in other words, a self-service refreshment bar plus a stretching area with guided exercises from a video screen.
The layout of the Qantas Airbus A350 jet.
Qantas designer David Caon says he’s “really excited” about the new premium economy and economy seats, adding “the same level of detail and work that goes into the first and businesses seats go into those seats.”
“There are more people sitting in those seats than in the seats at the front, so we attach a lot of importance to those seats.”
The Qantas A350's 'Wellness Zone'.
Executive Traveller understands Qantas has selected a “cradle seat” to help with sleeping on these globe-striding marathons – and while working on a platform from one of the major seat-makers, Caon says it’s been customised to put additional focus on passenger comfort.
“We've worked really, really hard on that, and we hope everybody is excited.”
That extra pitch could solve the biggest drawback of Qantas’ current premium economy, which Executive Traveller has repeatedly highlighted as a shortcoming for what’s otherwise a largely excellent seat.
Qantas' current (second-gen) premium economy seat.
As stated in our first review of the Qantas Boeing 787 premium economy seat in October 2017, “it’s hard to escape the conclusion that 38 inches simply isn't enough, and that at least 40 inches would be more appropriate – as this would deliver upwards of an extra two inches at the knees.”
“While Qantas’ designer David Caon has delivered what is in most other respects a superb premium economy seat, the design has been short-changed by the implementation.”
Qantas' current premium economy seat definitely deserves more legroom.
The ‘foot hammock’ of the current premium economy seat, created by Caon for the airline’s Boeing 787s, is also being upgraded.
“We know that the foot netting presents challenges,” he tells Executive Traveller.
Described by Qantas as “a re-engineered footrest”, this comprised a supportive calf-rest, fold-down footrest and a section of netting at the very bottom of the seat in front of you.
However in our experience, and that of many other travellers, this arrangement is overly-complicated to set up – especially every time you leave and return to the seat – which means many passengers appear to give up on using it to the fullest.
“We’ve developed something different down there…. what we’ve focused on is number one, ergonomics and number two, intuitive use,” Caon says.
“So I think we've got it right on this product.”
22 Feb 2022
Total posts 7
A cradle seat is a problem for those with long legs as all it does is slide the passenger forward, reducing footspace under the seat in front. Going from 38" to 40" isn't much of a solution to that, especially for super length flights.....
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
08 Dec 2014
Total posts 51
So buy a Business Class ticket then.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
26 May 2014
Total posts 465
I'm 2m tall and have flown Melbourne to Perth several times on the 787, both front row and other rows. In the front row its great, back behind there it is one of the most cramped experiences I have had on a flight. I would never book it long haul if I could not get a front row seat. I'm not sure an extra 2 inches fixes the problem for taller people.
10 Dec 2019
Total posts 14
I'm not worried about leg room. I'm more worried about seat width so that I'm not rubbing shoulders with some random dude.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
21 Jan 2014
Total posts 319
Me too, I am 6ft tall but can manage to find some way of making the legroom work whatever it is, but can’t do anything about the person next to me overflowing into my space, put up some sort of divider, I am sick of it.
22 Sep 2017
Total posts 64
Better to show the situation when the person in front reclines in front of you. Premium Economy should be suitable for using a laptop regardless of what they do. I'm not convinced it would be possible based on the amount of recline of the cradle in that illustration.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer - Chairmans Lounge
01 Sep 2011
Total posts 413
Many years ago British airways had a cradle seat for business. Goodness they were uncomfortable.
QF
01 Jul 2016
Total posts 4
Perhaps Qantas should look at the JAL Premium Economy seats....
The seats in Japan Airlines premium economy are some of the most spacious premium economy seats available. Seats have 42 inches of seat pitch, which is the distance from the back of your seat to the back of the seat in front of you.
That's compared with the de facto industry standard of 38 inches of pitch and at least 8 inches more than the already-generous 33 to 34 inches of pitch in Japan Airlines long-haul economy.
Even better, you don't have to worry about the seat in front of you reclining into your space: Japan Airlines premium economy seats slide forward, allowing the seatback to recline without encroaching into the space of the seat behind it.
So each passenger stays within their own space — and doesn't have to worry about the ethics of reclining their seat.
05 Feb 2020
Total posts 31
russh7 I agree, legroom is nice but when the person in front reclines and they are virtually laying in your lap its pure aggravation. How can you watch anything on the monitor when its right in front of your face or get out to the isle with the seats in front laid back.
QF
01 Jul 2016
Total posts 4
Perhaps Qantas should have a look at the JAL Premium Economy option...
The seats in Japan Airlines premium economy are some of the most spacious premium economy seats available. Seats have 42 inches of seat pitch, which is the distance from the back of your seat to the back of the seat in front of you.
That's compared with the de facto industry standard of 38 inches of pitch and at least 8 inches more than the already-generous 33 to 34 inches of pitch in Japan Airlines long-haul economy.
Even better, you don't have to worry about the seat in front of you reclining into your space: Japan Airlines premium economy seats slide forward, allowing the seatback to recline without encroaching into the space of the seat behind it.
So each passenger stays within their own space — and doesn't have to worry about the ethics of reclining their seat.
Japan Airlines premium economy seats also have a large adjustable headrest, large leg rest and adjustable footrest to make it even easier to relax when reclined.
Seats are arranged as 2-4-2 on Japan Airlines Boeing 777 aircraft and 2-3-2 in Japan Airlines 787 premium economy. Either way, couples traveling together have plenty of two-seat window-aisle seat pairs from which to choose.
05 May 2016
Total posts 634
Any word on whether there will be Bluetooth and USB-C at these seats like is planned for Business class?
24 Oct 2010
Total posts 2556
Hi mviy – no word at this stage but I would be very very surprised if the IFE system from tip to tail didn't include Bluetooth audio connectivity. As for USB-C in premium economy, it'd likely depend on the IFE system & hardware chosen but I reckon USB-C is a good bet too, especially as these seats won't be flying until 2025 and by that time USB-C will only have become even more prevalent than today.
17 Jan 2018
Total posts 7
The PE seats on JAL sound great in theory, but because they are sliding back seats I found them incredibly uncomfortable as all my weight went into the one spot and my partner found the same. I'm average height and partner tall. I think they would be great if you were on the shorter side We would never book this product for a long-haul flight ever again (noting that JAL is in most other aspects amazing - stick to economy or business for long-haul imho).
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
16 Jan 2018
Total posts 42
mmhhh, I wonder what is the article trying to say here. I am still searching the details of how the new re-engineered footrest is going to look like? Most of the comments here were complaints about the current foot net, but how is the new one supposed to be different?
The article only provides a few words description about it having calf rest and foot rest (honestly nothing revolutionary as CX PE has that ages ago and new AY PE has done that too since last year). The only unique Qantas feature is the 'foot net' and there are no details about how the new one is gonna be like. Or perhaps it is just me expecting it to be different but in reality it will be exactly the same? Oh well, not gonna lose sleep over it, I just feel I am missing some important details in this article.
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