Qantas has revealed details of the Premium Economy seat the will be installed in its Boeing 787 aircraft that start arriving later in the year. The Economy and Business seats were unveiled late last year, but Qantas made us wait for Premium Economy.
Features
The press release offers the following information on the Premium Economy seat:
- A separate cabin of 28 seats, configured in a two-three-two layout to improve aisle access for middle passengers.
- A seat that is almost 10 per cent wider than Qantas’ existing Premium Economy (and as wide as Business Class on other airlines) as well as increased recline.
- An ergonomically designed headrest that can be fitted with a specially designed pillow and a re-engineered footrest that significantly increases comfort when reclining.
- High-definition Panasonic inflight entertainment seatback screens that are 25 per cent larger.
- Five individual storage compartments and two USB charging points per seat, as well as shared AC power and a personal LED light designed to minimise disturbance of other passengers.
Some of the harder statistics on the seat:
- Seat Pitch: 38 inches
- Seat Width: 20.5 inches
- Seat Recline: 9 inches
- Backrest Height: 47 inches
In comparison to the Premium Economy seating installed in the A380, the seat pitch remains the same. The new seat is slightly wider, offering an extra inch over the equivalent in the A380.
The entertainment system features a 13.3 inch screen installed into the seat in front.
Qantas claim the seat offers a wow factor. From the photographs that have been supplied, it is a little difficult to see anything more than an evolution of the Premium Economy seat. They do, however, look comfortable, as far as Premium Economy goes.
Having said that, things do look like they may get squeazy when the seats are reclined. Given the 787 is intended for long haul flying, they can be expected to be reclined for length portions of the flight.
The proof will come when we get an opportunity to actually sit in the seats. While they do look better than the Economy seat, they don’t look as revolutionary as Qantas have been making them out to be.