Qantas is to upsize its Sydney to Denpasar flights. As from March 31, the route will switch to an A330 service from the current 737 service. While Qantas have in the past offered the A330 on a seasonal basis, this time it looks to be a permanent change.
Not only a bigger aircraft, but the passenger experience will generally be better. This is true of both the Business and Economy cabins, although more so for Business. Overall, it brings the product offering into line with that offered by Garuda on the same route.
Business
For Business Class passengers it will be especially good news. Not only does it double the number of Business seats, but will offer a true international standard product (where the 737 is a more standard domestic product).
The number of Business seats available will Business Class will increase from 12 in the 737 up to 27 or more seats found on most A330 aircraft.
And the A330 features the lie-flat seating, allowing you a better sleeping experience. There are a couple of variations on the configuration, with one aircraft still sporting the original SkyBed product, so the exact product may vary day by day. Whatever the case, it is still a step up in comfort from the 737, so business travellers can expect to get a better rest on the overnight flight from Denpasar to Sydney.
Economy
The Economy cabin sees an crease from 162 seats to a maximum 243 seats, depending on the exact aircraft. There is less of a product difference than there was in Business. However, the wide body experience always seems better, to me at least.
Often when there has been a capacity increase, we see some redemption opportunities. While there is good availability in the Economy cabin, there Business cabin is currently offering pretty slim pickings. It is worth keeping an eye on this over the coming weeks.
