When people fly first or even business class, they have significantly more room than those in economy. Their seats are larger. They have more storage space. Some airlines even offer access to in-flight amenities such as a shower or bar.
However if you’re in economy class, you generally don’t have those kinds of benefits. You’ll have your 17″ wide seat with 32″ of pitch, a walkway to the lavatory, and that’s about it. If you want to stretch your legs or get a change of scenery, you can walk up and down the aisle. You can even stop in the galley for a little bit, but that’s really the flight attendants’ domain, so it’s best not to linger.
Simply said, dealing with economy seats on a short haul flight is annoying but generally doable. But on a long haul flight, it can be pretty agonizing.
With that in mind, Qantas has announced they will offer the first communal lounge for economy-class passengers on longer flights. They’re calling it their “Wellbeing Zone” and it will be part of the new Qantas A350-1000 jet, which will take its inaugural flight in 2025.
The jet will operate on the airline’s ultra long-haul flights, lasting up to 22 hours, between Sydney and New York, and Sydney and London.
Qantas says the dedicated lounge space will feature an “onboard stretch and movement” area. This will include sculpted wall panels, integrated stretch handles, an on-screen guided exercise program and a station where passengers can pick up beverages (at their “hydration station”) and a variety of snacks.
The space will be placed between economy and premium economy classes.
According to Forbes, Qantas is making room for the lounge by reducing the jet’s passenger capacity. While airlines with similar planes squash in upwards of 300+ passengers, this jet will only carry 238 (140 economy seats, 40 premium economy seats, 52 Business Suites and 6 First Class Suites).
“Fewer seats translate to more space for each customer and a dedicated ‘wellbeing zone’ for travelers to stretch, help themselves to a snack, and spend time out of their seat,” Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said in a statement.
Each economy traveler will also have access to an OLED 13” TV screen, a foot net and convenient storage space within arms’ reach to store glasses and personal items. The team that designed the space spent extensive time testing ergonomics, lumbar support and breathability of the seat fabrics in the new Economy seat (which will have 33 inches of legroom).
“We have spent just as much time on the second half of the aircraft as we did the front, in fact we started studies on the Wellbeing Zone before any other area of the A350,” Mr. Joyce continued.
Those in first and business class will also have some upgrades to look forward to, as well.
The First Class Suites will be enclosed and designed to feel like a mini boutique hotel room. They’ll each include a 2 metre (79″; 6 feet, 7 inches) flat bed, dining table for two, separate recliner chair and a 32” 4k ultra-high definition touch screen TV.
The 52 Business Suites will feature sliding doors for additional privacy, lay flat bed, large dining table, bespoke lighting and 18” 4k ultra-high definition touch screen TV.
Every seat on the plane, from First to Economy, will feature multiple fast USB-C charging ports and every premium seat will also have integrated wireless charging.
The Qantas A350 fleet will also offer fast and free WiFi for all, as well as Bluetooth connectivity so passengers can connect their personal headsets to the individual inflight entertainment screen.
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1 comment
This makes me wonder whether Qantas will go with the Torqemada slimline seats in coach. If they do, there will be tons of people with backaches using the movement zone during the flight. 5 hours in a slimline seat frightens me; I can’t imagine four times that.