Talking about a revolution

Qantas’ 787 and new premium economy come with ultra-longhaul rethink

When Qantas takes delivery of its Boeing 787, the airline is also planning for a step-change in the way that it flies ultra-longhaul missions. A new route in Perth-London, a new international transit hub in Perth, direct aisle access in Kangaroo Route business class, a new premium economy seat, and its narrowest ever economy seat will combine with a partnership with the University of Sydney to truly rethink how to make some of the world’s longest flights work for passengers.

But for many passengers, the seat is the most important part of the equation, and with more variety in the onboard offering than ever before, setting expectations for passenger experience is complex, particularly when introducing a new seat product. Airline CEOs and marketing executives love to call everything they pick “revolutionary”, when in fact almost everything about the way we fly can be seen as an evolution of what came before.