Qantas’ first look at Project Sunrise cabins

The first-class suite was fully open to attendees, who were able to look around the enclosed space and test out the accommodations. Interestingly, unlike many first-class cabins, instead of a single seat that converts to a lie-flat bed, the seat itself and the bed are separate, meaning passengers can simply move from one to the other rather than needing flight attendants to change them.

There was also a display of two business-class suites, which, while naturally smaller than the first-class suite, did offer privacy doors – a first for Qantas planes.

While economy and premium economy seats were not physically on display, attendees had the opportunity to virtually explore the cabins with a VR display that cycled through each area of the plane, from first to business to premium to economy, as well as the “wellness zone”.

Both the economy and premium economy seats looked comfortable, Qantas billing each of them as its “most spacious yet”. The 2-4-2 premium economy seats have a 40” seat pitch and a winged privacy headrest, while the 3-3-3 economy seats could easily have passed for premium economy on most other planes with their 33” pitch and six-way adjustable headrest.

The “wellness zone”, meanwhile, did look like a decent space to walk around and get some exercise and refreshments. It remains to be seen how frequently passengers will use the area, which will feature self-serve snacks and beverages as well as “guided wellbeing content” and surfaces to facilitate stretching, but it seemed promising from the VR tour.

Project Sunrise is the code name for Qantas’s plan to fly non-stop from London and New York to the east coast of Australia using a new fleet of 12 specially-adapted A350-1000s.

Due in 2025, its launch will be one of the most significant moments in the airline’s history.

The airline says its premium economy cabin and the economy cabin would have the most generous seat pitches of any of its aircraft and “ergonomic leg and foot rest systems”. It even claimed its teams tested the “breathability of the seat fabrics” in the new economy seat, which will have 33 inches of legroom.

“Every seat across all four cabins will feature multiple fast USB-C charging ports, and every premium seat will also have integrated wireless charging,” said Qantas in June.

“The Qantas A350 fleet will connect customers more than any other with fast and free WiFi, and Bluetooth connectivity will feature across all cabins so customers can connect their personal headset to the individual inflight entertainment screen.”