Qantas Airways Premium Economy and Qantas Economy Class class seat reviews

QANTAS ECONOMY CLASS SEAT REVIEW - AIRBUS A380

Date :   21 April 2013

Review by : S Howard (UK)

This was the worst economy class seat I have had the misfortune to be seated in. The legroom was less than the standard planes, if the person in front of you had their seat reclined you could not use your tray table and it really felt like your space was being invaded! I would have thought with the A380 you would have been given a little more room but this was certainly not the case. The staff were miserable, the service inefficient, food was disgusting. The only good thing was that I was only on the plane for 7 hours! I would not recommend the Qantas A380 plane of service - pay more get more!

QANTAS ECONOMY CLASS SEAT REVIEW - AIRBUS A380

Date :   21 April 2013

Review by : Michael Maley (Australia)

London to Sydney on QF2, an A380 service, I had seat 36F, an economy aisle seat on the Upper Deck. It turned out to be the worst seat I've encountered in over 20 years of long-haul flying. The problem was that there was a box-like structure containing who knows what mechanism immediately under the seat in front of me, which meant that I had leg room in the most literal sense - room for one leg! Fine for children or those missing a left leg, lousy for anyone else. (I might add that I had more leg room on my 40 minute connecting flight to Canberra in Economy on a 737-800 than for the 12+ hours flight from London to Singapore.) I put up with it during the London-Singapore leg, but mentioned my dissatisfaction to some crew members not long into the Singapore-Sydney leg. To their credit, they were extremely sympathetic and helpful, went looking for another seat, and moved me to 48A downstairs, an exit row, which was very much better.

QANTAS PREMIUM ECONOMY CLASS SEAT REVIEW - BOEING 747-400

Date :   21 April 2013

Review by : R Dillehay (USA)

I only travel Business or First on International flights, usually using miles. This was my third experience with an international airline's Premium Economy offering. I paid $$ for this flight and am very happy that I did. I found the 15 hour flight from DFW to BNE very good, the service was as good as I have had in QF Business. I was able to sleep, was looked after, fed and airplane was clean.

QANTAS PREMIUM ECONOMY CLASS SEAT REVIEW - AIRBUS A380

Date :   16 February 2013

Review by : Adrian Bowness (UK)

Food not great - settled for bread and cheese. My legs were cramped on the final leg (Singapore – Sydney) - knees pushed against seat in front, which meant I couldn't rest my head. Flight staff not pleasant on final leg. Chaotic flight staffing on first leg - it was like a mad house - people asking to be re-seated, insufficient overhead locker space (someone took up our luggage space before we boarded). Biggest problem - we did not sleep well. Can't blame Qantas but one chap sat next to me snored like a pig throughout the flight - I lost a full nights sleep - the stewards were aware but what could they do!! When table and TV screen in place, it was like sitting in a steel box. Need to look at an angle when looking at TV screen - screen pulls out from seat, rather than located directly in front. The worst part of the journey was the reclining seat in front. When fully reclined, it was impossible to use my tray, and virtually impossible for my wife to leave her central seat. All in all, an unpleasant experience when compared with Premium Economy with Air New Zealand.ked onto an A380 again unless I win the lottery and can go first class. (probably not going to happen?)

QANTAS ECONOMY CLASS SEAT REVIEW - AIRBUS A380

Date :   15 February 2013

Review by : A Dey (Australia)

LAX to Sydney. The economy A380 seats are a disgrace. The backs are thinner making every movement and touch from behind felt immediately. The seats recline beautifully - except the lovely recline means you are lying in someone's lap and someone is probably lying in your lap. This makes sitting up and reading impossible if the person in front of you goes to sleep before you do. The entertainment screen is also too close to see clearly as soon the seat in front of you is reclined. Lucky for me, the gentleman in front of me was asked to raise his seat back so I could eat. The seats themselves are barely wide enough to sit in. There is less leg room than any other flight I've been on in my life. To eat requires the capacity to keep one's arms glued to one's sides while wielding a fork and knife so one is not elbow jousting with the neighbor. The tray table is so small it barely fits the tiny food tray which is all of about 9 x 5 inches. The entertainment screen remote is tucked away in the arm between the seats so you have to ask the person next to you to move his arm to retrieve it. Then you have to slam the armrest lid down on the attached cord without breaking it. I just kept the remote out and hanging off the edge of my seat so I didn't have to bother that poor guy again. The armrests also do not raise all the way so if you are fortunate enough to have an empty seat next to you, you can't get rid of it and stretch out a bit more or rest your head against the next seat.I weigh 100 lbs/about 47 kg. I am thin and not tall. This seat was uncomfortable for me. Now imagine what it is like for any normal human. I will keep flying Qantas, but I will never be booked onto an A380 again unless I win the lottery and can go first class. (probably not going to happen?)

QANTAS ECONOMY CLASS SEAT REVIEW - AIRBUS A380

Date :   15 February 2013

Review by : M Bradley (UK)

Heathrow - Singapore - Brisbane. Seat number 69d was comfortable and plenty of room even though I'm 6'3". The room is a little limited if the person in front reclines as then you have to to use the ife but over all found the journey very good and I even got some sleep.

QANTAS PREMIUM ECONOMY CLASS SEAT REVIEW - AIRBUS A380 v1

Date :   23 January 2013

Review by : Dan Ross (UK)

Seat 38J and K in premium economy are an exit row seat and have no one behind you. However Qantas are changing the configuration of the A380 and these seats will be come part of a multi row economy cabin on the upper deck. Getting in and out of these seats is a doddle. The recline is great. and the seat comfy. My only disappointment was that the leg rest didn't extend far enough. I guess that's because if there was a seat in front of me it would have been in the way! If I have the money, I'd fly PE again, but Qantas doesn't seem to offer it on my route once the Emirates tie in comes into effect

QANTAS ECONOMY CLASS SEAT REVIEW - BOEING 747-400

Date :   23 January 2013

Review by : Dan Ross (UK)

60K on a 3-class 747 is a bulkhead. While the seat was as comfortable as the A380 I made the mistake of selecting the bulkhead. It is great as know one is in front of you, but there is no cut out for your feet. I know understand why people put their feet on the bulkhead. I wished I'd chosen a standard seat in the end! It's not cramped and if you're upright its fine, but if you recline and want to stretch your legs you can't . Trade off I guess between that and no one in front of you. Made it easy to get out from the window seat.

QANTAS ECONOMY CLASS SEAT REVIEW - AIRBUS A380

Date :   23 January 2013

Review by : Dan Ross (UK)

Standard Economy Seat on a full flight, and found it really comfortable. I flew Singapore Airlines a couple of years ago and found the seat didn't seem recline enough, but here it was great! I think the base slides forward which helped. I wasn't overly fussed with the net foot rest. I would prefer a bar instead. However I managed to sleep which really surprised me as I don't normally sleep in economy! I'd fly Qantas again, but their new tie up with Emirates means my route doesn't have any easy option anymore.

QANTAS ECONOMY CLASS SEAT REVIEW - A380

Date :   3 January 2013

Review by : M Eggleton (UK)

This review is for economy seat 48A which is an exit seat, if it were a normal seat it would be much lower score (London-Singapore-Melbourne). I think this is one of the best seats to get in economy. You are the last to board, and the first to get off. The seat is a window seat so you have the storage thing on the wall to your left to put things in, where as if you were 48B or 48C you would have no where. It has part of the door sticking out in front of your left leg, so if your over 6'0 you can't really stretch your leg out fully. I'm 6'4 and didn't have a problem with this as you can angle both legs to one side and not obstruct the person to your right, and it was intrusive either.. and the best thing is, this seat only cost $25 to book, compared to the $160-180 they charge for the other extra leg room seats/exit seats (including the two next to you). People say the seats are bad, and in August I said this myself, I felt they were too hard, but for some reason it was fine this time, almost like the cushions have been replaced, and I really enjoyed the ride. If flying on an A380 with 31" or less leg room like Qantas, you'll want to book a better seat, as passengers behind you have no room and can hardly see the TV's, quite ridiculous. The seats recline too much. I think a better foot rest would be better than 2" extra recline.

QANTAS ECONOMY CLASS SEAT REVIEW - A380

Date :   1 January 2013

Review by : Dominic Notley (New Zealand)

I was seated in seat 70G. row 70 is 3x3x3 and is the only row in economy that is like this. The leg rests are unusable, recline is good and the seat moves as well as the back to improve comfort Overall the seats were pretty good.

QANTAS ECONOMY CLASS SEAT REVIEW - BOEING 747-400

Date :   1 January 2013

Review by : R Balfour (New Zealand)

Excellent, comfortable seats. I actually slept the whole flight, which I have failed to do on other airlines.

QANTAS ECONOMY CLASS SEAT REVIEW - BOEING 747-400

Date :   3 December 2012

Review by : S Dodd (UK)

I've just completed 8 flights with Qantas and half of them including the B747 were like torture. I'm quite tall and can't afford to buy the extra-legroom seats. I joined their frequent flyer programme in the hope of getting aisle seats but that didn't work. These flights were the tightest for legroom of any of the very many airlines I've used. Knees hard up against the seat in front with no chance of any movement - even worse when the seat in front recliners. On an 8 or 13 hour flight it's hardly bearable. Will not fly with them again.

QANTAS ECONOMY CLASS SEAT REVIEW - A380

Date :   27 October 2011

Review by : M Bernard (Australia)

Flew LAX to SYD on A380 seat 56H aisle seat. Get to my seat and find that something is wrong with my earphone jack so only get sound in 1 ear. The armrest doesn't raise up completely so no one can lean on each other. The leg room itself was okay, but nothing fantastic. I'm 6'5 tall and no matter what it's never going to be great, I worked out how to move my legs to get maximum space. Flight attendants poor performance by fussing over pseudo celebrities on the flight and not caring much for anyone else. Will avoid Qantas if possible in the future. Disappointing experience.

QANTAS ECONOMY CLASS SEAT REVIEW - A380

Date :   23 October 2011

Review by : Wendy Harris (Australia)

Traveled with my husband and son on the A380 flying from SYD - LAX return using the A380 both ways flying economy. Very poor seats on the A380. They were hard and not comfortable at all. The seat width was the same width as the Virgin Australia domestic plane and the leg rest was almost impossible to use if the person in front of you reclined their seat. And once they do recline, you can't get your bag from off the floor and it's almost impossible to get out of your chair. It's almost as bad as flying the domestic Qantas planes.

QANTAS ECONOMY CLASS A380 SEAT REVIEW  - 20 September 2011 by Michael Kelly (Australia)

QANTAS promotes the A380 as their flagship, what a bitter disappointment, the service and food quality was good, economy class seating was cramped, cushioning comfortable and reasonably supportive, there was no additional room to store reading matter, Ipad or glasses. The entertainment system was excellent. Getting from the window seat to the aisle required the other 2 passengers to move from their seats, to be stuck in this situation for 12 hours is inhuman, the plane was fully occupied. In future I will become more selective in choosing the carrier who provides the best seat pitch on long haul flights.

QANTAS PREMIUM ECONOMY CLASS BOEING 747-400 SEAT REVIEW  - 29 July 2011 by Jonathan Blanks (UK)

Seat 35a, I'm tall, 6'3", and long-legged so it's vital I not only have enough legroom but that the seat supports me - I'm also reasonably skinny so can't take a hard seat. There are no exit seats on Qantas 747 Premium Economy, only regular seats, bulkhead seats and seats with back to bulkhead. 35a is the window seat second row in - I have to say the legroom is terrific, no risk of banging my knees - also I could fully stretch my legs under the seat in front, which I would not have been able to do with the bulkhead seat And the recline is very good, though I believe less so if your seat backs onto the bulkhead (row 37). Only downside is you share loos with Economy. Noise cancelling headphones are good but the AVOD system is looking dated - A380 is much better. Foot rest is useless for taller people - they would be better off having an additional bar to flip out under the seat in front. Seat width is more than adequate for me, being a narrow girth. It isn't business class - you have to pay alot more for that - but you do get treated more individually than in economy - and Premium Economy being a small cabin, it feels more individual - Qantas get a big thumbs up from me for the overall experience.

QANTAS ECONOMY CLASS BOEING 747-400 SEAT REVIEW  - 29 July 2011 by  Chris Capetanakis   (Australia)

Hong Kong to Melbourne with no TV unit at all. I was told nothing could be done about it. Nine hours of sitting in a seat with nothing to do. The attendants kept offering me drinks which I thought was odd especially after they advise to keep alcohol consumption to a minimum. What made it worse was that I paid extra for the seat I was in, a total waste of money.

QANTAS ECONOMY CLASS A330-200 SEAT REVIEW  - 4 June 2011 by  Jim Ash   (USA)

The seats are tight in Coach/Economy, although the added touches already on your seat when boarding were nice - blanket and pillow as well as headphones and a toothbrush. The Q- Snack care package given to passengers is a nice touch in case one gets a little hungry in between meals. My tv did not work and although there were a couple of open seats 21 rows back, I chose not to move seats, and before we landed at LAX, the First Attendant/Purser visited my seat and gave me some gifts and an apology for the inconvenience; I thought that was quite generous of him.

QANTAS PREMIUM ECONOMY CLASS A380 SEAT REVIEW  - 27 May 2011 by  David Jones   (UK)

Sydney to London on the A380, paid $20 extra to get an exit row seat in order to get extra leg room, (seat 66D) as I am over 6ft 2 tall. My main issue with the seats are that there was hardly any thickness to the bottom cushion of the seat, so this made for a numbing 23.5 hours, so much so that I was hardly able to sleep at all during the entire flight. I estimate that there was approximately only 2.5 inches of padding between the top to the mesh metal base of the seat. The B747 on the outgoing leg of the journey was a lot more bearable. Whoever gave these seats a Design Award must have had no sense feeling from the waist down or actually sat in them for a very short period of time. The only reason why I would recommend this seat would be for the extra leg room, apart from that it is a very uncomfortable experience.

QANTAS PREMIUM ECONOMY CLASS A380 SEAT REVIEW  - 11 May 2011 by  Helen Louden   (Australia)

Once the passenger in front reclined his seat fully it was in my face and I had difficulty getting up from my seat or moving let alone trying to collect my bag from under the front seat which was impossible. My husband moved to a free seat beside him which gave me 2 but as seats are concave and armrest does not push up fully out of the way was impossible for me to take advance of 2 seats on a 13hr night flight. The new A380 seating has me now looking to other airline options for long international flights.

QANTAS PREMIUM ECONOMY CLASS A380 SEAT REVIEW  - 18 April 2011 by  Alan Mackenzie   (Australia)

I fly to and from London from Melbourne about 10 times a year, and try to fly premium economy or business as much as I can. With the introduction of the A380 I expected Qantas to improve seating in both cabins. Unfortunately not. The Premium Economy seat is OK, but why would Qantas decide it should be at the back of the upper deck? There is very limited overhead storage, especially for people with full size roll on bags. Being at the back on the plane there is far more lateral movement, and it is very noticeable, so in comparison to the 747 Premium economy, I found myself less comfortable due to the bumping around, had to shunt by carry on luggage in a different location to where I was, and we were one of the later ones off the plane meaning a longer wait in the dreaded passport control. The food was pretty ordinary as well. I can never understand that these flights are always full, yet Qantas bleats about struggling to make ends meet, and keeps dropping the quality of services.

QANTAS ECONOMY CLASS SEAT REVIEW  - 15 August 2010 by  James Crocker   (Australia)

Seated in 80A from MEL-SIN, fantastic leg room as no seat in front of you and not an exit row so you do not have to pay for it. Family member was sitting in 80B and for economy seat this was pretty standard compared to other airlines, besides for the fact there is a net to place you feet in under the seat in front. This makes it feel you have more leg room and is pretty comfortable. When seats recline the whole seat moves with you including the bottom part, so this makes the seat seem to recline a bit more.

QANTAS ECONOMY CLASS SEAT REVIEW  - 18 July 2010 by  H Kang   (New Zealand)

I had my first opportunity to fly this A380 operated by Qantas from Sydney to Singapore (approx 9hrs flight). The legroom was not enough and width of the seat was ridiculous as well.

QANTAS ECONOMY CLASS SEAT REVIEW  - 1 February 2010 by  Dayne Weiss   (Australia)

BNE-HKG. Had row 23j/k to myself. Excellent legroom in the bulkhead although having the divider meant no stretching out. Seat width suffered due to the tray tables being in the armrest - PTV's were fold out type which I prefer to seat back.