Qantas centre seat back in business

[Benny Zheng]

Well finally some answers as to why EBO/P has 2-3-2 business class whereas EBM/N has 2-2-2. EBO/P also has the PTV built to the seat infront whereas as M/N are retractable.

[Gareth U]

The 127cm pitch referenced by The Australian is for the internationally-configured 1-2-2 763s. Business pitch is around 97cm (37-38") on domestic 763s. Nothing like comparing apples to oranges.

I think Qantas should have a dedicated mid-haul business hard product for Perth and Tasman (similar to the Dreamtime seats) and a more densely configured business product for short haul and secondary routes (CNS/DRW), such as SAA (2-3 fixed seating on narrowbodies).

[Andrew M]

I thought Steve Creedy was one of the better journalists in aviation, but his reference to incorrect details such as seat pitch and using Seat Guru as a reference have pretty much shattered my thoughts now.

[Kelvin R]

To be fair however, I thought the Int configured 763 and 332/ 333 had been deployed on SYD-PER runs, with the domestic 332 only recently taking over? I know I would prefer an international config plane over the domestic J experience, however as long as it isn't a 734. That is really short changing PAX on a SYD-PER or v.v. flight.

[Brad Myer]

Apparently QF are aware of the issues and complaints and are looking at "fixing" it.

The middle seats are only on the 2 newest domestic A332s, the other 2 domestic A332s are in 2-2-2 config with a wider seat and AVOD in the armrest.

Thanks

[Arthur Boy]

Maybe QF's 'awareness' has something to do with the oppositions upcoming product?

Just maybe.....

[Andrew P]

so some at DJ is leaking their future product to QF, better call in ASIO

[Mark B]

Originally Posted by Brad Myer

The middle seats are only on the 2 newest domestic A332s, the other 2 domestic A332s are in 2-2-2 config with a wider seat and AVOD in the armrest.

THe problem with AVOD in the armrest is that it does not allow gate to gate use of the IFE, which seems to be coming in now.

[Owen H]

Just out of interest, are these comments coming from anyone who has actually used the seat?

Or is this based on the one photo doing the rounds?

It is only my opinion, but the seat is very comfortable (far more so than the others), the IFE setup is far better and easier to use, and there is nothing wrong with the seat pitch at all. Comparing it to an international 767 seat pitch is rediculous. The seat is more than wide enough (the aisles seem a little narrower to accomodate).

At the end of the day, I'd rather have a seat that is comfortable for my domestic travel than one that looks great but gives you a sore back.

[Owen H]

Why is it not competitive? I don't understand. Not competitive with what? It is a huge improvement on the previous domestic A330 configuration.

You think a business is going to arrange all its business travel based on a photo of business class in a magazine?

Really? How about price and acceptable service for that price?

Personally, I think a comfortable seat that has been designed to save space, yet be nice to sit in (even for long periods) while having an easy to use IFE and adequate legroom is what people want. Sure, it'd be nice to have more. But this is a domestic product. It has to be practical, light, and allow an airline to make money while offering reasonable fares.

I also think you're being a bit premature. Why would you arrange a media fanfare and product launch when you've only got two aircraft so far configured, and the opposition hasn't revealed its product yet?

If the businesses are really upset by it, I'm sure Qantas will be the first to know.