Qantas to Remove First Class

[Stuart Trevena]

HI all,

Qantas are set to remove First Class on 9 of their B747-400.

Article from the Melbourne Herald Sun

Work to boost Qantas seat capacity to begin in August
By Steve Creedy From: The Australian June 09, 2011 8:01AM


WORK to boost the number of seats in Qantas Boeing 747 and Airbus A380 aircraft and make them more profitable will begin in August and be split between Australia and The Philippines.

The airline said that the work to change the cabins on nine Boeing 747-400s had been awarded to Qantas Engineering's Avalon facility after a competitive tender process involving Australian and overseas companies, The Australian reported.

It said the work, along with regular maintenance of its Boeing 747 fleet, would help secure jobs for the Avalon plant's 600 employees and was expected to take a year to complete after it started in August.

The current cabins, including the galleys, will be stripped from the aircraft and replaced with new fittings, entertainment system and seats.

First-class cabins will be removed and the jumbos will be fitted with A380 seats in all cabins, including the fully lie-flat business seats, and their older-style and problem-prone entertainment systems will be replaced by a new Panasonic system.

The changes will add 57 seats in a three-class configuration - 58 in business, 36 in premium economy and 270 in economy - and are part of a push by Qantas to boost productivity and increase the return on capital for its international operations.

Stuart

[Jack B]

Announced a while ago now. Didn't know they were changing galleys though. The 744s may need an additional cabin crew member because of the increase in pax

[Brad Myer]

Hi all,

VH-OJS/OJT/OJU which will be the 3x RR B744s to be upgraded will also be fitted with the B744ER style overhead bins and cabin panels to match the other 6x ERs being upgraded.

All 9 aircraft will also get new galleys and toilets.

Cheers