Qantas suspends First class product on certain routes

[Phillippe M]

Qantas to charge fees for exit-row economy seats
The Daily Telegraph | May 26, 2009 12:01am

- Qantas introduces new fees
- Charging for reserving exit-row seats
- Move follows Vigin Blue

QANTAS will penalise the tall by charging passengers extra for reserving economy class exit-row seats on its international flights.

Passengers looking for more leg room will be charged an extra $160 on long-haul flights, and $80 per sector on short-haul flights to Asia and New Zealand.

The charge will net the airline more than $2500 each flight and will begin next month.

An airline spokesman said yesterday: "This will give customers greater choice and access to seats that offer more leg room."

The move follows similar charges employed by Virgin Blue across its domestic routes.

Introduction of the fee comes at the same time the airline begins forcing its uber wealthy travellers to "slum it" in business class on selected international flights.

Qantas will cut its first-class service from 42 weekly flights because of a drop in demand caused by the financial crisis.

First to be cut back will be its 747 flights between Sydney and San Francisco and Buenos Aires and the daily service from Melbourne to London.

The 14 first-class seats will be blended into business class.

http://www.news.com.au/travel/story/...014090,00.html

[Rhys Xanthis]

Err...Not sure what to think of this one really, as a pretty tall person...not sure i would want to pay $160...but I've never taken a 14 hour flight!

I certainly wouldn't pay $80 for a trans tasman flight.

[NickN]

QF really are doing everything they can to alienate their customers thats for sure.

[Sarah C]

I have mixed views on it - lets face it, most people want exit rows (particularly on international flights) so the demand is always there. However, the main people who seem to get them are your Platinum FF so that does rule out a lot of people (like tall people) who don't fly all that often.

It seems a little short sighted to me - they are looking at it in the short term and will probably make a nice profit but there will be a lot of annoyed FFer's. In saying that, other international carriers already do something similiar.

I think the reaction will be negative from FFer's and tall people but probably postive from other travellers.

[Ash W]

Legroom aside they are pretty crappy seats actually. I recently did LHR-SIN in premium Y on the A380 and had the exit row and it was shocking. Passengers and crew walking past all night to get to the toilet (even more annoying when two rows behind was the galley area where they could have got through easier.

Then BKK-LHR on a 747 in the economoy exit row. There you don't have people walking by, but a lot loiter for the toilets and the seats are not quite as comfortable, maybe as the tray and video are in the arm rests. And with the window seat you have to contend with the exit slide.

Overall I wouldn't pay for an exit row, but then again I am not a tall person either.

[Rhys Xanthis]

the seats are narrower too iirc, i just remembered.

seat width is just as important as pitch imo...the flying on the e190 was so comfortable.

[Rhys Xanthis]

Originally Posted by Andrew

Only if you're fat...

...and tall

[NickN]

I'm fat and tall.... 155kg and 6'4" so no matter what it'd be uncomfortable.

[Mike W]

Fleetbuzz Editorial on the subject along with the "A380 effect"

http://www.fleetbuzzeditorial.com/