Qantas will soon be launching service with its new Airbus A350-1000ULRs, which will offer all-new seats across cabins. Given that these planes will be used to operate the world’s longest flights (from Sydney to London and New York), there’s obviously a big emphasis on comfort.
However, the more I look at the carrier’s new first class, the more I wonder if they kind of got it all wrong. I’m curious if I’m alone in feeling this way.
Qantas’ new A350 first class suite with seat & bed
Qantas will be introducing new first class suites on its Airbus A350-1000ULRs. The planes will have six first class suites, spread across two rows, in a 1-1-1 configuration. That’s of course an incredibly spacious layout, and should allow for an amazing product.
The airline has opted to give each passenger a little cabin, with both a flat bed and a separate seat. In theory, that’s of course a nice luxury to have, and we’ve known for years that these cabins were coming. However, the airline has increasingly released real pictures of mockups of the new seats (rather than just renderings), and I can’t help but think that the product might be lacking a bit on the comfort front.
Having a separate bed and seat sounds super cool, but the issue is that it comes at an opportunity cost. Based on looking at the mockup of Qantas’ new first class suite, am I the only one who thinks that both the seat and bed look super tight, especially with the high walls around them? Take a look at the pictures below…
Officially, this suite features a reclining seat that’s 22″ wide, a bed that’s 80″ long, and 57″ walls. It’s not clear to me how wide the bed is, especially when you consider the armrest between the bed and the seat, as it doesn’t look like there’s any way to move that, best I can tell? The bed basically looks as wide as one not particularly large pillow.
And before anyone attacks me for daring to suggest a first class doesn’t look amazing, let me of course add that I’m sure it’ll be extremely comfortable compared to any other cabin. But ultimately first class is very competitive, airlines keep one-upping themselves, and I’m not sure if this product represents a step forward.
This new first class suite seems like the worst of both worlds?
Qantas’ new Airbus A350s will operate the world’s longest flights, so when travelers are booking 18-21 hour nonstop journeys, getting good sleep is of course a priority.
I understand the theoretical appeal of having a first class suite with a separate seat and bed. The issue is that airlines are only willing to dedicate so much real estate to each first class suite, and this just strikes me as not actually focusing on the right things.
That first class seat looks quite narrow, especially with the wall right next to it. Meanwhile the bed’s width is what I find to be most concerning.
Of course Qantas isn’t the first airline to pursue a concept like this. For example, while Etihad’s A380 first class is mighty impressive, the bed isn’t actually that comfortable. It’s wild to me to dedicate so much space to each passenger, only to have a bed that’s average comfort, at best.
A similar thing is true in Singapore Airlines’ A380 Suites. The first class suites are absolutely huge, but then there’s only a fairly small bed that folds out of the wall.
Personally, I think Japan Airlines’ A350 first class is a much better utilization of space, and it’s a pretty direct comparison, given that it’s on the same plane type, also with a 1-1-1 configuration.
Even though Air France’s 777 first class has a combination of a bed and a seat, it’s ultimately a more spacious product, since the bed and seat are across from one another.
Anyway, that’s just my take… am I the only one who feels that way? Obviously I hope to experience the product firsthand once it actually launches, and I’ll reserve my final judgment until then. But I do think this makes for an interesting discussion, as I thought the renderings made it look a bit more spacious than the actual mockups.
Bottom line
In 2027, Qantas will debut its new Airbus A350-1000ULRs, featuring new seats across cabins. These planes will be used for the world’s longest flights, so comfort is a huge priority. These planes will have six first class suites, each featuring a seat and bed.
When you look at the evolution of first class, I can’t help but think that this product just doesn’t look terribly comfortable, and looks rather tight. When you have a limited amount of space, I feel like it would be much better to have a spacious seating area that doubles as a massive bed, as that will actually contribute to the most comfort.
What are your impressions of Qantas’ new A350 first class?
The concept also reminds me of Lufthansa’s old 747-400 First Class, where each passenger had a separate seat and permanent bed. That always looked wonderfully indulgent, but Lufthansa ultimately moved away from it. I’m curious whether Qantas has perfected the idea, or rediscovered why dedicating space to two pieces of furniture can leave neither quite as generous as you’d expect. For such a flight I suspect you are correct that the JAL A350 first class...
The concept also reminds me of Lufthansa’s old 747-400 First Class, where each passenger had a separate seat and permanent bed. That always looked wonderfully indulgent, but Lufthansa ultimately moved away from it. I’m curious whether Qantas has perfected the idea, or rediscovered why dedicating space to two pieces of furniture can leave neither quite as generous as you’d expect. For such a flight I suspect you are correct that the JAL A350 first class concept would work far better than this seat/bed concept, especially with the high walls which look like they are creating a claustrophobic sensation rather than a “room“.
Not a hot take. Qantas is overpriced and underwhelming in every class of service.
Isn't the seat going to recline fully flat along the bed?! :O
For this uniquely long route, the best comparison is SQ’s A359ULR, which didn’t opt for First or Economy, just Business and Premium (recliners).
QF’s 4-class 35K will have these first suites, business (lie-flat), premium (recliners), and regular economy (talk about grueling, even in the extra legroom seats) for 20+ hours.
At 22 inches, that first class chair is narrower than business class seats (25 inches wide), but those don’t get a separate bed...
For this uniquely long route, the best comparison is SQ’s A359ULR, which didn’t opt for First or Economy, just Business and Premium (recliners).
QF’s 4-class 35K will have these first suites, business (lie-flat), premium (recliners), and regular economy (talk about grueling, even in the extra legroom seats) for 20+ hours.
At 22 inches, that first class chair is narrower than business class seats (25 inches wide), but those don’t get a separate bed (and are 1-2-1 vs. 1-1-1).
Is it better than QF First on a380? I recall Ben (and his dad) reviewed it in 2025; that product seems far less private, even if a much wider seat (29 inches), and no separate bed.
But QF is reportedly retiring its a380s by 2030. Then, for long-haul, it’ll be just QF’s 787 with J, or these 35K with F.
Regardless of seat or bed width, the additional privacy and comfort of this first class suite would be a real treat, compared to any other option on-board.
Could QF have copied ME carriers or JL/NH? Yeah, but, I kinda like that they’re trying their own thing, here. Guess we’ll have to wait until at least mid-2028 to find out for sure.
22 inches of width is only 4 inches more than Singapore economy, so yes definitely tight. The fact that they boast about the length of the bed without mentioning the width does indeed suggest it's not impressive and they hope you won't notice!
I am certain Qantas will make a big announcement closer to launch that the first class seat lays completely flat and they will have a huge mattress pad to create the biggest (or nearly?) bed in the sky. I could be wrong but knowing QF they've kept a few aspects of the onboard product secret in order to grab headlines down the track.
@ JK -- Yeah, there's absolutely no way that the seat would become part of the bed, that's just not how this product is designed. The airline even explicitly states it's a reclining seat, and not a bed.
But why cant the seat be reclined fully with a mattress pad over the top? All you would need to do it lower one armrest? Surely the product isn't that inflexible?
@ chris w -- I didn't design the seat, so I can't speak as to why. :p But Qantas is explicit that it's simply a reclining armchair, and if it actually did become part of the bed, the airline would've certainly revealed that by now.
That seat must lay flat to make the bed bigger? Otherwise this will be the worst F failure in a long time 😁
Fair call. With a proper mattress pad, any reclined seat can be turned into a proper bed. You wonder why they didn't go with a wide seat to a wide bed, not the narrow seat and narrow bed.