Qantas unveils its new Dreamliner cabins

Qantas has unveiled what customers onboard its flagship 787-9 Dreamliner can expect when the aircraft arrives in a year’s time. The Qantas Dreamliner will seat 236 passengers across Business, Premium Economy and Economy cabins in a layout that has been designed to maximise comfort for the longer distances the 787-9 is expected to fly.

The Business Suite is the next generation of the seat recently installed on Qantas’ Airbus A330 fleet. These suites are known for providing a high level of privacy, made more flexible on the 787 with the ability to now adjust the divider between each seat. The suites also have a fully-flat bed and offer plenty of space to eat, work or relax. Laid out in a 1-2-1 configuration, each suite has direct aisle access as well as the ability to stay reclined during take-off and landing.

Economy passengers will also have more room – including an extra inch of seat pitch compared with Qantas’s A380 – and an all-new seat. It features a new personal device holder and USB ports; more storage areas; a seat-back mood light designed to minimise disturbance for other passengers; and a high-definition entertainment touchscreen that is five per cent larger.

The seats also feature an updated version of the Qantas ‘footnet’ first introduced on the A380, designed to cradle the legs during sleep. Detail on initial Qantas Dreamliner destinations will be revealed in coming months, with the first international flights on sale before Christmas. The aircraft will gradually take over routes currently operated by the airline’s B747 fleet. The Dreamliner’s Premium Economy cabin will be unveiled in early 2017.