Qantas, here are the cabin interiors (with wellness area) for the world's longest flight
The countdown has already begun: the Australian airline Qantas has been working for years on the famous Project Sunrise [...]
Qantas
The countdown has already begun: the Australian airline Qantas has been working for years on the famous Project Sunrise - which promises to become the world's longest flight ever-and is littering the Web with clues and new details. Within a few months, in fact, the project has accelerated.
Project Sunrise
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The Australian airline's goal is to fly, nonstop, from Sydney to London and New York. Namely. travel more than 10 thousand miles (about 20 hours of flight time) safely and with a purpose-built aircraft, namely the Airbus A350-1000.
In fact, Qantas has just unveiled the entire cabin design of the aircraft that will fly these very long routes from the end of 2025. Back in February, Qantas unveiled the cabins of First and Business, a mix of luxury, comfort and technology.
Work on the cabin design began back in 2019 and "required tens of thousands of hours to create the intuitive A350 cabin of the future, which will fly with 238 passengers on board for up to 22 hours uninterrupted from Australia to almost any destination in the world," the airline's note points out.
Four classes of service
Customers on board Qantas' new fleet of A350 aircraft will be able to choose from: suites of first class with separate bed, recliner chair and personal wardrobe; a next-generation business suite; a new Premium Economy seat with over 1 meter of personal space and a new Economy seat with nearly 85 cm of space; there will be a wellness area on board Dedicated designed for movement, stretching and hydration.
The configuration includes 6 First Class suites in 1-1-1 configuration, 52 Business seats also in 1-2-1; 40 Premium Economy seats in 2-4-2 configuration; 140 Economy seats in classic 3-3-3 arrangement.
The six First Suites are designed to feel like a boutique hotel room: two seats that each become a 2-meter bed; dining table for two, separate recliner and a 32″ 4k ultra-high definition touch screen.
Le 52 Business Suite will be equipped with sliding doors for added privacy, fully reclining armchair, a large coffee table, custom lighting, and an 18″ 4k touch screen ultra-high definition TV.
These days, then, Qantas unveiled the rest of the aircraft interiors, including the dedicated wellness zone (Wellbeing Zone) and the classes Premium Economy and Economy.
The Wellbeing Zone
Qantas will be the first airline in the world to offer a Wellbeing Zone, an area specially located between the Economy and Premium Economy seats with custom-made panels and walls that provides a real wellness path for passengers with guided exercises on the screen, a hydration area and corner dedicated to snacks and refreshments.
"We have done a lot of work on the concept of the second half of the aircraft; in fact, we started studies on the Wellbeing Zone before any other area of the A350," the Qantas ceo recalled, Alan Joyce - The new Project Sunrise flights give us the opportunity to rethink long-haul travel in its entirety, from the design of aircraft cabins to the ingredients we include on the in-flight menu. Reduce the number of places aboard our A350 at 238 compared to the 300-plus seat layout of other carriers means not only maximizing aircraft performance over long distances, but also giving our passengers more space and comfort."
"Fewer seats translates into more space for each customer and a dedicated Wellbeing Zone for travelers to stretch, snack, and spend time out of their seats. We are the only airline in the world that will have a tailored space designed for movement and stretching on board," the ceo reiterated.
What's new in premium economy
The booth Premium Economy 40-seater and the Economy cabin 140-seat aircraft will have the widest seat pitch of any Qantas aircraft, with ergonomic systems such as leg and foot rests and various options for stowing personal items.
Each seat in all four cabins will be equipped with multiple fast Usb-C charging ports; while the Premium seats will also have built-in wireless charging.
In addition, all customers on all classes of service will have both the Wifi connection fast and free both the Bluetooth connectivity to connect headphones and personal devices to the individual screen on each seat.
In fact, again according to Alan Joyce, even though Project Sunrise's A350 will have a high percentage of premium seats on board, most customers will travel in the Premium Economy and Economy cabins, so the priority was to maximize comfort and well-being in all classes on board.
Qantas also released today the world's first scientific research on reducing jet lag and improving sleep and overall well-being before, during and after long-haul flights, which guided the unique cabin design of the Qantas A350.
Wellness even in Economy
"Premium Economy has been redesigned from the ground up with a focus on ergonomics, entertainment and privacy," said the Australian designer who oversaw the interior design, David Caon - New headrest flaps are the biggest visible difference and will provide passengers with additional support and a sense of privacy without isolating them from their fellow passengers. An ergonomic padded foot and leg rest system allows the body to be even better accompanied during the reclined version of the seat thus helping passengers to rest better."
Finally, in Economy, "travelers will be provided with a 13″ Oled Tv screen, a footrest and convenient storage space within easy reach for storing glasses and personal items. The team spent a lot of time testing the ergonomics, the lumbar support and breathability of Economy seat fabrics, which will have 33 inches of legroom," Caon concluded.
