QANTAS: Economy upgrades for A330 international aircraft

Airbus A330s have become Qantas’s workhorse for medium—and long-haul routes. They have been almost entirely removed from domestic and trans-Tasman routes so they can be used on longer international ones. Ten of these aircraft, deployed on routes like Hong Kong, Singapore, and Tokyo, are having their economy cabins upgraded with the same model seats that will be used on the Project Sunrise A350-1000.

When will the retrofitted Economy cabins fly?

This upgrade was originally announced back in October 2024. It appears to be on track for upgrades to commence in the middle of 2025, with the planes back in the air by the end of the year. Upgrading the full fleet will take until the end of 2026, which, incidentally, is now when the Project Sunrise A350-1000 aircraft are also expected to arrive.

New Economy seat features

Each of the 10 refurbished Airbus A330-200 aircraft will have 200 plus economy seats along with 28 Business class flatbed seats.

The Economy recliner seats will have better lumbar support and side bolsters that will be thicker and provide better support. New six-way adjustable headrests should be kinder to the passengers’ necks. More legroom for your knees is promised, although no figure for this additional actual or perceived pitch is provided. I suspect there will be no actual increase in pitch, but a more space-efficient design. That will mean a thinner seat profile will add some effective space between the shin and the seat.

My reservation about this is that thinner-profile seats, in my experience, also mean less comfort. I have felt little fingers punching at the touch screen and sometimes not so little feet and knees hitting the back of the seat.

The screens will increase in size to 13.3″ and be 4K HD resolution OLED touchscreens, a 20% increase from the current size. You will also be able to pair your own Bluetooth headphones to the screens. USB-C high-power charging will be available at each seat to power your phone or other device. Seats will also have a fold-down device holder for tablets and phones.

This upgrade will also include free international Wi-Fi and new cabin mood lighting, curtains, and carpets.

Business Class doesn’t get a refresh

The 2014-era Business Class seats won’t be upgraded, so they won’t have USB-C charging or Bluetooth audio. That’s a big missed opportunity since the Economy seats will now have those features, but Business Class won’t.

2PAXfly Takeout

I’m sure there are very good reasons for Qantas not to upgrade the A330s with Project Sunrise-type Business Class suites. They are almost certainly economics. Maybe the earn-back period for new Business Class seats is not long enough, or there are supply chain issues in manufacturing new Business Class seats in time.

Whatever the reason, it smacks of a mistake. These aircraft are going to be the mainstay of their current routes for some time. At least until Project Sunrise—now delayed until early 2027—gets off the ground. By then, those A330 Business Class Suites are going to be a sub-par product just because of their lack of tech features like Bluetooth and contact charging. Forget about doors!