Qantas Economy Plus, why it's worth the fuss

Qantas is pushing the A321XLR deeper into its medium-haul network, covering domestic trunk routes such as Perth to Sydney and Perth to Brisbane, with flights to Asia scheduled to start next year..

Two complaints followed the aircraft almost from the start. The first was that standard Economy offers a 30-inch seat pitch, which for many is a tight squeeze on a four to seven-hour flight. The second was that the first aircraft arrived with just two lavatories for the entire Economy cabin.

To its credit, Qantas has listened and reacted quickly on both counts. The airline is adding a third lavatory for Economy passengers on the A321XLR and, in February, launched Economy Plus, giving passengers the option to pay for a selection of seats with extra legroom beyond the emergency exit rows, which are only available to able-bodied adult passengers.

Economy Plus is available on the Boeing 737, Airbus A220 and Airbus A321XLR fleets, on flights across Australia and to select international destinations including New Zealand, the Pacific Islands and Bali. It has also now gone on sale across the A330 fleet, which will operate flights to Tokyo, Hong Kong and Honolulu from later this year.

The benefits are straightforward and, for passengers wanting more comfort without the Business Class price tag, it is quite simply an excellent option. You get more space, early boarding, first access to the overhead lockers and, in most cases, a seat near the front of the cabin for a quicker exit once the aircraft arrives. That is especially handy when you only have carry-on baggage or want to beat the queues at immigration.

Two versions of the same product

Economy Plus comes in two forms: the standard product and Economy Plus Front.

While we will explain both, for today's review we flew Economy Plus Front on the A321XLR, seated in 6A. The legroom is remarkable and, without even knowing the price, we would have called the extra space worth paying for on any flight of four to seven hours.

So, on that point, what does it actually cost?

A return trip between Brisbane and Perth in Economy Class in November is roughly $600, with some departures cheaper depending on the time of day. Business Class flights for the same dates come in at around $2,300. Like all Qantas tickets, the Economy fare is an all-in price covering meals, beverages, entertainment and baggage.

Economy Plus adds around $105 to $113 per sector on this route. For a fraction of the ticket price of Business Class, it can transform the flight by giving you significantly more legroom, particularly if you choose Economy Plus Front seats, which, believe it or not, actually offer more legroom than Business Class.

On the short Sydney to Melbourne hop, Economy Plus seats can be as little as $30 extra.

It is also worth noting that these seats are available free of charge to top-tier Qantas Frequent Flyers. For those keen to travel with more room, it may therefore be worth making the purchase at the time of booking, as these seats are likely to be snapped up.

The seat and the legroom

You will find Economy Plus seats at the front of the Economy cabin and in the emergency exit rows. On the A321XLR, there are also Economy Plus seats in the two rows directly behind the exits.

Standard Economy Plus offers a 34-inch seat pitch, four inches more than regular Economy. The exit rows stretch to 38 inches, while Economy Plus Front, where we sat for this flight, offers 39 inches on the A321XLR and A220.

To put that into perspective, the seats at the front offer two inches more legroom than Business Class at a fraction of the price.

The seat itself on the A321XLR is upholstered in fabric and features a four-way headrest that holds your head where you put it. As with any Airbus A320 family aircraft, the seat width is 18 inches.

The one thing we would change about Economy Plus Front, which is the first row of the Economy Plus block, is the missing drop-down shelf for your device. This matters on an aircraft where entertainment is streamed to your own screen, and I can imagine it would be a pain point for passengers planning to watch entertainment for most of their flight.

On the flip side, for this reviewer, who worked for the entire flight, the amount of space meant I had plenty of room to use my laptop at a comfortable distance.

In the row behind, where the seat pitch is 34 inches, you have the drop-down device holder but less space for your laptop. That said, the passengers behind us were also working for the entire flight, so it is clearly still comfortable enough. It really comes down to what you plan to do during the journey.

Service and meal

This author still misses the Qantas tray service of years gone by, complete with the famously rock-hard ciabatta roll.

Even so, as far as domestic travel goes, Qantas remains among the best in the world at this. There is a choice of a hot or cold meal, a full alcoholic and non-alcoholic bar, a tea and coffee service, followed by dessert later in the flight.

The wine lists differ between Economy and Business, although on our flight the crew offered us both.

The service itself was warm, casual and professional in the way Qantas crews usually manage. The safety delivery, which matters more than anything, was again exceptional.

As one American passenger sitting nearby put it, “You wouldn't get anything like this level of service in the States.”

It’s a no-brainer

If you can afford to fly Business, there is no comparison. But if you want more space, more comfort and the peace of mind of being able to secure overhead cabin space, at a fraction of the price of Business, these seats are absolutely worth doing especially on the on flights of more than four hours.

This author flew as a guest of Qantas. However, as with all AirlineRatings reviews, the views, opinions and conclusions expressed in this article are entirely independent and are the author's own.