Inside the new wellbeing zones on Qantas' 20-hour flight
Qantas is taking passenger comfort to a whole new level by offering dedicated wellbeing zones to travellers on the ultra-long-haul international flights announced by the airline this week.
Qantas revealed its plans to deliver non-stop flights from Australia's east coast to Europe and the United States at a press conference on Monday morning.
"New types of aircraft make new things possible," CEO Alan Joyce said, adding the new Airbus A350s feature "comfort in each travel class" and are set to "improve how people travel around Australia and overseas."
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Qantas has unveiled renderings for its new first class cabins on ultra long-haul flights. Supplied
The new Airbus A350s are capable of flying direct from Sydney to international cities like New York and London by the end of 2025, which means the Aussie carrier would officially operate the world's longest flight.
Qantas revealed the the aircraft will carry only 238 passengers across four classes (First, Business, Premium Economy, Economy), compared to more than 300 seats on competitor airlines.
More than 40 per cent of the cabin will be "dedicated to premium seating".
"First class will have a designated bed, a designated seat away from the bed and a wardrobe. It will be the best, I believe, first-class product out there," Mr Joyce said.
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The first class cabins will include a designated seat as well as a bed and wardrobe. Supplied
The cabin has been specially configured for improved comfort on long flights, with Qantas also saying economy class will have the biggest seat of any economy class the airline has ever launched.
The least expensive economy class seats will have a pitch of 33 inches (83 centimetres), which compares with an average 30-31 inches on most carriers.
But the real stand-out feature will be a dedicated 'wellbeing zone' in the centre, with enough room to be a workout area for people to exercise and re-hydrate.
There will be digital displays to provide movement recommendations and a self-serve snacking station.
Qantas' new A350s will have a wellbeing zone with dedicated workout space. Supplied
"It's an area we believe is very important for people travelling this ultra-long haul," Joyce added.
In 2019, the airline ran a series of test flights on the Sydney to New York City and Sydney to London routes as an experiment.
The crew and passengers on board had their health monitored during the journey to see how such a long flight could affect future fliers. Tracking devices monitored sleep patterns, activity cycles, food and drink consumption and other data.
Right now, Singapore Airlines holds the title of having the world's longest flight thanks to its Singapore to New York route, which was first launched in October 2018.
A flight from New York to Singapore covers 9,537 miles (15,348 kilometres) with a flight time of 18 hours and 40 minutes.
The new wellbeing zones also have a self-service snacking station. Supplied
Qantas has not yet released costs for the ultra long haul flights.
Former chief economist at Qantas, Dr Tony Webber, told The Guardian he predicted at the very minimum, non-stop routes would be $300 more expensive per leg.
What happens next
Although the first Project Sunrise flights are still years away, Qantas has already started thinking about expanding its ultra-long-haul offerings.
The airline confirmed that Paris and Frankfurt are also being considered for future direct flights after the New York City and London routes are established.
In 2019, Qantas also included the city of Brisbane as one of the eastern Australia hubs for these flights, but it's unclear whether that remains part of the Project Sunrise plan.
Meanwhile, a 17-hour nonstop flight connecting Melbourne and Dallas made its debut in March 2022.
Some additional reporting by CNN.
