All Classes Will Have Access To The Internet, In-Seat Laptop
Power
Qantas unveiled this week the state-of-the-art interior and
seating to be installed onboard its fleet of 20 Airbus A380
aircraft, which are scheduled for delivery beginning August
2008.
Qantas Executive General Manager John Borghetti said the
airline's fleet would be configured with 450 seats - 14 in First,
72 in Business, 32 in its new Premium Economy cabin and 332 in
Economy.
He said the interiors, designed exclusively for Qantas by
internationally renowned Australian industrial designer Marc
Newson, would set a new benchmark for the airline and the industry,
said the carrier.
"Qantas has combined intelligent design with functionality to
deliver more space and comfort in every cabin," Borghetti said.
"Marc (Newson) has designed almost everything onboard, from the
seats through to the coat hooks, with style, practicality and
passenger comfort in mind.
The design of our First cabin has evolved over five years to
culminate in a layout of 14 private suites, each featuring a 17
inch LCD wide screen video monitor, an array of personal stowage
options, a unique touch screen control unit and a seat that swivels
into a comfortable armchair and a fully flat, extra long and very
wide bed," he said.
A key feature of the Qantas A380's Business cabin is the private
lounge area on the upper deck of the aircraft featuring leather
sofas, a self-service bar, large video monitor with laptop
connectivity and a feature display cabinet.
Borghetti said the new Premium Economy cabin, located on the
upper deck of the aircraft behind the Business cabin, would appeal
to Economy travelers seeking more space, comfort and an enhanced
level of service.
"Our new Premium Economy seats will offer extra width and
recline, more legroom and a fully adjustable, in-arm, digital wide
screen television monitor," he said.
"Customers will be offered menus by Neil Perry's Rockpool Group
and premium wines as well as superior tableware and soft
furnishings."
The new economy seat features a sliding base that moves with the
seat back to create a more comfortable, ergonomically correct
position to aid sleep and eliminate pressure points.
"We consulted ergonomic experts to conduct sleep comfort trials,
which involved testing the positions passengers were most likely to
adopt on long haul flights," he said.
The economy cabin will offer four self-service bars, enabling
people to help themselves to refreshments throughout the flight in
addition to the normal meal services, according to the carrier.
The Panasonic Inflight Entertainment
System Qantas will be installing is state-of-the-art, offering
greater choice, more entertainment options and in-seat access to
email and the internet as well as wireless connectivity for
customers with their own laptop.
"Our new IFE will have over 100 on-demand movies, 350 television
selections, 500 audio CDs, 30 PC style games, and a selection of
audio books, language tutorials, destination information, business
education and radio channels.
An advanced graphic user interface will allow passengers to
easily navigate through the vast range of entertainment options,"
he said.
"Customers in every cabin will also be able to remain connected
throughout their flight with wireless connectivity, in-seat laptop
power, USB and RJ45 ports allowing them to surf the internet or
send and receive emails directly from their seat or personal
laptop," Borghetti said.
He said Qantas had also begun updating the interiors of its
international Boeing 747-400 fleet with some of the elements
designed for its A380 aircraft, including the introduction of a
Premium Economy cabin in February 2008.
He said the first refitted 747 was already flying with the
entire Qantas Boeing 747-400 fleet to be completed by mid-2008.