Qantas Shrinks Legroom On Future 22-Hour Flights
Apparently 22 hours in economy was too comfortable
In October 2027, Qantas plans to launch the world's longest commercial flight, flying non-stop from Sydney to London as part of Project Sunrise. The route will be operated by specially configured Airbus A350-1000ULR aircraft, and with flights expected to take up to 22 hours, passenger comfort has naturally been a major focus.
Qantas has repeatedly promoted reduced seat numbers, additional personal space and an expanded galley area branded as a Wellbeing Zone, designed to make spending a day on an aircraft slightly less awful.
When unveiling their economy seating in June 2023, Qantas said its A350-1000ULR would feature "the most generous seat pitches of any Qantas aircraft" with 33 inches of pitch in economy. Then Qantas CEO Alan Joyce added that "the new Project Sunrise flights give us the opportunity to re-think long-haul travel in its entirety", adding that "fewer seats translate to more space for each customer".
Three years later, that promise has quietly changed. Some economy seats on the Airbus A350 will now offer the same 32-inch seat pitch found on much of Qantas' existing international fleet.
The reason? Qantas has reconfigured its A350 to include 42 Economy Plus seats offering 33 or 34 inches of seat pitch. Rather than removing rows to create extra space, the airline has reduced legroom in the rear economy cabin to 32 inches.
As a result, Qantas' flagship Project Sunrise aircraft will now feature three different economy seat pitches: 32, 33, and 34-inches. Qantas maintains that more than 70% of seats on its A350 will offer a pitch of 33 inches or more.
Ironically, when Qantas launched the original Kangaroo Route in 1947 using Lockheed Constellation aircraft, passengers enjoyed around 37 to 40 inches of seat pitch. Exact figures are difficult to verify and are based on historic cabin layouts, but it appears passengers flying to London nearly 80 years ago may have had significantly more legroom.
How Does This Compare To Other Airlines?
On widebody aircraft, a seat pitch of 32” is actually quite normal. Emirates offers 32” on its Airbus A350, while Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways offer 31”. But these airlines aren’t asking passengers to spend up to 22 hours in those seats.
Project Sunrise is expected to operate for almost four hours longer than the longest flights currently operated by Emirates, Qatar or Etihad. Qantas has also previously indicated that non-stop Project Sunrise flights could cost around 20% more than equivalent one-stop itineraries.
The current world's longest flight is operated by Singapore Airlines between New York and Singapore, with a scheduled flight time of 19 hours and 15 minutes. Singapore Airlines doesn't offer economy class on the route at all, and instead starts with premium economy, where passengers receive 38” of seat pitch.
While Qantas has spent years promoting Project Sunrise as a reimagining of long-haul travel, some passengers will now spend up to 22 hours in seats offering the same 32-inch pitch already found across much of the airline's existing international fleet.
Summing Up
Qantas is a profit-driven business, not a charity, so it should come as no surprise that the airline wants to further segment its product and generate additional revenue.
The main issue isn't the introduction of Economy Plus, it’s that Qantas spent years promoting a 33-inch economy cabin as a defining feature of Project Sunrise. Now, they are breaking that promise and reducing legroom for some passengers in order to offer a paid product.
