- Qantas revealed a new Business Suite for its A321XLR fleet with lie-flat beds
- Every suite converts to a lie-flat bed with a sliding privacy door
- The first A321XLR with new suites arrives in 2028
- Qantas also unveiled an updated Dreamliner suite with sliding doors
- Premium cabin revenue is growing at twice the rate of economy
Qantas has revealed a new Business Suite for its upcoming Airbus A321XLR fleet, bringing a lie-flat bed to a Qantas single-aisle aircraft for the first time. The suites are destined for the next generation of narrowbody aircraft, covering transcontinental routes to and from Perth as well as short and medium haul international services across Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
The new A321XLR Business Suite is arranged 1-1 in an angled herringbone layout, a first for a Qantas narrowbody. Every seat converts to a lie-flat bed and comes with its own sliding privacy door, features designed for a cabin that will increasingly do overnight and longer regional duty. Each suite gets an 18-inch entertainment screen, wireless and USB-C charging, storage for a laptop and personal items and free wifi. The first of 16 A321XLRs configured with the new suites is scheduled to arrive in 2028.
Qantas also unveiled an updated Business Suite for additional Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners on order, extending the sliding privacy door to all 42 suites onboard. Qantas says premium cabin revenue is growing at twice the rate of economy across its international network. United Airlines has taken a similar approach on its own A321XLR, fitting 20 Polaris suites in a 1-1 herringbone configuration with sliding doors.
Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson shared Qantas introduced Business Class to the world in 1979 and has continued to redefine what it means ever since. Qantas shared in a written statement the new suites are destined for the next generation of narrowbody aircraft covering transcontinental routes and short and medium haul international services.
