Introducing the Qantas A380
SYDNEY, 24 July 2007: Qantas today unveiled the state-of-the-art interior and seating to be installed
onboard its fleet of 20 Airbus A380 aircraft, which are scheduled for delivery from 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.
“Qantas has combined intelligent design with functionality to deliver more space and comfort in every
cabin,” Mr Borghetti said.
“Marc has designed almost everything onboard, from the seats through to the coat hooks, with style,
practicality and passenger comfort in mind.
“The design process has included an unprecedented level of customer involvement, with many
customer initiated ideas being followed through to prototype and customers participating in sleeping
comfort trials and ergonomic testing of seats.
“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 – manufactured by B/E Aerospaces’s VIP jet group – that
swivels into a comfortable armchair and a fully flat, extra long and very wide bed.
“The look and feel is one of understated luxury created through the use of custom designed fabrics,
innovative materials and premium finishes.
“In the Business cabin, we have enhanced our popular, award-winning Skybed sleeper seat, which
now offers a longer, fully flat bed with ergonomically enhanced cushioning, a larger in-arm
entertainment screen and additional storage options.
“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.”
Mr Borghetti said Qantas’ new Premium Economy cabin, located on the upper deck of the aircraft
behind the Business cabin, would appeal to Economy travellers 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.
“The state-of-the-art seat was styled by Marc Newson and manufactured by Recaro, which makes
seats for luxury auto brands such as Aston Martin, Audi and Porsche.
“Customers will be offered menus by Neil Perry’s Rockpool Group and premium wines as well as
superior tableware and soft furnishings.”
Mr Borghetti said Qantas’ new Economy seat, also manufactured by Recaro, featured 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.
“The innovative design also provides for the inclusion of a foot net to stop sliding during sleep,
increased knee and shin room between seats as well as a larger seat back entertainment screen.”
Mr Borghetti said for the first time, the Economy cabin would offer four self-service bars, enabling
people to help themselves to refreshments throughout the flight in addition to the normal meal
services.
He said the Panasonic Inflight Entertainment System Qantas would install on the A380 would be
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.
“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,” Mr 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 introducing a Premium Economy cabin
from February 2008.
“All of our B747-400 cabins will now have seat fabrics designed exclusively for Qantas by Marc
Newson, with matching curtains and carpets in contemporary colours and patterns,” Mr Borghetti
said.
He said the first refitted B747 aircraft was already flying, with the entire Qantas Boeing 747-400 fleet
to be completed by mid-2008.