Which Qantas Routes Feature Premium Economy?

If you want to fly in comfort but don’t want to shell out for Business Class, Qantas Premium Economy could be a great middle-ground.

What you get in Qantas Premium Economy

The seat is wider, more comfortable and has more legroom and recline than in Economy. There’s also a larger entertainment screen, adjustable headrest and footrest.

The on-board service itself is closer to Business Class than Economy. You can enjoy sparkling wine before take-off, as well as premium meals and drinks during the flight. You also get an amenity kit.

Read our Qantas Premium Economy review for full details about what to expect.

You also get access to priority check-in, priority boarding and a higher baggage allowance. No lounge access is included with a Premium Economy ticket, but you could still get into the lounge with a Qantas Lounge Invitation, Qantas Club membership or frequent flyer status.

Qantas routes with Premium Economy seating available

Premium Economy is not available on all Qantas routes. The cabin is only installed on the airline’s Airbus A380 and Boeing 787-9 fleets, which generally fly long-haul routes.

Finnair also has Premium Economy on the two Airbus A330-300s it operates on behalf of Qantas on the Sydney-Singapore and Sydney-Bangkok routes as a temporary wet lease.

Therefore, to fly Premium Economy on Qantas, you would need to book a flight on an A380, 787-9 or Finnair-operated A330. Here’s a full list of the Qantas routes flown by these planes:

Here’s a map showing all of the Qantas Premium Economy routes:

Qantas sometimes uses Boeing 787s on other routes

Occasionally, Qantas switches aircraft around its network and might use Boeing 787s on other routes as well.

For example, Qantas is currently flying the Boeing 787-9 on some days on QF51/52 between Brisbane and Singapore. It also flies a Boeing 787 between Melbourne and Perth on Thursdays, and these planes occasionally appear ad-hoc on other domestic routes.

However, the airline does not sell Premium Economy on these flights. Instead, it makes the Premium Economy seats available for some lucky Economy passengers to select. When this happens, the airline still provides Economy meals and service to the passengers sitting in the roomier Premium Economy seats.

Flying Premium Economy on Qantas’ partner airlines

Even if Qantas doesn’t offer Premium Economy on a route that you want to fly, you might be able to book a codeshare flight on a partner airline. For example, you can book Qantas-marketed flights in Premium Economy that are operated by Emirates, American Airlines or China Airlines.

You can also redeem Qantas points to book Premium Economy seats on selected partner airlines including China Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, British Airways and American Airlines. Later this year, you’ll also be able to book Premium Economy seats on Iberia, KLM, Air France and Finnair as Classic Rewards.

How to book Qantas Premium Economy

You can book Premium Economy flights on the Qantas website or with a travel agent. When searching on the Qantas website, choose “Premium Economy” from the cabin drop-down menu:

If your itinerary includes connecting flights without Premium Economy seating available, these will typically book into Economy. This is the case in the following example, an itinerary from Brisbane to Johannesburg via Sydney, as Qantas does not sell Premium Economy between Brisbane and Sydney:

One good thing, however, is that the connecting flights typically book into an Economy Flex fare bucket. This means you’ll earn Qantas points and status credits at the higher Flexible Economy rate. If you wanted to upgrade the Brisbane-Sydney flight to Business Class using points, you could also do this for a lower amount of points compared to upgrading a “Discount Economy” ticket.

When flying Qantas Premium Economy to Santiago, you can get onward connections with LATAM Airlines to selected destinations in South America that are also in Premium Economy. LATAM offers Premium Economy on its narrow-body jets (such as the Airbus A320 and A321).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Matt Graham

The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 90 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course!
Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil & Kazakhstan. His interests include aviation, economics & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine.

You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.