Qantas Orders Up To 36 Airbus A321 XLR Aircraft

[DC3]

I'm trying to imagine the pleasure it will be on a narrow bodied jet, flying for 8 hours, with only three toilets!!

… with one, or more, out of action....

 

[samh004]

I can see both positives and negatives, but it's a long way out and a lot can happen between now and then.

Positive:

• JQ frees the 787-8 to more attractive (new?) routes and uses the A321XLR on less attractive (old) routes
• QF choosing 1-1 in "J" as the plane is big enough for that configuration – thus East-West isn't so bad on a single-aisle with a flat bed

Negative:

• Booking a QF A321XLR that goes tech and ending up on a JQ A321XLR
• The group choosing to pick one interior for all aircraft, with BA-like "J" seats

 

[Habitant]

Honest question those concerned about long haul flights in a narrow-body: if comparing the same class, does it really make a difference?
Surely Y in a 321XLR is just as good/bad as Y in a 787? The seats are usually the same if not narrower on the wide body.
Is it the curvature of the hull that makes the window seats less desirable?
The lower number of lavs? (I though passenger-lav ratios are usually similar)

 

[JohnPhelan]

Honest question those concerned about long haul flights in a narrow-body: if comparing the same class, does it really make a difference?
Surely Y in a 321XLR is just as good/bad as Y in a 787? The seats are usually the same if not narrower on the wide body.
Is it the curvature of the hull that makes the window seats less desirable?
The lower number of lavs? (I though passenger-lav ratios are usually similar)

I think it's almost entirely a psychological thing. Provided the seat pitch and width are the same as in a widebody, there's actually no difference in the reality. But the perception can be quite different.

 

[jb747]

The ride will be different.

 

[moa999]

I think there is some perception about cabin width and height. Personally I don't see it.

3-3 in a 321 will be wider economy seats than 3-3-3 in a 787. Cabin pressure will be better in the 787.

 

[Happy Trails]

Overhead bin ratio, toilet ratio, proximity to an aisle.
Edit: Plus ease of boarding and disembarkation.

 

[DC3]

I think there is some perception about cabin width and height. Personally I don't see it ...

How does it go again? "… should have gone to Specsavers".

 

[sxc]

Overhead bin ratio, toilet ratio, proximity to an aisle.
Edit: Plus ease of boarding and disembarkation.

If you have flown a Cathay Dragon A320 recently, you’ll realise that if they spec the right bins, your overhead storage will actually be much better.

 

[HS-TQE]

2024 is first delivery for the 321XLR.

Was suggested on airliners.net that internal speculation is 12 JQAus, 12 QF and rest TBD

At a guess would allow thinner routes eg. PER-HKG,AKL and ADL-SIN,HKG,NRT and possibly additional frequencies or secondary cities in Japan from SYD, MEL, BNE

If QF are to have a "subfleet" of XLRs, I would suggest they would probably have more than 12.

Other than that, SYD-CGK and SYD-MNL are also contenders for the XLR, freeing up the 332/333s on those routes for the more "lucrative" runs into Asia.

 

[jakeseven7]

Joyce hasn't actually ordered anything for mainline and I doubt that anything as changed. Jetstar will get them.

My bet is that the quote will be along the lines of "the pilots wouldn't accept the wonderful EBA, so we're going to place the aircraft with Jetstar"....

Little bitterness creeping in now you’ve left

 

[jakeseven7]

I'm still of the opinion that its a possibility that the long term plan is to take the 787-8's out of JQ service and return them back to service joining the B787-9s for QFi and even QFd leaving all of the Jetstar group as a solely A320/A321 NEO/XLR operation (essentially a single type operator). Once shiny new aircraft get old, tired and more expensive to maintain - back to mainline they go!

The black swan event is still going to be with everyone in the world not ordering widebodies, and attempting to fly everywhere more frequently with narrowbodies, is that this must result in a massive increase in the number of airframes and airspace congestion without the airport gates or pilots to fly them.

Unless airports and airlines can agree to build more cheap airport space, and airlines are prepared to allow pilot wages to start rising then I can't see how they are going to extricate themselves from this future quandry.

Hello western sydney

Hello Avalon

Hello new tulla runway

Hello new bne runway

 

[jb747]

Little bitterness creeping in now you’ve left

No, but as I’m no longer employed by them. I can say what I’ve always thought.

 

[eastwest101]

Hello western sydney

Hello Avalon

Hello new tulla runway

Hello new bne runway

Yes some more airspace capacity and an increase in movements in greater SYD MEL and BNE but note that I also talked about gate space (more of a MEL and BNE issue) and trained pilots (a global issue) to fly them, they don't fly themselves.

 

[airbound]

... an increase in ... trained pilots (a global issue) to fly them, they don't fly themselves.

At 35 going on 36, is it too late for a career change, I wonder.......

 

[rakeman]

JQ frees the 787-8 to more attractive (new?) routes

787-8 replaces A330's? The delivery beings in 2024, first lot goes to JQ transfer's start in 2025 whats the age of the oldest A330 - 14? add six years...

 

[juddles]

The ride will be different.

I agree JB, but I think you have spent too long up the front "Ride" is possibly a factor that rates below almost everything to most pax. It would rank, IMHO, even below such stuff as "mood lighting". Sheer room is probably the most valuable thing to most pax, followed by IFE, then soft product - meals, drinks, etc.

 

[stm1sydney]

I reckon price is the most valuable thing to most pax.