This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.
Bunk beds for economy passengers and a gym in the cargo hold? It seemed like an innovation too good to be true, and it turns out it was.
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce confirmed that for the airline’s hopeful launch (by 2022) of extreme long-haul flights from Australia to London and New York, those grand plans will never come to fruition, Australian news site Traveller.com.au reports.
The airline originally floated the idea in March 2018 for its future ultra-long-haul flights. But as executives worked through some of the financial calculations, Joyce found that “putting stuff in the baggage hold … doesn’t work,” he said to Traveller.com.au. In addition to the potential gym and bunk beds, Qantas was exploring the possibility of children’s play areas, office space or a bar inside the cargo hold to help relieve passengers’ restlessness on the approximately 21-hour flights.
Instead, Joyce says that the nearly day-long nonstop flights from Melbourne and Sydney, dubbed “Project Sunrise,” could feature a wellness space for passengers to stretch their legs. “We are, on the aircraft, looking at a zone that we’re calling the ‘fourth zone,’ for people to stretch and exercise and hydrate,” he said. “And that will be part of the product that we use to launch.”
Qantas is currently in the process of taking bids from Boeing and Airbus on planes for the flights, which are projected to launch by 2022 and would become the longest nonstop routes in the world. The Australian carrier will choose between Airbus’ A350 and Boeing’s 777X.
Although the planes haven’t been selected yet, nor have the cabin designs been revealed, Qantas says the aircraft will be outfitted with four different cabin class: first, business, premium economy and economy.
Featured image by Scott Barbour/Getty Images.
Know before you go.
News and deals straight to your inbox every day.
NEW INCREASED OFFER: 60,000 Points
TPG'S BONUS VALUATION*: $1,200
CARD HIGHLIGHTS: 2X points on all travel and dining, points transferrable to over a dozen travel partners
*Bonus value is an estimated value calculated by TPG and not the card issuer. View our latest valuations here.
- Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
- 2X points on travel and dining at restaurants worldwide & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
- Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel
Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
