Project Sunrise, from First to gym: everything we know about the world's longest flight plane
It is more than three years away, delays and schedule changes aside, from the takeoff of the first direct link between London [...]
More than three years away, delays and schedule changes aside, from the Take-off of the first direct link between London and Sydney. The Cangaroo route, as it is called in the aviation world, has been around forever, only this time will be the first time it will be done without an intermediate stop, without getting off the plane and without having to take a connection.
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The Sunrise project was delayed by Covid, but it finally came to fruition: with the order put on paper by Qantas has officially begun a new phase in the world of commercial aviation. At the end of the day, there will be no more "impossible" routes or distances that are too long to cover with a single plane.
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Why Qantas wanted this project
Definitely to make money, certainly not for a mere marketing issue: attracting enough passengers willing to pay more to arrive at least 3 hours earlier than the best possible connection currently. Also affecting the numbers of the current World's longest flight, the one connecting Singapore with New York And that lasts 18 hours.
However, Qantas' choice was significantly different from Singapore since it decided to Aiming for few passengers (238) but 4 flight classes instead of 2. Of course, having only 238 seats to fill means targeting (so much) premium travelers, while flying a lighter aircraft and thus consuming less fuel makes the route more profitable or at least sustainable.
On board "stuff never seen before"
It is certain that from now on, Qantas' marketing department will know how to keep the attention on this flight high in order to make the most of the planned launch in late 2025. What we know at the moment is:
- There will be 6 first-class suites, aesthetics is similar to the current product offered by Singapore aboard its A380s,
- There will be 52 business class seats, there are currently no details on what product will be used, but it is safe to assume that it will be similar to what Qantas currently offers on the rest of its fleet.
- The 40 premium economy passengers will be allowed more than 1 meter of space for the legs (hopefully Qantas will take Emirates' seat on the new A380s as an example).
- The tourist class will consist of 140 seats divided into rows of 9, with the classic 3-3-3 configuration, the legroom compared to a regular A350 will be as much as 5 centimeters more
To date Qantas has released quite a bit of information about the first class along with some renderings of the design and a teaser video, what we do know is:
- There will be no possibility of having double beds on board
- It will not be a full-fledged suite like on Emirates' new 777s
- There will be a 32″ screen, not the largest in the skies today since ANA, for example, provides first class passengers with a 43″ screen
- There will be no shortage of personal space considering the many bays designed at every point in the suite
Personally, I hope the bed is not "fixed" but retractable as with Singapore, so that the passenger has much more private space available. This is because otherwise I have a feeling it will be very claustrophobic. Judging from the video and where the TV screen is placed, I think it is also impossible to hypothesize the lowering of the bulkhead in order to allow passengers sitting in seats 1A/2A to look at each other's faces and chat.
The relaxation area
There is plenty of space on board and few passengers, suffice it to say that normally those flying an A350 board no less than 330/335 passengers.
Therefore, a small area in the back of the plane will be dedicated to letting passengers stretch their legs and get a little bit of exercise so they don't spend 20 hours sitting in a seat.
Honestly, I would also have expected an area for socializing, such as is the case with the lofts aboard Virgin Atlantic's A350s, such as the Emirates bar or otherwise a space where passengers could play cards, chat, or simply share a few dozen minutes given the 20 hours to be spent aboard the same plane.