- Qantas offers premium economy on A380 and B787 aircraft, while business class is available on international flights featuring larger, more spacious cabins.
- Both classes provide dedicated check-in and early boarding, but business class includes lounge access and superior inflight services.
- Upgrading to business class is significantly pricier than premium economy.
Breaking out of Qantas economy class and settling in a premium economy seat for the first time is a major milestone. Suddenly, there is significantly upgraded comfort, room to move, no more plastic cups, tasty food and personable service. What’s not to like? But is it worth paying even more to fly further up the plane in the promised land that is business class?
Not all Qantas aircraft offer premium economy seats. The airline only offers premium economy on its A380 and B787 aircraft, whereas business class is offered on all Qantas international flights. The business class cabins are also bigger – 70 business seats versus 60 premium economy seats on the A380 and 42 business seats versus 28 premium economy seats on the Dreamliners. These planes operate Qantas long-haul routes to North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and some services to and from Singapore.
Do Premium Economy and Business Class Flyers Get a DIfferent Airport Experience?
The premium travel experience starts at check-in. Both premium economy and business class passengers have dedicated check-in desks. However, only business passengers automatically get lounge access.
This isn’t necessarily a problem if you are flying premium economy but hold Qantas Gold or Oneworld Sapphire status or above or if you’re a Qantas Club member and the departure airport has a Qantas-operated lounge. You’ll enjoy lounge access regardless of travel class.
Both business class and premium economy passengers can board before economy class passengers. This is a nice perk if you want to board early and get settled.
What’s the difference between Qantas business and premium economy seats?
The key difference between Qantas business class and premium economy class is the seat. Qantas gets credit for having a fairly uniform product across its widebody fleet (many airlines don’t). As a result, a seat on the A380 is very similar to a seat on the B787, regardless of travel class.
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Qantas Premium Economy Seats
Qantas premium economy passengers can expect a 58-centimetre wide seat with a 96.5-centimetre pitch (seat pitch is the distance between one point on your seat and the same point on the seat in front of you). There are four rows of premium economy seats on the Dreamliner and each row is configured in a 2-3-2 arrangement.
The premium economy cabin on the A380 is at the rear of the upper deck. It has the same 2-3-2 layout, but there are ten rows rather than the four on the B787. The seats are the same but there are a couple of quirks on the A380. Row 38 has a 3-2 layout, row 39 has a 2-2 layout, and row 40 is just a pair of seats. These sound great but be aware at seat selection time – they are close to the toilets and galley.
Let’s not talk about the time Luc Wiesman big for business class with his partner; he got the upgrade, but she didn’t.
On both aircraft types, premium economy passengers will get a headrest and nice pillow, leg and foot rests, individual night lights, a reasonably decent blanket, USB charging and AC power outlets, a 33-centimetre HD screen, storage areas, cocktail tray, and pull-down tray table.
What Are Qantas Business Class Seats Like?
Move forward in the plane and life gets more comfortable in business class. The business class layout on both the A380 and B787 is 1-2-1, so everyone gets aisle access. Seat width in the so-called Qantas Business Suite is 61 centimetres, and when fully flat, the pitch is 203 centimetres.
When it’s time for sleep, business class passengers get a nice pillow, a 100% cotton duvet, and a (thin) mattress. While there are no sliding doors on any Qantas aircraft yet, these seats offer a decent degree of privacy in either lie flat or sitting mode. Qantas business class isn’t the best in the world, but it’s a very solid product and a big step up from premium economy.
Here’s a tip: 2A, 4A and 6A are the more enclosed years in the cabin, so aim for those.
Why doesn’t Qantas have a fully enclosed business class?
In short, they were caught napping on design and were more focused on their Project Sunrise. David Caon’s new cabins for these ultra-long-haul A350 flights are sublime and now feature fully enclosed business-class seats. Qantas, however, will be the global leader in ultra-long-haul travel, which makes sense considering how far Australia is from the rest of the world.
What’s the price difference between premium economy and business class?
Of course, you pay for the upgrade, whether in point, cash, or Qantas’ fabled rewards system. A straightforward one-way fare between Sydney and LA on the first Monday in June 2025 currently costs AUD3,357 in premium economy (or 203,000 points plus AUD314).
Alternatively, it costs AUD8,170 (or a whopping 502,000 points plus AUD639) in business class. You pay a lot for that lie-flat seat. It will vary depending on airline, route, and travel date, but typically, premium economy is less than half the cost of business class.
What are the inflight service differences between Qantas premium economy and business class?
Inflight service is another differentiator between premium economy and economy, although you can reasonably expect friendly and attentive service in both classes on Qantas aircraft. In both cabin classes, drinks are served in proper glasses, and meals are served on china tableware. While options will vary depending on route and time of day, Qantas premium economy passengers can typically expect a salad starter, three choices of mains, including a plant-based choice and options like a chicken and grain salad or a wagyu beef braise.
There is also a choice of desserts, normally something like cheese and crackers, cake, or chocolates. Unlike in business class, everything comes on a single tray, although that blow is softened somewhat by linen napery and decent crockery.
In contrast, Qantas business class offers four starters, including their always morish delicious soup and other treats such as confit duck and mushroom vol u vents. Expect four main courses, with Barrington beef, snapper, Bannockburn chicken, and a plant-based option currently making regular appearances in one guise or another. There are choices for dessert, including the cheese plate, options like panna cotta or mouse, and the ice cream sandwich. Courses are served individually.
Both cabins offer mid-flight snacks ranging from fruits to chips and biscuits to hot snacks like BLTs in business class and grilled cheese toasties in premium economy.
How upgrades work with Qantas
antas offers several avenues for passengers to upgrade their travel experience to a higher cabin class, each with its own set of criteria and processes:
Classic Upgrade Rewards: This option allows Qantas Frequent Flyer members to use their accumulated Qantas Points to request an upgrade. Key features include:
- Eligibility: Available on eligible paid and confirmed Qantas flights with a QF flight number. Certain fare types, especially discounted international economy fare, are not allowed. i.e. Sales Red-e-deals.
- Priority Processing: Upgrade requests are prioritized based on the member’s Frequent Flyer status tier, with higher tiers like Gold and Platinum receiving earlier confirmation. For instance, Platinum One members may receive confirmation up to seven days before an international flight. Yeeew!
- Request Timing: Upgrades can be requested from the time of booking up to 10 hours before departure for international flights and up to five hours for domestic flights.
If you have lots of points this is the best way to burn them.
Bid Now Upgrades: This system allows passengers to bid for an upgrade using cash money or a combination of cash and Qantas Points. Key aspects include:
- Invitation: Passengers may receive an invitation to bid approximately seven days before departure.
- Bidding: Passengers can set their bid amount and have the flexibility to modify or cancel unconfirmed bids up to a certain time before departure.
- Processing Order: Bid Now Upgrade offers are considered after all Classic Upgrade Reward requests have been processed.
Are Qantas premium economy and business class worth the money?
Two years ago, Qantas was really on the nose. It was, as one blogger said, only worth flying on when you had points to redeem. But a lot can change in two years, and Qantas is back in the game.
“It’s like comparing a bus and a banana. Is business class worth it? Yes, always but use points for upgrades but be prepared to not get your upgrade.”
Luc Wiesman, DMARGE Founder
Recent premium cabin flights have been largely on time, the food good, and the service excellent. Granted, things get scaled up in both premium economy and business class, but right now, flying in either cabin on Qantas is a pleasant way to travel and makes returning to the back of the plane an unappealing prospect.
