People that have flown QF A330 re-furb Just wondering what does everybody think of the Economy class?

People that have flown QF A330 re-furb

Just wondering what does everybody think of the Economy class?

it looked great in the pictures, but when i actually saw it it looked quite dull. the maroon is too dark. also from the pictures i thought the maroon part was leather, but turned out to be fabric, which made it a bit more disappointing. Still Love Qantas.

I like it.

For starters, it's much better than the old Economy. On key routes like SIN and HKG, this is important because the old product was very poor compared to the competition.

To reply to your initial assertions:

1. The maroon is punchy and different to every other airline's sea of blue or green or tan; it's a statement colour and consistent with the A380 and B747.
2. Fabric is better than leather for long flights; it breathes better.

Now, for what I really like:

1. It's much taller than the old seat; paired with the new headrest this gives better head and neck support, combining with the better lower back support to provide a much better support system for the customer.
2. It reclines in a superior fashion; I believe it is of the new 'articulated' type.
3. The upper literature pocket with USB power is a godsend; it's also very useful as a jacket clip, eliminating the need for a coat-hook.
4. The tray table is a lot more solid than it used to be; ditto for the lower literature pocket.

But the best thing about it is that it's not the old 2003-era seat!

Looks good! But just as Qantas gets it right, the competition moves on again! How do you get Qantas to synchronise with the leading carriers in Asia Pacific?

You don't. Joyce is being careful with the spending until profitability is constant. Can't blame him at all. 

If that's the playbook then as an Economy class flyer, without any QFF/Oneworld affiliations, you're better off focusing on another airline that will always be at the cusp of new technology and inflight service/offerings.

I'm not knocking the belief in being prudent, but there is some truth in driving profitability by making the investment. Do you take a leading stand or continuously play catch up? 

I actually think this particular seat will do them well for at least half a decade. We'll see.

Just flew SQ Per-Sin on a 777. V ordinary, old and dated hard product. Saved only be the great service. This refurb is way ahead of at least one key competitor.

The IFE and seat is MUCH better. 

omg i forgot to say -200

the -300 looks like one of the best economys ive seen

If Qantas refurbishes the A380s say from late next year or early 2017 could this seat be the replacement or an 18-19" version of this seat and a 21" version for PE and most likely the A330 Business class suite 24". If they did a refurb would they get rid of it?

I doubt QF will go for 24" Business Suites - 23" inches is as wide as Emirates First anyway, and they'd probably take the more consistent sizing across their fleet. So I think its pretty certain QF will stick with 23" wide J on the Dreamliner and A380 - they can use the extra cabin width for footwells.

Also, if QF's A380 upper deck has side-storage lockers, then the usable width of the upper deck becomes basically the same as a Dreamliner. So expect 23" inches.

I agree that the A380 Economy should go to 18.5" wide, just like on Qatar. They won't have to compromise pitch or density and it would improve passenger experience.

21" Premium Economy is perfectly feasible and makes sense.

yeah i ment 23" for Business. What seats does Qantas use for economy and he same for Qatar. I wonder if Qantas in the future could use the cozysuite for economy and Premium Economy especscially if they use it for the 787-9s?

On the A380, CozySuites are 11-abreast at 17". I don't think they'll be using CozySuites for the A380 Economy or for Premium Economy generally... Premium Economy is fine in a Regional-Business-style seat.

CozySuites still require a slight density sacrifice relative to traditional seating (although not a massive one), by the way. On an A380 it makes more sense to stay at 10-across with regular seating and make it wider (thus improving passenger experience without sacrificing density) rather than incur the massive downgrade in Pax-Ex that would come with going 11-abreast.

Perhaps when the A380Neo comes around, Airbus will raise the main deck's floor to get more width on the main deck though, and this might make the CozySuite a good choice. Who knows?

Was on one of the refurb 200s Mel-PER last month and thought the economy seat is much better than the old ones, especially the IFE screen compare to the old 4:3 tinny screen. Also liked the fabric, I personally much prefer that than leather. The only thing I'd point out is that my Dad reckoned his seat cushion was a bit hard but maybe coz he was in the first row (I always find first & exit row seat cushions are often harder for some reason)