The best business class seats aboard QantasLink's Boeing 717-200s

QantasLink's Boeing 717-200 aircraft typically appear on shorter flights such as to Canberra, Hobart and Adelaide, but when you're paying top-dollar for business class, choosing the best seat always has its advantages regardless of the flight length.

Whether travelling for work or pleasure, here are our top business class seating picks on QantasLink's regional jets.

QantasLink Boeing 717 business class: best seats

Not all QantasLink Boeing 717s offer business class – some instead come only with economy – but on those that do, you'll find 12 business class seats at the front of the aircraft...

... arranged across three rows in a 2-2 layout, with the 'A' and 'F' seats by the windows and the 'C' and 'D' seats next to the aisle: much the same as aboard Qantas' larger Boeing 737 jets.

For dining – 1A/1C, then 1D/1F: If your flight involves breakfast, lunch or dinner and you'd like to indulge, aim for 1A or 1C, followed by 1D or 1F.

That's because the cabin crew usually serve meals in this order, giving you as much time as possible to enjoy your food and the best chances of securing your first meal preference.

Meal service continues in the same alphabetical order in rows 2 and 3, so if row 1 is unavailable, aim for 2A/2C next, followed by 2D/2F, then 3A/3C and finally 3D/3F, which are served last.

For tablet-based work – any row 1 seat: With plenty of space and nobody to recline into you, row 1 again proves ideal for business travellers touting tablets, as these can used throughout the flight, including during take-off and landing.

Just remember that on some devices such as the Microsoft Surface, you'll need to remove the detachable keyboard at the start and end of the flight, but can continue to use the tablet in screen-only format.

For laptop work – rows 2 and 3: Full-sized laptops need to be stowed during take-off and landing, and as you can't keep a laptop bag by your feet in row 1 (being a bulkhead), aim for a seat in rows 2 and 3 where this is possible – avoiding the need to hop up and down to retrieve and stow your device.

Certainly, the passengers in front of you might recline...

... but even when the seat is back as far as possible, there's still ample room to work: once you fold the fixed iPad stand away, of course.

For relaxing and napping – row 3: If your flight is more about stretching out and kicking back than being fed or remaining productive, nothing beats a seat in the back row: particularly by the windows.

Here, you're further away from any noise at the forward galley and lavatory and also have a thick bulkhead wall directly behind, meaning there's nobody to bump your seat and disturb your nap (or movie).

If you have a choice, consider skipping 3C in favour of 3A, 3D or 3F, as the centre aisle begins to curve in this direction as passengers walk backwards towards economy, and it's not uncommon for travellers seated here to be bumped or swiped by bags as passengers pass by.

Should you instead wind up in row 1 for a little TV time, bear in mind that due to the larger distance between your seat and the wall on which the Qantas iPads are mounted, some headphone cables may feel uncomfortably stretched unless you carry an extension cord for your own set, or use the supplied pair.

With maximum carry-on baggage – seats on the D/F side: While all business class seats come with lockers overhead, those on the D/F side are considerably larger than found on the A/C side – so if you're the type who prefers to keep their bags directly overhead, stick to the starboard side.

Also read: QantasLink Boeing 717 business class review, Brisbane-Canberra

Connect with other business travellers in our Qantas discussion group

Chris C.

Chris is a a former contributor to Executive Traveller.