QR is working on a new economy seats and wants to do "something special".

Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker is working on a new economy-class product, which could be unveiled as early at 2019, likely at next year’s ITB Berlin.

“When you give the best product in business class, then you should never forget economy-class passengers, because that’s the volume,” Qatar CEO Akbar Al Baker told ATW on board the airline’s delivery flight of its first Airbus A350-1000.

He declined to give details on the new product, but said, “There is something [special] that we want to do. I promised the same with our [new business-class seat] Qsuite [at last year’s show] and I surprised [the public] with the product. And we want to do the same again for economy class.”

Source
http://atwonline.com/aircraft-interiors ... -transport

So what needs to be done to improve economy class?

Wonder if QR would use this for a PY product introduction as well?

I love how he takes personal credit for it.

Hope they don't give us the same seats as United.

HMM. “Here’s a new aircraft. In a few years, we are going to throw some new seats on it. Look at the pretty suites!”

airzona11 wrote:

Wonder if QR would use this for a PY product introduction as well?

The article quotes AAB specifically saying there will be no PY product

This might be a pipe dream but he could be talking about introducing the staggered rows of 3 with individual armrests and better shoulder space.

I'd consider something as minor as decent lumbar support to be a huge improvement.

I could imagiene a massage function or something non-linear. They clearly want to try and knock Emirates off the gulf topspot for the best economy class. Sadly, the blockade has probably been a catalyst for this.

9 abreast in economy on 777s and 8 abreast for 787s. 32-34 inches of legroom. Problem solved.

Arion640 wrote:

They clearly want to try and knock Emirates off the gulf topspot for the best economy class.

Emirates best economy in the gulf Their 777s are 10 abreast... QR already has the best economy product overall between the ME3 IMO.

mict wrote:

Arion640 wrote:

They clearly want to try and knock Emirates off the gulf topspot for the best economy class.

Emirates best economy in the gulf Their 777s are 10 abreast... QR already has the best economy product overall between the ME3 IMO.

I had no trouble with 3-4-3 seating in an Emirates 777, the leg room was adequate and I am also quite a slim person anyway so it's not like I was intruding into the space of the next passenger.

While normally I find these statements as hyperbole- QR did do something pretty awesome with their W Suites, I’d anyone can deliver it willl be QR

airzona11 wrote:

Wonder if QR would use this for a PY product introduction as well?

Well, the linked article expressly says:

Linked article wrote:

He has no plans to install a premium-economy product in its fleet.

mict wrote:

Arion640 wrote:

They clearly want to try and knock Emirates off the gulf topspot for the best economy class.

Emirates best economy in the gulf Their 777s are 10 abreast... QR already has the best economy product overall between the ME3 IMO.

Qatar are also 10 abreast on the 777 bar a few and 9 abreast on the 787.

Oh yay another thread for people to complain about the perfectly comfortable 10-abreast 777's.

As a non aviation industry person with an interest in aviation as opposed to an aviation industry person commenting on aviation related anet topics perhaps he is referring to economy in the 787.

Something I have actually flown on along with their 777's.

I dont unlike many on here know the in's and outs of seat design but Qatar really have got the economy seating in the 787 wrong to the general public. And they are noticing and commenting.

Just need to look around the wider net and you will see many many many complaints/trip video's about the large ife boxes under many of the seats which eat even more into the very limited personal space many have in economy.

Flown many times on many airlines but this particular sub fleet has got to have been the worst experience. To the horror of many its the middle seat that is the most sort after economy seat on this class of plane for the simple reason it does not have an ife box under the seat infront of it.

For a person of normal height its just impossible to stretch and get comfortable so all the issues of passengers encroaching your upper seat space happens as they try to find some position to negate the lack of space for their legs.

Everything else on the flights is normal top drawer Qatar Airways but if your uncomfortable in your seat no amount of other top drawer stuff is going to make that flight anything but miserable.

The 777's dont have this ife box and therefore the issue is not there and all the other stuff Qatar have then make their economy exceptional.

My first 787 experience was with Qatar and I was really looking forward to the future of air travel. While its a marvel of a plane the seat made it nothing short of unbearable. Non aviation people dont care on all the cutting edge stuff thats discussed on anet. But they care about that personal space and the things the airlines do to make the hours sat in that space bearable.

Flying an Eithiad 787 since showed how poorly designed that seat is and I will avoid Qatar 787's on purpose.

Like I said not an aviation insider but a member of the normal population who has an interest in aviation who is avoiding like many others a next generation plane and superior company because of a badly designed seat.

So I would say Qatar are aware of this chatter. They are a very good airline normally and streets ahead of some of the legacies but they have made a mistake of thinking a top draw personal entertainment system is more important than personal space.

You cant enjoy all the extra's in a modern fleet if the basic requirements to make you comfortable are missing.

vhtje wrote:

airzona11 wrote:

Wonder if QR would use this for a PY product introduction as well?

Well, the linked article expressly says:

Linked article wrote:

He has no plans to install a premium-economy product in its fleet.

Missed that 1 sentence. Thanks.

airlinereporter wrote:

airzona11 wrote:

Wonder if QR would use this for a PY product introduction as well?

The article quotes AAB specifically saying there will be no PY product

Also that H.E. Akbar Al Baker once claimed his Y class is "so good [he] won't have to punish people to pay more to get the same product." He's a very interesting character, let's put it that way.

ken10 wrote:

They are a very good airline normally and streets ahead of some of the legacies but they have made a mistake of thinking a top draw personal entertainment system is more important than personal space.

Qatar Airways is not the only airline who think this way. Few years ago we had this interview with Tim Clark, and he explained how to distract passengers from the narrower seat:

According to Tim Clark, offering products and services to passengers seated in the economy class cabin will distract them from the narrower seat. Distractions could include but not be limited to:

Large meals
Attentive service
In-flight entertainment
Frequent snacks

…and there would be plenty of those distractions.

etc

OA940 wrote:

Oh yay another thread for people to complain about the perfectly comfortable 10-abreast 777's.

Then by those measures, SQ's 777's don't even have a normal economy section, just premium economy. I need Boeing to have made every single one of their planes about a foot wider than they are right now.

QR economy is fine except the 787s which are dreadful

BA ( BOAC to the grandad above who can’t remember His own name ) is tighter than Ryanair and Mixed Fleet look and sound like FR rejects ...

KarelXWB wrote:

ken10 wrote:

They are a very good airline normally and streets ahead of some of the legacies but they have made a mistake of thinking a top draw personal entertainment system is more important than personal space.

Qatar Airways is not the only airline who think this way. Few years ago we had this interview with Tim Clark, and he explained how to distract passengers from the narrower seat:

According to Tim Clark, offering products and services to passengers seated in the economy class cabin will distract them from the narrower seat. Distractions could include but not be limited to:

Large meals
Attentive service
In-flight entertainment
Frequent snacks

…and there would be plenty of those distractions.

etc

By that measure BA will fall down the line after Walsh & Cruz’s complete evisceration of quality and service.

New narrow seats, minimal full service carrier extras and increasingly poor on board and overall customer service. Also known as the wrong way to run a business and classic short termism.

I do wonder if QR can avoid going down the IAG route and actually improve their offering in economy. 10 abreast on a 777 certainly doesn’t a 5 star airline make.

jubguy3 wrote:

OA940 wrote:

Oh yay another thread for people to complain about the perfectly comfortable 10-abreast 777's.

Then by those measures, SQ's 777's don't even have a normal economy section, just premium economy. I need Boeing to have made every single one of their planes about a foot wider than they are right now.

Well by today's standards SQ does offer a pretty damn good Y seat. But that's not the point. 10-abreast 777's are acceptable for normal people (likewise 9-abreast 787's). And you can barely feel the difference between those and the 18'' A330/A350's. What's not acceptable is a 10-abreast A350 for a 12-hour flight.

OA940 wrote:

jubguy3 wrote:

OA940 wrote:

Oh yay another thread for people to complain about the perfectly comfortable 10-abreast 777's.

Then by those measures, SQ's 777's don't even have a normal economy section, just premium economy. I need Boeing to have made every single one of their planes about a foot wider than they are right now.

Well by today's standards SQ does offer a pretty damn good Y seat. But that's not the point. 10-abreast 777's are acceptable for normal people (likewise 9-abreast 787's). And you can barely feel the difference between those and the 18'' A330/A350's. What's not acceptable is a 10-abreast A350 for a 12-hour flight.

The only 10-abreast A350s belong to Air Caraïbes. The difference is that the most common configuration of the 777 and 787 is narrower than the most common configuration of the A330, A350, and A380. It is annoying that it's divided by manufacturer because I do not have a preference for either aircraft as a brand and don't want it to appear that I do, but Airbus's standard configurations are more comfortable than Boeing's. The 777X wall thinning will help, and the only route I have preferred the 777 over the A350 was on SQ (LAX-ICN-SIN, SIN-SFO open jaw) where the 777 exists in it's original intended configuration before Boeing bastardized their long haul aircraft to improve economics. It's funny, because as originally intended, Airbus aircraft sans-A320 should be less comfortable than Boeing aircraft had Boeing stuck to the 8 and 9 abreast scheme. And yes, I have spent 16 hours in an SQ A380, and 12 hours in an AF 10 abreast 777, and the A350 had a more comfortable seat by my evaluation. I am a skinny runner's build (125 lbs, 5'11"), but I can't sleep upright, and my head falls out of the adjustable headrests. Each additional inch is an inch I can move my hips out to sleep sideways rather than sitting upright.

346fetish wrote:

airlinereporter wrote:

airzona11 wrote:

Wonder if QR would use this for a PY product introduction as well?

The article quotes AAB specifically saying there will be no PY product

Also that H.E. Akbar Al Baker once claimed his Y class is "so good [he] won't have to punish people to pay more to get the same product." He's a very interesting character, let's put it that way.

Another good way to put it is that AAB is the biggest A$$HOLE in the airline industry. Honestly though, due to the downturn in traffic, they should just go 2-2-2 on their B77W economy. By no doubt would that be the best Y class product out there.

I’m 6ft 2 and 15 stone (190cm / 210 pounds) and have flown all the way from the U.K. to Australia and back on EK economy. I found it perfectly comfortable. The only think I struggled with was trying to sleep seated, but that has nothing to do with the seat in itself

Sandyb123

OA940 wrote:

jubguy3 wrote:

OA940 wrote:

Oh yay another thread for people to complain about the perfectly comfortable 10-abreast 777's.

Then by those measures, SQ's 777's don't even have a normal economy section, just premium economy. I need Boeing to have made every single one of their planes about a foot wider than they are right now.

Well by today's standards SQ does offer a pretty damn good Y seat. But that's not the point. 10-abreast 777's are acceptable for normal people (likewise 9-abreast 787's). And you can barely feel the difference between those and the 18'' A330/A350's. What's not acceptable is a 10-abreast A350 for a 12-hour flight.

Well, the world's newest 5 Star airline still owes me a substantial amount of money of intra-EU delays. They do not respond to email queries and they customer hotline is un(der)staffed 24/7.
To sum it up and to paraphrase a US President: Skytrax is a ruse.

To get back on topic, 10-abreast ist totally fine, if you have enough legroom.

jubguy3 wrote:

OA940 wrote:

jubguy3 wrote:

Then by those measures, SQ's 777's don't even have a normal economy section, just premium economy. I need Boeing to have made every single one of their planes about a foot wider than they are right now.

Well by today's standards SQ does offer a pretty damn good Y seat. But that's not the point. 10-abreast 777's are acceptable for normal people (likewise 9-abreast 787's). And you can barely feel the difference between those and the 18'' A330/A350's. What's not acceptable is a 10-abreast A350 for a 12-hour flight.

The only 10-abreast A350s belong to Air Caraïbes. The difference is that the most common configuration of the 777 and 787 is narrower than the most common configuration of the A330, A350, and A380. It is annoying that it's divided by manufacturer because I do not have a preference for either aircraft as a brand and don't want it to appear that I do, but Airbus's standard configurations are more comfortable than Boeing's. The 777X wall thinning will help, and the only route I have preferred the 777 over the A350 was on SQ (LAX-ICN-SIN, SIN-SFO open jaw) where the 777 exists in it's original intended configuration before Boeing bastardized their long haul aircraft to improve economics. It's funny, because as originally intended, Airbus aircraft sans-A320 should be less comfortable than Boeing aircraft had Boeing stuck to the 8 and 9 abreast scheme. And yes, I have spent 16 hours in an SQ A380, and 12 hours in an AF 10 abreast 777, and the A350 had a more comfortable seat by my evaluation. I am a skinny runner's build (125 lbs, 5'11"), but I can't sleep upright, and my head falls out of the adjustable headrests. Each additional inch is an inch I can move my hips out to sleep sideways rather than sitting upright.

The difference between 18'' and 17.5'' is barely noticable. I'm not saying I would rather 10-abreast 777's than 9-abreast, like 9/8-abreast 787's, but that tiny difference which makes little difference comfort-wise gives you significantly cheaper fares, so I'm fine with that.

ushermittwoch wrote:

OA940 wrote:

jubguy3 wrote:

Then by those measures, SQ's 777's don't even have a normal economy section, just premium economy. I need Boeing to have made every single one of their planes about a foot wider than they are right now.

Well by today's standards SQ does offer a pretty damn good Y seat. But that's not the point. 10-abreast 777's are acceptable for normal people (likewise 9-abreast 787's). And you can barely feel the difference between those and the 18'' A330/A350's. What's not acceptable is a 10-abreast A350 for a 12-hour flight.

Well, the world's newest 5 Star airline still owes me a substantial amount of money of intra-EU delays. They do not respond to email queries and they customer hotline is un(der)staffed 24/7.
To sum it up and to paraphrase a US President: Skytrax is a ruse.

To get back on topic, 10-abreast ist totally fine, if you have enough legroom.

THANK YOU!!!!

At ITB Berlin today QR mentioned the new Economy Class will be unveiled in early 2019.

OA940 wrote:

jubguy3 wrote:

OA940 wrote:

Oh yay another thread for people to complain about the perfectly comfortable 10-abreast 777's.

Then by those measures, SQ's 777's don't even have a normal economy section, just premium economy. I need Boeing to have made every single one of their planes about a foot wider than they are right now.

Well by today's standards SQ does offer a pretty damn good Y seat. But that's not the point. 10-abreast 777's are acceptable for normal people (likewise 9-abreast 787's). And you can barely feel the difference between those and the 18'' A330/A350's. What's not acceptable is a 10-abreast A350 for a 12-hour flight.

SQ is terrible
long haul to Christchurch
no AVOD, no power sockets,
CX's new A350 seats are cool with nice compartments
even KA's regional seats were better than SQ