Qantas announces ‘cargo class’ plans for long-haul flights where passengers go in the HOLD
CEO Alan Joyce has announced that Aussie airline has even more ambitious plans after launching the first non-stop flight from Perth to London.
IT’S not just Qantas’ new direct 17-hour London to Perth flight that shows its ambitions.
The airline has announced that it has plans to put passengers in the HOLD – in an area where they can exercise and sleep.
These new zones may become essential to the well-being of passengers as the airline plans for even longer flights in the future, with routes from Sydney to New York and Melbourne to London.
The new plans have been named “Project Sunrise”.
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce revealed the new plans at the Aviation Club in London, when discussing what’s coming next for the Aussie airline.
To combat the inevitable discomfort economy passengers would experience on super long-haul flights, Mr Joyce proposed creating sleeping berths for passengers in the cargo hold, along with gyms.
He said: “We are also looking at, do we need and should we have four classes? Is there a new class that’s seated on the aircraft?
“Could some of the freight areas we may not use [for baggage] be used as an exercise area?
“Could they be used for berths for people to sleep in?”
Sun travel reporter Jacob Lewis experienced Qantas' direct 17 hour London to Perth flight earlier this week.
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Jacob reported that he got a numb bum, and was convinced that he was breathing "more farts than air" on the flight which takes the best part of a whole day.
He even reported that passengers were instructed not to "sleep on the floor" during the flight.
Perhaps that sleeping area in a possible future "cargo class" is needed after all.