Australian national carrier Qantas have announced they are launching Economy Plus seating. The new seats will provide passengers with greater legroom, priority boarding, and priority access to the overhead luggage bins.
Available from 2026, the seating will be offered to customers on the airline’s fleet of Boeing 737, A321XLR, and A220 jets. These cover most domestic routes across Australia, as well as some international routes to the Pacific Islands and New Zealand. Pricing for the new seats is yet to be confirmed, but Qantas did reveal that Economy Plus will be free to for Qantas Platinum, Platinum One, and Gold frequent flyers.
The new price tier will appeal to business and leisure travellers who want to spend a little extra. Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson said:
This is an evolution of our Economy offering and delivers more choice for our customers while recognising our most loyal frequent flyers with expanded benefits, in the areas we know they value the most.
Economy Plus: another development in premiumisation
Qantas cabins will be reconfigured to create extra space for Economy Plus. Elevated economy offerings have become more popular on short-haul flights as the trend towards premiumisation continues. Earlier this year, Virgin Australia said they were considering added a ‘neighbour-free’ booking option, giving customers the chance to purchase the seat beside them for extra space. And over in Europe, LCC Wizz Air are trialling a new ‘Wizz Class’ seat that offers business travellers more space and other priority benefits.
The desire to charge customers more based on what they are willing to pay could soon extend beyond economy. Qatar Airways recently announced that business class ticket holders will have to pay a fee if they want to select a preferred seat in advance of travel.
Join us at Aviation Festival Asia 2026 to discuss the future of flight retailing.
For more like this, see:
