At long last, the first two of Qantas’ 48 Airbus A321XLRs are ready for service. Partly a Boeing 737 workhorse replacement and partly the cornerstone of Qantas’ future international narrowbody network expansion, the XLR will undoubtedly become a common sight in the years to come.
As part of the inaugural flight celebrations, Point Hacks was invited to check out the first two new jets in Sydney. Toby and Daniel took the aptly numbered, media-only flight QF1321 to Melbourne and back. Meanwhile, I hopped on the first commercial service, QF645, from Sydney to Perth.
Full disclosure: we flew as guests of Qantas. As always, we strive to be open and honest in our reports, regardless of whether we are hosted or not, and I’ll hope you find it a fair assessment of both the good and the areas of improvement onboard this first Airbus A321XLR flight to Perth.
Check-in, lounge and boarding
As I’m travelling with hand luggage only, check-in is easily done on the Qantas app. With a flash of my boarding pass at security, I’m directed down to the priority lane. Over in the lounge, I request a printed boarding pass to keep and settle in for breakfast.
The Qantas Domestic Business Lounge in Sydney is the least impressive of the network in Australia. Breakfast is a standard affair, featuring chipolatas, scrambled eggs, and a delightful iced latte. A recent addition is the ‘Panini Bar’, where some freshly made rolls and slices await. I help myself to an egg and avocado roll.
Over at Gate 5, festivities are in full swing with the roaming Qantas kangaroo, Matilda, entertaining audiences. There’s also special signage commemorating this first inaugural flight. I pre-board early to snap some pics of the cabin, but priority boarding is later enforced with the remaining Business Class passengers boarding in Group 1.
Onboard the Qantas Airbus A321XLR
Cabin and seat layout
The ‘new plane’ smell is very much present – predominantly thanks to the new leather seats in Business Class. Arranged in a standard 2-2 layout, there are now five rows of recliners for a total of 20 Business Class seats.
I also take a quick peek at Economy, which sports a typical 3-3 layout. Most seats have a 76.2cm (30″) pitch, the same as on the Boeing 737, which is adequate but not quite up to long-haul international standards.
There are six rows that boast extra legroom, which can be pre-selected for a fee by most. It’s also free to select at online check-in if still available. Those rows are 6, 7, 15, 16, 17 and 18.
A321XLR Business Class seat features
The newest iteration of Qantas’ Business Class recliner seat features a well-padded design with 94cm (37″) of seat pitch. Like in Economy, that’s passable, but also not industry-leading – Virgin’s 737 Business Class is a smidge more spacious.
The rest of the seat is well-thought-out with an illuminated compartment for your gadgets in front, along with two different USB ports. Underneath is a standard literature pocket with the Qantas magazine.
Each seat comes with dual USB-A and 60W USB-C charging ports to keep your devices fully charged.
In the centre console, there’s a cut-out for more of your personal items, along with another set of USB ports (for a total of four per seat). Cleverly, Qantas has also incorporated a wireless charging pad here, which provides decent power output.
The centre cocktail table is wide and features a handy lip that stops your drink or phone from sliding around. Under the edge are two buttons, one to recline the seat. The other releases the swing-out footrest. As expected, my legs are too long to fully enjoy this feature, but other passengers may find it relaxing.
The tray table extends from the outer armrest and is pleasingly functional. In the half-folded state, it has a device holder that can swing out. When fully extended, it’s sturdy with very little bounce, whether you’re working or dining. It can also move forward or backward.
Streaming entertainment only
The most significant omission on these domestically configured aircraft is the lack of in-seat entertainment screens. Instead, Qantas relies on streaming entertainment to fill the gap.
It may be a teething issue, but on this flight, the Viasat in-flight Wi-Fi and entertainment service is patchy at the start. Speeds are initially good, with my test recording 4.3 Mbps. But I feel that when too many people are connected, the performance suffers. Towards the second half of the flight, the speeds are more usable again.
Unfortunately, there are no AC charging ports present in Business, which I feel is a major oversight. Some devices, such as laptops, demand more than 60W of power, and without an AC port, they will struggle to charge.
I was editing photos (a power-intensive task) and writing this review throughout the flight, and barely managed to keep my laptop alive with the 60W USB-C port. However, they are more than sufficient to keep all my other gadgets topped up to full.
Airbus A321XLR Business Class food and beverage
On this 4.5-hour domestic flight, lunch is served. Before take-off, the crew come around with bottles of water, followed by a drink of choice after take-off (I choose the sparkling wine). By comparison, Virgin Australia offers proper pre-departure drinks in domestic Business Class.
On the menu is a choice of:
- Roasted chicken with mushroom sauce and roasted vegetables
- Beef ragu pasta, or
- Hot salmon salad
… accompanied by a smoked salmon salad with sesame dressing and a Koko Black chocolate bar. There’s also a seeded sourdough slice, Pepe Saya butter, plus cheese and crackers.
The bar cart carries a range of wines and spirits. Australian wines are naturally the focus, including:
- Credaro Kinship Chardonnay, Margaret River, NV
- The Story Wines Syrah, Grampians, 2022
- Risky Business Pinot Grigio, King Valley, 2014
- The Lane Lois Blanc De Blanc, Adelaide Hills, NB
- Nugan Estate Semillon dessert wine, Cookoothama, 2022
The roast chicken is an excellent choice with two juicy, fall-apart chicken thighs served with a tasty mushroom sauce and roast potatoes. Washed down with the Kinship Chardonnay from Credaro in Margaret River (how could I not?), it’s a treat.
Later in the flight, we’re served a delicious Pat and Stick ice cream sandwich, which goes well with a hot peppermint tea. Overall, Qantas’ domestic Business Class offering is more than enough for the length of the flight.
Airbus A321XLR service and amenities
Led by CSM Shona, the crew are engaging and friendly on this flight. Passengers are addressed by name, coats are hung without prompting and overall, service is excellent.
The single lavatory at the front for Business Class passengers is considerably more spacious than on the Boeing 737s. The one point of difference between Economy is the thicker hand towels on offer.
Speaking of Economy, a queue for the two rear lavatories built up towards the end of the journey. Future deliveries (from the fourth A321XLR onwards) will feature an extra lavatory at the expense of three Economy seats, which should improve the overall experience. Hopefully, the first three A321XLRs remain mainly on shorter flights until they are reconfigured.
Another notable difference between the A321XLR and the Boeing 737 is how quiet the former is, compared to the latter. I can easily chat to crew members and industry colleagues in the galley. The extra-large overhead bins are also handy.
What’s on the in-flight entertainment?
After the initial connection issues, the streaming entertainment system functions smoothly. There are over 60 movies to choose from, including recent releases such as 28 Years Later and Megan 2.0, plus classics such as the entire Harry Potter movie backlog.
The TV series section is equally plentiful, with numerous listings, particularly Paramount+ offerings, that include full seasons. Finally, a range of audiobooks rounds out the selection. There are no onboard games or music albums. The 3D moving map is responsive and fun to swipe around to see where we are.
Overall, it’s a decent collection for a domestic flight. Just be prepared with your headphones and charging cables for the best experience.
Summing up
Qantas’ Airbus A321XLR domestic Business Class is a clear step up from the Boeing 737 experience. The cabin feels wider and quieter, the seats are more plush, and there’s a greater sense of space throughout.
Along with top-notch service, it’s an easy ride across Australia. However, there are definitely some areas of improvement. In-seat screens would be appreciated on future XLRs designated for longer international flights.
I would also love to see AC power added to the seats in the future across all A321XLRs, as well as a way to increase or better manage the in-flight internet load. Perhaps Business Class and elite status passengers could access a premium tier with increased bandwidth?
You can book a Business Reward seat from Sydney to Perth for 43,600 Qantas Points, plus fees and taxes. Or consider using points and miles from other programs, such as 33,000 Cathay Asia Miles, to book the same seat.
When using my own points, I’ll still prioritise flying the Airbus A330 (or the Boeing 787 on QF33/34 or QF5/6) between Sydney and Perth, where possible, as the international lie-flat experience can’t be beaten. But if it’s a toss-up between the Boeing 737 and the Airbus A321XLR, then the XLR is my pick.
All photography by Brandon Loo, who flew as a guest of Qantas. All opinions are his own.
Good observation about the seat back screens too. I have to say I’m with you and would do my best to book the A330 if flying to Perth, but if I didn’t have an option then this looks really comfortable overall.
Regarding the food: I wish Qantas would take a similar approach to Swiss and start showcasing different top Aussie chefs and sommeliers. Neil Perry’s menus are tired and clearly he couldn’t care about the business lounge offerings. Time to share the love.
With the exception of the fabulous International First Class lounge – Qantas has been disappointing on that front for a good 20 years and that the pace they have been pushing back the promised upgrades, I am sceptical about any great change in before 2030.
Prove me wrong Qantas!
Point Hacks used to have some integrity.
And deducting a star doesn’t fool anyone.
We have plenty of self-funded flights with points (both on Qantas and many other airlines) already completed with reviews in the pipeline. Hopefully you will enjoy those reads instead.
The ratio of those self-funded flights are still far greater than the handful of hosted opportunities we are offered – which we would be remiss to not take as it’s industry standard (all other major blogs and publications also attended) and it helps get new updates out to readers faster so that can make their own decisions based on the info we’ve provided.