The A321XLR marks the start of Qantas’ next narrowbody era, promising bigger bins, wider seats and a quieter cabin experience. The Champagne Mile joined the inaugural flight to put it to the test.
What you notice straight away
Step onto the A321XLR and it’s immediately obvious this isn’t another 737. Back in March, I toured this aircraft as a bare shell at the Hamburg Airbus factory. The promise was a roomier, quieter cabin, and flying on the aircraft’s first service, those claims largely held up.
The cabin stretches five metres longer than the 737 and feels genuinely more spacious, partly because it’s 18 centimetres wider wall to wall, but also thanks to higher ceilings and larger windows that let more natural light in.
Economy seats expand to 17.6 inches wide, up from 17 on the older aircraft. That extra space matters more than you’d expect when it comes to shoulder comfort, though legroom stays the same at 30 inches. The business class cabin expands from 12 on the 737, up to 20 seats.
The colour scheme feels bright and airy, and once airborne, the cabin runs noticeably quieter than the 737s. But it’s the overhead bins that solve one of the biggest flyer frustrations – around 60% more storage should (hopefully) result in a quicker boarding experience and less gate announcements about limited space.
Where the Qantas A321XLR will fly
On 25 September, The Champagne Mile joined the launch flight of Great Ocean Road from Sydney to Melbourne, as Outback Way commenced operations on Sydney–Perth. After nearly 350 training flights and more than 40,000 hours of crew preparation, these busy routes give Qantas a chance to iron out any teething issues while introducing the new jet to passengers.
The inaugural media flight included a low-flying scenic pass over its namesake Great Ocean Road coastline, a memorable experience for the many aviation enthusiasts on board.
The third aircraft, Seven Peaks Walk, arrives in November and will start Sydney–Brisbane services from November 16. Qantas expects to have seven aircraft in service by June 2026.
The A321XLR extends Qantas’ reach well beyond the 737’s limits. As the fleet grows, CEO Vanessa Hudson has her sights on routes including Adelaide–Singapore, Perth–India and routes into Malaysia and Manila, all within the aircraft’s 8,700km range. Think widebody reach via narrowbody economics.
Where the A321XLR misses the mark
The first iteration of the Qantas A321XLR isn’t without its issues, and a few things stood out on the inaugural flight:
Toilet queues: The first three aircraft have just two toilets for 177 economy passengers. This is acceptable for short, zone one flights, but trans-continental sectors will test passengers’ patience. Subsequent aircraft get a third toilet, with the early birds scheduled for a retrofit in several years. Until then, it’s fair to say that savvy flyers will go out of their way to avoid the initial XLR configuration on longer trips.
Wi-Fi issues: The inaugural flight, packed with media travellers attempting to upload imagery and videos, saw the system struggle under heavy load. It’s unclear whether that was down to heavier than normal data demands or a sign of broader capacity issues. Typical passenger loads will be the real test.
No seatback screens: Everyone streams to their own device using the provided holders. It cuts aircraft weight and cost for Qantas. While many travellers prefer to carry their own devices these days, this could feel like a backward step for travellers who see built-in entertainment as a non-negotiable inclusion from a premium airline.
Comfort gap: recliners now, lie-flats later
Qantas has ordered 48 A321XLRs in total, split into two distinct configurations.
The first 28 aircraft, including the seven arriving by June 2026, will feature the current domestic setup and recliner business seats. These are designed to replace 737s on trunk routes like Sydney–Melbourne and Sydney–Perth.
From 2028, a further 16 aircraft will arrive with lie-flat business seats and seatback entertainment systems. These are likely to target longer domestic trans-continental sectors and international routes where full-service carriers already deploy widebodies.
How to book the A321XLR using Qantas points
A Classic Reward seat from Sydney–Melbourne costs 9,200 Qantas points in economy or 19,300 in business, excluding carrier fees. Sydney–Perth costs 20,700 points in economy or 43,600 in business, excluding carrier fees.
The A321XLR carries fewer passengers overall than the 737, but the layout shifts in favour of business. With the cabin almost doubling from 12 to 20 seats, we should see more Classic Reward opportunities up front. That said, some travellers may prefer to save their points for lie-flat cabins on longer routes.
The bottom line
The new Qantas A321XLR is a welcome and overdue step up from the airline’s ageing 737s workhorse. Quieter engines, wider seats and bigger overhead bins promise to improve the passenger experience on high-frequency domestic routes.
The biggest question is how customers will react if and when the current configuration shows up on international routes.
Recliner seats in business and bring-your-own-device entertainment are fine across the Tasman or to Bali, but on routes where premium fares meet widebody rivals, the A321XLR is likely to fall short.
Qantas will need the lie-flat XLRs arriving from 2028 to match the standards premium passengers demand. Until then, the new jet is likely to shine domestically, but will face a tougher test overseas.
The writer travelled on the inaugural A321XLR service as a guest of Qantas.
Supplementary images courtesy of Qantas.
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