Qantas is giving travellers a new way to fly more comfortably in Economy with the launch of Economy Plus, debuting from February 2026 across its Boeing 737, Airbus A220 and Airbus A321XLR aircraft.
Going head-to-head against Virgin Australia’s Economy X, the new seats offer up to 40% more legroom than standard Economy and will include priority boarding. In good news for Platinum members (but perhaps not as much for Platinum One flyers), Platinum frequent flyers will be able to select these seats for free again.
What to expect in Qantas Economy Plus
Economy Plus is essentially a rebadging of the front and exit rows of the Economy cabin, along with a handful of additional rows throughout the aircraft. According to Qantas, these seats will offer between 34 and 52 inches of pitch, depending on location and aircraft type – a significant improvement over the standard 30-inch pitch.
The number of Economy Plus seats per aircraft will vary:
- 48 seats on the Boeing 737 fleet
- 20 seats on the Airbus A220
- 36 seats on the Airbus A321XLR
Regular flyers will know that the Boeing 737s currently have just 18 extra legroom seats (Rows 4, 13, and 14). Qantas says five additional rows will be reconfigured into Economy Plus, with work starting in December 2025. However, it’s not yet clear which extra rows will be Economy Plus or where the additional space is coming from.
The QantasLink A220s and Qantas A321XLRs already have the published number of Economy Plus seats on board, which are currently marketed as standard extra-legroom seats.
Frequent flyer access: who gets what
Economy Plus will be available for purchase to all customers, but Qantas Frequent Flyers will see different access levels based on their status.
- Platinum One members: Free selection at the time of booking.
- Platinum members: Free selection at the time of booking (from February 2026).
- Gold members: Free selection from 24 hours before departure.
- Silver and Bronze members: Can purchase Economy Plus seating for an additional fee during or after booking.
Platinum One members, who currently enjoy exclusive free access to extra-legroom seats, will face more competition once the perk is extended to all Platinum members.
What’s the difference between the current extra-legroom product and the Economy Plus product?
| Current extra-legroom product | Economy Plus product (Feb 2026) | |
| Complimentary selection at booking | Only for Platinum One | For Platinum One and Platinum |
| Complimentary selection at online check-in | Any passenger can select remaining seats for free at T-24 | Gold members can select remaining seats for free at T-24 |
| Priority boarding | Not currently included for non-status passengers | Included for non-status passengers |
Summing up
Economy Plus will roll out from February 2026, with seats gradually introduced across domestic and short-haul international routes as aircraft are retrofitted or delivered.
Qantas’ new Economy Plus product offers a tad more comfort on these shorter flights, giving frequent Economy flyers more reason to keep their status perks going. For Platinum members in particular, it’s a big win. For everyone else, the appeal will depend on price.
Featured image courtesy of Qantas.
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