For those embarking on Qantas’ groundbreaking ‘Project Sunrise’ flights, taking off from Sydney and Melbourne and heading directly to New York, London, and Paris starting in late 2025, there’s no better place to be than the exclusive Qantas A350 first-class suites.
These flights will be the longest in the world, lasting anywhere from 18 to 21 hours in the air. The state-of-the-art Airbus A350s, designed for ultra-long distances, will feature a total of six First suites, arranged in a comfortable two-row configuration of 1-1-1.
These suites are the result of an exclusive collaboration between David Caon and his talented team at Studio Caon. This partnership marks another exciting addition to their portfolio of design ventures, which have previously encompassed Qantas’ Boeing 787 and upgraded Airbus A380 seats, Brisbane’s Chairman’s Lounge, Singapore’s first-class lounge, and even a stunning collection of ultra-light Noritake tableware.
Six first class apartments on the Qantas A350 are each encircled by a 1.4 m (57 in) wall. One of the most noticeable features of the Qantas A350 First suites is that they include a separate armchair and a bed, rather than a seat that transforms into a bed.
While this choice is not entirely new, both Etihad Airways and Singapore Airlines opted for the same configuration on their Airbus A380s, and the concept can even be traced back to Lufthansa’s earlier Boeing 747 first-class cabins.
It’s a setup that passengers absolutely love. With this arrangement, there’s no compromise on comfort in either mode: the seat is comfortable, and the bed provides a truly cozy sleeping experience.
Together with Qantas, our cooperation in Project Sunrise began in 2018. We started conducting preliminary research to examine several options for the configuration and arrangement of various compartments on the aircraft. The arrangement with a separate bed beside the seat emerged as the top option throughout the selection process.
It is crucial to ensure passengers get a good night’s sleep on these lengthy, 18+ hour trips. So it was crucial to have a special thoughtfully created bed for optimal comfort. With this design, there is no loss of bed comfort due to conversion from a seat, allowing guests to enjoy restorative sleep.
The bed features an inclined backrest that, when covered with cushions, puts passengers into “breakfast in bed” mode or gives a peaceful way to view a movie before sleep. The 22″-wide armchair “is also full functional (and) goes down virtually flat by itself.”
The bed itself is 28″ wide and two meters (80″) long. Even though it is a little less roomy than Etihad’s A380 first class bed (82″ x 30″), it is still a little bigger than Singapore Airlines’ A380 first class bed (76″ x 27″).
(If you are searching for a more realistic comparison of bed sizes, an Australian standard single bed measures 74″ x 36″, compared to 79″ x 35″ for European singles and 74.5″ x 38.5″ for US singles.)
However, Caon’s Qantas A350 first class bed is a fixed piece of furniture, unlike the fold-out beds offered by Etihad and Singapore Airlines. This is done in the purpose of minimizing compromise and maximizing comfort.
Two people can share an incredibly big bi-fold table by using a padded ottoman facing the armchair; additionally, the bed may sit three people.
The A350 first class cabin will not have overhead luggage bins, and the suite is around 50% larger than Qantas’ A380 first class.
The ottoman has space underneath it for two standard-sized cabin bags stacked one on the other. A deep personal wardrobe that may be accessed from behind the door is hidden by the aisle-facing wall of the suite.
Where travelers can hang their clothing once they have changed into the Martin Grant pajamas provided (there is no need to go to the bathroom when changing clothes).
The temperature and humidity levels in the suite are also controlled by a tablet-like pad that sits next to the seat, according to Qantas. Your laptop, along with WiFi, AC, and USB device charging ports, can fit underneath the armrest.
These outlets are also found on a panel behind the seat and top of two benches, making them functional “bedside tables” for putting your phone on while you sleep.
Between the chair and the bed is an additional armrest with a smaller IFE controller, a water bottle holder, and a shallow compartment for storing reading glasses, a smartphone, or noise-canceling earphones.
The 32″ video screen, which will be loaded with movies and packaged TV programs to occupy the time (during the course of an 18-hour flight, you could watch The Lord of the Rings trilogy twice), may be connected to the headphones by Bluetooth.
A two-level shelf with a vanity mirror mounted inside the door is integrated into the cabinetry right next to that screen if you need more storage space.
… as well as a useful compartment beneath the ottoman.
Caon hopes passengers will readily notice and appreciate the thoughtful “attention to detail” touches incorporated into the Qantas A350 First suites. For instance, he highlights the leather pull-tabs on the drawer and the bed’s backrest, which he describes as discreet yet intuitive. These elements contribute to a premium luxury ambiance that plays a significant role in shaping the overall look and feel of the first-class cabin.
What about those lucky travelers nestled in the middle suite without windows? While passengers in the A and K suites can enjoy the breathtaking views through the A350’s expansive windows, Caon took a different approach than Emirates’ Boeing 777 first class. Instead of installing video screens linked to external cameras, he focused on creating a distinct experience for passengers in the middle suite, ensuring they still feel connected and immersed in the luxurious surroundings.
The panel, which takes up the majority of one wall, has the potential to fill the room with calming light that “will adjust to cabin conditions to be part of the wellness characteristics of the suite.”
Caon and Qantas “completely developed from the ground up” the technology. Actually, the programming of the light is still under development. We frequently experiment with the colors of the sunrise and sunset… It will be fascinating to observe the impacts that we can produce.
In fact, one could argue that the middle suite is the largest of the three because it does not have to contend with the aircraft’s curving side walls or the front row, where the cabin begins to get somewhat smaller.
