For the best part of half a century, the Boeing 747 was part of the furniture at Australian flag carrier Qantas. The airline retired the last of its ‘jumbo jets’ in 2020, bringing its 49-year relationship with the 747 to an end. However, did you know that the carrier once considered fitting these iconic aircraft with an all-economy seating configuration?
Prompted by supersonic ambitions
According to data from ATDB.aero, Qantas received its first Boeing 747s in 1971. These were examples of the 747-200. The Australian flag carrier went on to operate 26 of these across all sub-variants over the years. The 1970s marked a ground-breaking decade for aviation, as it didn’t just see the advent of widebody jets, but also of supersonic travel.
Indeed, it was during this decade that both Concorde and the Tupolev Tu-144 entered service. At the time, supersonic flight was considered to have huge potential, with 18 airlines worldwide placing around 100 options for Concorde. According to Executive Traveller, Qantas placed four of these, alongside six for the ultimately unsuccessful Boeing 2707 SST.
Foreseeing a supersonic future, Qantas came up with two different long-haul cabin models depending on the speed of the aircraft. Supersonic flights would be its most luxurious offering, while its subsonic flights would cater to those traveling on a budget.
Single-class 747s?
A proposal weighed up by Qantas for the configuration of its Concorde aircraft involved fitting the supersonic jet entirely with first class sleeper-style seating. This would have represented something of a contrast to the fairly cozy 2-2 layout used by eventual operators British Airways and Air France. Its plans for the 747s were also rather different.
Indeed, with Concorde catering to travelers wanting to travel in style, the 747 would have solely featured economy seating. Of course, economy class in the 1970s was a more spacious affair than we are used to today. In any case, it would have been an interesting sight. Executive Traveller quotes the Sydney Morning Herald as stating at the time:
“The important minority for whom time means more than money will fly by Concorde, and the majority for whom money means more than time will fly by subsonic jet.”
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Qantas never went supersonic
Ultimately, Qantas’ potential plans to operate all-economy Boeing 747s never came to fruition. It was one of the many airlines that ended up canceling its Concorde options, doing so in 1973. Just 14 production examples of the supersonic airliner were produced. British Airways and Air France each operated seven examples of the majestic but rare jet.
As such, the 747 remained the Australian flag carrier’s long-haul flagship for decades. Over time, it operated examples of the family’s -100, -200, -300, and -400 variants, retiring the last of these in mid-2020. Nonetheless, the idea of an all-economy Qantas 747 is an interesting example of what could have been, had supersonic travel become widespread.
What do you make of this concept? Did you ever fly on a Qantas Boeing 747? let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!
