Former Boeing fan boy (first flight on a BOAC 707 in 1964!) but I flew on a Swiss A220 two or three years ago and was blown away how quiet and spacious it was. Absolutely comfortable and pleasant. I seek this type out when travelling. Then flew an Ethiopian A350. I’d take that over the 787 any day. They both changed my mind. Australians will be raving about the A220 shortly.

Short answer: A321XLR and A220.

Qantas to pretty much become an Airbus airline across the fleet. Smart move, will make maintenance and repair a lot easier with all aircraft from the same family.

Qantas has done the right thing in choosing airbus over boeing because maintenance and pilot training will be easier across both Qantas and Jetstar.

It’s a tough one but I think the A320neo would be good. There will have compatibility with the training because of the A330’s they have. Which is why I think they should order A330neos too. Qantas have been held back by Boeing’s numerous delivery delays

Boeing has for now lost the single aisle market and that will not change before they develop a new plane. Only reason to choose a 737 would be earlier availability and initial cost.

The QF Group has been gravitating towards the A320 family, all subsidiaries operate the type and it was only a matter of time mainline joined. The A321XLR will give QF a right sized aircraft to serve more O&D/VFR routes in Asia and Pacific whilst increasing capacity on trans continental and triangle routes.

The first 737 was introduced in 1967. It has the same fuselage, cockpit, and cabin cross-section of the Boeing 707, which dates to the 1950s so I believe it's time for Boeing to innovate.

Not surprised. I think the A220 is a good match for many of Qantas's rotes. I suspect they are waiting on the A220-500, and will either convert some existing orders to it, or extend the order when it launches.

From a flying customer standpoint, the A320 series has wider seats in standard 3+3, as the cabin is 7" wider than the 737. It's also quieter inside. In the practicality stakes, the 737 will always be a chuck-baggage loader, but A320s can be optioned for containerised baggage handling.

The 737 is a horrible plane that should have been scrapped long ago. Even the placement of the windows at passengers’ arm or elbow height shows how tired and ancient the base design is. The 320 is old too but a lot better.

I still remember the diabolical attitudes to safety shown by Boeing, and have little confidence that they have improved.

I have flown with both types and felt that A320 (including the first A320neo delivered to Lufthansa) is better and more comfortable, spacious than B737. I haven't flown with B737 MAX yet: when I do, I will re-examine my perspectives and see if they change or not. In addition, Boeing should have gone ahead with B737 replacement rather than reinvent B737-pushing it over the limits and hoping for best-to compete with Airbus even though the development would take longer.

My two favourite airbus industries jets are the A220 and the A330 and although I’ve not yet flown in an A220 it’s a dream to have a tour of one, ah well maybe one day before this swinging brick for a heart decides that’s it I’m gone. Another great video. 🙏🙏

I Smell a Beautiful A330neo on their order books soon & Even the A350-900 too i think Qantas now should retire the B787 & go out in an all Airbus fleet now i think its heading that way i hope so GO Airbus !!!

It's also a case of size. Qantas picked the A220-300, which is smaller than the MAX8, and A321NEO, bigger than the MAX8. A plane the size of a MAX8 is not what they're looking for right now

Interesting development for Qantas.

Ineresting video, good work! Thumbs Up & Subscribe Greetings from Dublin Andrew

As I've said before, the Airbus was the wise decision for Qantas due to the diversity of their narrowbody aircraft offerings. It's not a huge blow to Boeing however, because they didn't enough variety to offer as a replacement. This has nothing to do with what customers prefer but rather the best fit for the airline's operations. In the long run, Qantas will incur an initial cost from retraining their Boeing certified pilots to fly the A320, and they will maintain a relationship with Boeing by operating the 787-9. Personally, I believe that the Max would have been the more logical move for their core fleet replacement, with the A220 for their regional routes and A321XLR for their thin, long routes, but this move is a good one for them either way.

Awesome work Qantas, I flew plenty safest 800 around main hub within Australia. If they replace jet with max, I wouldn’t have the confidence to get onboard. 👍

So after much scrutiny, I’m sure the Max is a very safe plane… But it’s the principle of the dang thing. If I ran an airline, I wouldn’t buy it no matter how good of a deal it may be (Probably why I’m not running an airline) and Airbus is on point. The A220 is slowly replacing the 757 as my favorite aircraft.

the future for the crew with airbus able to have crew cross trained and certified to operate A320/A330 etc qantas has started this with their freighter division as a test ground for the airlines future

As someone who has worked on the 737 from a maintenance prospective, I would never fly this aircraft by choice. It's design belongs back in the 1960s it's old, overcomplicated and over engineered. Airbus are an engineers dream, very easy to work on, very reliable and well engineered. Qantas made the right choice.

I believe 1 important factor in this deal is that ALL airbus aircraft have the same technical advanced cockpits which will save Quantas lots of money in training in simulators.

Every airline have to make the right decision for themself.but to totally change from one company type to another will probelly work for qantas.I wish them all the best on there future fleat

Best choice in my view the 737 MAX still has a stigma attached to it and sure future passengers will feel way more confident

On firm order are 29 x A220’s. But the current Qantas / Qantaslink fleet includes 15 x B717, 16 x E190, and 14 x F100 so this order doesn’t even cover replacement of these let alone any B737. Also on firm order are 20 x A321NEO XLR. These aircraft have greater range than any B737 variant. I suspect they may be used to replace some Qantas wide body aircraft on some routes as this capacity is desperately needed elsewhere. They cut back the wide bodies too hard during Covid and did not order enough B787’s - hence the need to lease Finnair A330’s. Don’t be shocked to see A321XLR used to replace A330 on SYD-PER and MEL-PER. They can also be used on routes like PER-Auckland and ADL-SIN. If Jetstar order A321XLR don’t be shocked if their B788 return to Qantas to end their life on domestic routes.

I wish they decided on the Embraer, as the E190 is my next favourite airplane after the A380. Mainly suited for shorter trips, but so much legroom & overall space, on all the E190’s I have flown on.

The A220 would be ideal for, say, Invercargill- Australia. Southern Kiwis like traveling 'across the ditch' and, right now, crossing the ditch from Invercargill is an all day affair. Air NZ still want to ferret pax thru Auckland to any overseas destination so here's an opportunity for Qantas A220, Trans Tasman. And, yes. Airbus narrowbodies Are the way to go for Qantas.

they swapped to allow compatibility between Qantas and Jetstar

"Equally popular amongst customers"? I like your sense of humor...

Moving to Airbus for the narrowbodies became a no-brainer once Airbus acquired the 220, promising the 220-500, and developed the 321XLR. Qantas' home is a continent with big distances between major airports so range matters more for them than for most narrowbody operators. Boeing has not got a plane that is competitive in the 5000km range market, while Qantas needs some of those. And the commonality with larger planes is a big bonus.

Qantas made the perfect choice by going with Airbus for it's future needs!!!!!

Brit here. The recent order from South West for the Max was obvious, even though they said they would buy the A220. Knowing Boeing was in trouble, a huge customer like South West transfering to Airbus would be catastrophic for Boeing. South West saw a window to get a very cut down price for the Max and so eventually thats what happened, even though the A220 outclasses the Max in every way, South West stayed with Boeing because it also gained in not having to train its pilots. Qantas on the otherhand has chosen Airbus because a lot of Qantas fleet is now Airbus, which means its pilots wont need extra training. Airbus cleverly kept all the types of Aircraft it sells to the same cockpit layout and so going from A320 to a A220 is a piece of cake. Plus the A220 outclasses the Max is a no brainer plus its also very economical. Those greed ridden ex CEO's who walked from Boeing with over $60million have caused Boeing no end of trouble, Lets hope Boeing gets back to its old pilosophy of Safety first with engineering at the front instead of Wall st.

It makes sense for Qantas and Jetstar to have the same type of aircraft IMHO.

Great Video. Thorough with good information. I agree with the theory that Boeing did not expand their range of products enough. Their failed merger attempt with Embraer in 2020 put them in this position. Of course the 737 Max tragedies and the pandemic did not help, but had they merged with Embraer, they would be in a more competitive position. Although, I have always been partial to Boeing, I have to compliment Airbus on doing their research, listening to the needs of their clients and delivery quality products.

Yes, they made the correct decision!🤺🇦🇺

There is no way in hell I will get into a 737 Max after the recent debacle. Used to love Boeing, 737-800, 777, 787 great aircraft, but since the Max crashes, and how Boeing handled it, just can't trust them anymore. I totally trust Airbus A32X and A350s. As someone who uses study level sims, totally have trust in the Airbus systems. You could not pay me to fly on the Boeing 737 Max.

Time for the 737 to be consigned to history. Boeing has wrung as much as they can from a 55+ year old design. I think Qantas has made the right decision this time & the Airbus family has more ground clearance for larger more fuel efficient engines without compromising the centre of gravity.

For a diehard QANTAS loyalist, I'm much happier that we went down the Airbus route. As you mentioned DJ, the fact that QANTAS can bulk order for Jetstar & QANTAS-Link in one go makes sense, added to the fact that, once into service, the fleet will be predominantly Airbus, except for the remaining B787 in QANTAS (the Jetstar B787's are earmarked for soon replacement). Whilst models will vary, the ability to deal with a single manufacturer vs. 2 or even 3 if we went for the 'E' Series, makes this process a lot more streamlined. I believe that the issues with the B787 & then the MCAS with the B737-Max played a huge part in this decision.

Hobart to Singapore? Canberra to Singapore,? both non-stop. im hoping this would be finically feseable for the airlines, would make travelling to europe and sea a lot better

Good choice

It will be a good move if Qantas standardises the narrow body fleet across the group and starts sharing some of the back-end operations between Qantas and Jetstar to reduce costs instead of squeezing employees and cutting services to customers. I think the A220 is a good move and they probably need to think of replacing some Q400 services with the A220-100 in addition to the A220-300 replacing the 717 and 737NG. They probably should press for Airbus to get the A220-500 underway and only purchase the A321 in both a domestic/trans-Tasman two class LR and a few 3 class XLRs. On a wider industry note, with Boeing deferring work on a 767 replacement, maybe Embraer and Mitsubishi should get together and look at a 2-3-2 or 2-4-2 with 250 - 280 seats (2 class ) and 6-8000 km range.

Boeing are reluctant to innovate and soldier on with older planes they update. Even the B-52 is still flying although that's the military. They should have replaced the 737 years ago. The 767 still flying as a cargo aircraft. The 787 is a good aircraft which should have been further developed into more flexible varients. The 777X program has been plagued with delays. Look how quick Airbus rolled out the A-350 series. I think they learnt a lot from producing the A-380.

Good call for Qantas

I think Qantas moving towards becoming all airbus is a smart idea but when the A350s come along I really hope that the 787s stay in service and don’t just get swapped out for non stop routes on just the A350

Has anybody tried to us the toilets in the New 737 max , if you are over 5ft you have a SMALL problem trying to use it.😢

Well… the A220 is more of a Bombardier than it is an Airbus.

The 737 family may be a less expensive option, but airlines that give a hoot about customer satisfaction and comfort opt with the A320 family.

What a beautiful aircraft A 220

Wow

Going fully Airbus for Qantas reduces maintenance and service complexity along with maintenance and service costs.

If Qantas buys the MAX, that will be me out! I don't care how much rework they had, I'm not flying on a MAX. I'm a FIFO worker and fly every week.

I’m a big fan of Boeing but I think the A-220 and A-321 made the difference. The delays with the MAX7 and MAX10 I think were pivotal. FAA is now gun shy after they dropped the ball is not noticing McD D leadership taking over after the merger and now are overwhelming Boeing with never before seen information requirements.

While I like the 737, and 717. The new airbus A220 looks great, can’t wait to try. QANTASLINK staff are staff are the friendliest in Australian, Next Rex, QANTAS way behind. Unfortunately Virgin no longer fly where I want to go. Bonza, will see. Future flights

This sparks the need for the 797. 797 - 300 to replace the 717 and compete against the A220 797 - 400 to replace the 737 and compete against the A320neo 797 - 500 ER to replace the 757 as the middle of the market Aircraft and compete against the A321XLR

Pilots coming from Jetstar that have A320/1s are easier to transition to Qantas with Airbus

It’s almost 1 am. I can’t sleep and it’s been a long day.. I’m typing with my thumbs and exhausted so forgive my poor grammar, spelling and rambling comment I’m an airline pilot. I love to fly literally anything. I’ve flown many different aircraft. I’m a US citizens and have trained pilots from all over the world. Off the top of my head.. Canada, New Zealand, Australia, S Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Brazil, USA, England, Ireland, Sweden, Norway, France, Germany, Spain, Italy (Northern Milan, Southern Naples and Sicily. Very different cultures in Italy from N to South), Poland and I’m sure I’m forgetting some one……. oh also S Africa and India. The point I want I make is I’ve flown and taught a lot of people from a wide variety of backgrounds and beliefs. The one thing consistent among all these pilots is a love of aircraft almost as strong as the love of flying the aircraft. We all will gladly fly what ever someone will pay us to fly. Boeing, Airbus, Embraer, Bombardier, ATR just to name a few. I’ve always been a Boeing pilot. I prefer the thought process and feel of Boeings cockpits over Airbus. I also like Boeings looks across the board on their aircraft. In particular, the 747 vs A-380, 737 vs A-320, 767 vs A-330 and 787 vs A-350. My absolute favorite looking Boeing has been the 757. Long elegant fuselage sitting high on gear that keeps two massive engines (for a narrow body of its era) from dragging the ground. When Delta purchased the 757… I fell in love with this platform. It reminded me of a beautiful woman long legs, slender body with two perfectly sized…… well you get the picture. Now when Northwest and Delta merged, most people don’t realize this, but Northwest’s leadership team ended up with a lot more influence and final decision making than Delta. Almost immediately we began shifting away from Boeing. It’s been a good move for Delta. Why? Because it really doesn’t matter what the pilots like the looks of or which we prefer to fly. What matters most at an airline is safety, cost to operate, and the relationship with the manufacturer. The A-320 is a more comfortable aircraft for passengers. I’m on the A-320 A-321 and 737-900 a lot. Delta has these aircraft configured almost exactly the same. When flying coach or first class… the A-320/1 has more room, larger windows, more comfortable restrooms, it’s quieter and larger overhead bins. I really prefer this A-320 as a passenger. NOW…. Does it matter alot? NO. My wife and fully grown kids can’t tell the difference except when I point out the differences. I believe Airbus has a better corporate union membership culture (relationship) than Boeing. Boeings Unions are extremely adversarial with leadership and they have vindictive members. When Boeing shifted 787 production in order to reduce costs… I believe union members sabotaged the move in every possible way. I have tons of anecdotal evidence but it wouldn’t be probable in court. Overall Deltas move to Airbus has been the right call. Now. For the future. I believe it is crucial for Boeing to become an innovator again. It’s leadership currently isn’t an innovator or risk taker. Boeing needs a replacement for the 737, 757, and it really should have purchased Bombardier when it had the chance. The Canadian company was a perfect fit and it’s leadership team would have been a good group to place in senior leadership roles at Boeing. I also believe Boeing should have pursued it’s relationship with Emraer. So where does this leave airlines when buying narrow bodies. Well, if you already have a 737 fleet and trained pilots… it makes sense to order more 737’s. The MAX is a wonderful aircraft. It was and still is a safe aircraft to fly. Final thoughts. Here in the USA, we buy aircraft and hire pilots from all over the world. Our citizens don’t demand loyalty to the national airline manufacturer. But throughout the world, that isn’t the same. Germans, French and most European citizens will by their own products first and only buy US made product when it is clearly and significantly a better alternative. Airbus has a significant advantage when selling to European airlines, Chinese airlines and British commonwealth.

modernize 767 and 757. why re-invent the wheel?

As a passenger I feel much more comfortable on board of an A320

plans for an A220-500 are in the making, will we see the A319 and A320 disappear, only the A321 will remaining ?

the only downside to qantas choosing the A320/1 for their mainline fleet is the cost in new equipment if they use containerized aircraft like they do with Jetstar vs bulk load i.e. cost of the containers and more loaders

There is no similarity between an A320 and a 737 max. One is responsible for a lot of deaths because of greed and complacency and the other is an Airbus A320

Didn't they already order A220s and A321XLRs?

100 % correct decisions well done Qantas ❤❤

IT IS NOT A FLAG CARRIER - it is a listed company on the ASX there are other airlines in Australia.

Qantas made the right choice not ordering the Boeing 737 Death Max !!

As a major flyer, I have always been a Boeing guy. But I am feeling more comfortable these days on Airbus aircraft. I still prefer the E175 for best comfort.

A genuine no brainer

Everyone needs to remember the @ 320 family is actually/originally a Bombardier design and build. Truly a Canadian design and build…just bought out by airbus.

That's the right decision, the A220 is a much more modern and efficient plane than the 737 Max. Great choice from Qantas!

Boeing stopped innovating and relied too heavily on air carriers not wanting to train crews on new aircraft types. It is a same that the executives, like many executive boards at other companies, took value out of the company to give them selves pay raises and bonuses.

Should differently go for Airbus!

Qantas should just do 220 321, 330 neo and 350-900-1000 and they are all set for the next 20 years

Given the A321XLRs existence, Airbus is the better choice for Qantas. However, that doesn't mean that Airbus is automatically the better financial option.

The 737 may be old but completes the mission with all passengers, all cargo, and all the fuel while the airbus family of jets can not do; something needs to be compromised. The A220 has major mechanical issues and I am surprised no one is talking about it. Any NEO engined or geared turbo fan engine has bearing problems and numerous engine failures. The 737 is old but the airbus is also 1970’s technology.

It's not going to be cheap. They will have to retrain all their pilots and engineers. With any new aircraft type, there is a steep learning curve. Qantas will be sure to have lots of teething problems.

Disappointing. Boeing needs to do a completely new design of their 737-type aircraft. Satisfying the likes of Southwest, Ryan or Delta is coming back to bite Boeing in the ass. The two crashes, though now resolved, really damaged their reputation with the aircraft type. IMHO, Boeing needs new leadership -- instead, I'm sure, they secured themselves huge bonuses. Their arrogance is going to be their downfall.

Yes! It was the right decision! I might be a little biased because I am European, but I think Boing made a mistake and has rested on its success with the 747 for too long!

I wouldn't complain Qantas for choosing the A220-300 . Nice if it havw been a all Airbus airline . The only plane they have to remove is thr 787 . But will do not . Because of the growing demand . Waiting eagerly for the A350s .

The MCAS problem had resolved, yes. But the stain on the reputation of Boeing and the FAA are permanent.

why go neo and max?

As a UK person I travel mostly Boeing, as a European I would rather fly Airbus - I have many friends who depend on Airbus for a living. On a petty level, Boeing get what they deserve.

Speculation is that Hawaiian Airlines will probably replace their aging Boeing 717s with the Airbus A220.

Good decision, Qantas.

8Max could break reputation for Qantas never Crashed

Makes sense to me. The commonality with the a220 a320 and also aligns it with theJetstar a320 fleet

Dan, you need to rename this site. It has informative content & I understand the direction that you’re taking with it, but “Globetrotting” sounds too much like a travel channel.

Thank god they didn't choose the dangerous plane...

Why would you go with the Max where two of them fell out of the sky already?

Also think about the pilots. Easier to fly

I'm tired of both the Boeing 737 and the Airbus 320 series. The Airbus 220 with 2-3 seating and better economics makes me hope and expect more and more airlines going this direction until Airbus and Boeing make a more significant leap to another design that improves customer experience and economics.

if it wasn't for the 737 max grounding, i think Qantas would have got the 737 Max

Boeing isn't the brightest bulb on the tree so we have observed with the MAX issue. Their reluctance to update and deliver a new version of the 757 is another of their BIG mistakes and they will loose to Airbus most likely. The customers dictate what they want, not the purveyor shoving what they want down their throats. Time will tell.

I think they could avoid the 737 Max out of respect for the dead. I'm glad they did avoid it.

It doesn't matter. Not flying Quantas ever again.

great decision by Qantas to buy Airbus planes instead of the # older # type 737 jets.

I don't see how Quantas had any other choice. Boeing is not building what they want.

I would go for the airbus because I don’t like the max.

I own shares in Qantas and am an ex Airbus bolter (making the wings) I never fly Boeing if I can help it, they are a company not to be trusted! I know the the lengths Airbus go to, to make an aeroplane that it as structurally sound as possible without compromising! Bring back the A380