Pointy end of the plane

If asked to pick the top three shifts for discerning travellers flying out of Perth, it would have to be the introduction of premium economy on Emirates flights, the brilliant Qsuite business class on Qatar Airways and the improvement in connectivity by many airlines, largely through Starlink satellite.

Emirates’ premium economy is proving extremely popular — and not just with Perth passengers. The airline expects to offer four million premium economy seats a year across its global network by the end of 2026.

The premium economy cabin is at the front of the main deck with a 2-4-2 configuration and has cream-coloured leather and a wood-panel finishing similar to business class.

Seats are 49.5cm wide, with a six-way adjustable headrest and a 34cm screen. There is in-seat charging and a wood-finished side cocktail table.

And Emirates’ refreshed business-class cabin has a 1-2-1 configuration (aisle access for all) and a 52.5cm-wide seat that converts to a flat-bed and reclines up to 200cm. There’s a 58.5cm HD screen — one of the biggest in the skies.

But a standout in business class is Qatar Airways’ Qsuite, on Perth to Doha Boeing 777-300ER flights.

Qsuites are cubicles — very private, with high dividers, and a door panel which slides shut to completely enclose the traveller. It is what I call a “private yacht cabin-style room”.

There is a comfortable seat that lies fully flat, a big TV screen with Oryx entertainment, lots of places to put your stuff, and a set of loungewear.

But the greatest thing is privacy. For most of the flight, quite simply, I feel like I’m the only one onboard.

And what else can we expect in business class? On this flight, there’s a choice of Taittinger or Gosset Champagne, a St Clair chardonnay from New Zealand, a Robert Oatley sauvignon blanc from Margaret River and a French Mirabeau rosé from the Coteaux d’Aix en Provence appellation.

And I must mention that Singapore Airlines’ business class continues its consistent quality. It has fully flat-bed seats, food via “Book the Cook” — and that famous Singaporean welcome and service.

This year, Singapore Airlines will unveil its next-generation long-haul cabin products, an all-new KrisWorld in-flight entertainment system. It also plans to progressively introduce high-speed Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite connectivity for enhanced in-flight wi-fi across its long-haul fleet.

Which brings us, neatly enough to connectivity.

Things have changed. The “old days” of slow speeds a lack of reliability are pretty much behind us, with Space X’s Starlink very much at the front of high-speed in-flight connectivity services.

Starlink uses a constellation of satellites in low Earth orbit, rather than the previous systems which used satellites which were in a stationary Earth orbit.

The result is a high-speed, low-latency and reliable service. Qatar Airways joins Air France, Hawaiian Airlines, SAS and United Airlines among those using Starlink.

It is predicted that, by the end of 2034, more than 10,000 aircraft could be connected via Starlink.

It’s a fiercely competitive area. In-flight connectivity competition is intense.

Geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) service providers are preparing multi-orbit solutions to offer high-speed services, while new low Earth orbit providers are entering the fray, including Amazon, set to offer its Kuiper satellite internet service for aircraft around 2027 to 2028.