The equally beloved and disliked Boeing 717s have finished their last tours of duty for Qantaslink over the past few years. While I have fond memories of one of the few rear-wing mounted engine aircraft in Australia, they were getting old and it was high time for them to be retired.

In their place, Qantas have ordered 29 Airbus A220-300s (or CS100 for anyone still clinging on to that history…).

The aircraft

To my pleasant surprise when I checked FlightRadar for my flight a few hours before departure, I saw that the aircraft that would be taking me from Melbourne to Canberra today would be the class leader VH-X4A.

The previous flight that it operated from Melbourne to Canberra landed 20 minutes early which was a good sign that my flight would be on time.

It’s in a special livery that I believe makes it the only Qantas Group aircraft currently in green (please correct me if I’m wrong!)

This is an artwork by artist Maringka Baker and “and tells the Dreaming story of two sisters travelling back to their home.” You can read more about it on the Qantas ‘Flying Art Series’ webpage here.

It really is a beautiful plane. The A220 looks just as good in its usual red and white Qantaslink livery but this paint scheme makes it extra special.

For boarding, Qantas have recently introduced a new system that uses groups to stage the process. This is intended to avoid many of the issues they have experienced in the past with priority queues not actually getting priority.

Although I think that this is a good idea it was poorly explained at the gate and almost everyone seemed confused about what was happening.

On board the first word that comes to mind was spacious. Even though it’s physically a smaller aircraft than a A320 or 737, it actually felt bigger to me. This could just be due to the 3-2 seat configuration configuration.

I don’t know the engineering details but the ceiling certainly felt higher and the aisle wider than other narrowbody aircraft.

The 3-2 configuration has lots of advantages. The seat pair is perfect for travelling with someone else and it doesn’t feel as cramped.

The cabin lighting seemed very adjustable and was dimmed for most of the flight. This was great because it made seeing the beautiful sunset much easier.

Seats

One of the best parts of this plane is the seats. They are very wide, especially for an economy.

The legroom is excellent and there is a solid footrest under the seat.

There are both USB-A and USB-C ports along with a power plug in between each seat pair. There are no seatback screens but I don’t think this is necessary due to the relatively short flights that these aircraft will be operating and the in-flight wifi that allows you access to Qantas entertainment.

A sign of the times is the second, smaller fold out table that sits higher on the rear of the seat in front of you. This appears to be designed to rest mobile devices.

The seat headrest is also worth mentioning. Its height is more adjustable than most I have used before – both up and down. It was easy to move and I was able to find a position that met my head perfectly.

One minor gripe is that the seats needed a deep clean. Although the seat cushions and armrests were fine there was a lot of visible dust and crumbs that had fallen into the sides.

The main seatback pocket also had a second, smaller compartment inside. This was very handy and made organising and finding things a lot easier.

On-board experience

There are three cabin crew on board. The cabin manager takes care of the two rows of business class seats at the front while the remaining two service economy.

The complimentary onboard snack and drink selection was excellent. On this flight I was served crackers with ‘spicy’ guacamole dip and roasted almonds. It was very tasty but needed a few more crackers to correspond to the amount of dip provided.

My problem though was that the pack I was served had expired, its use by date being over a week before the flight. I did get another one but it is concerning that this potential health hazard slipped through the cracks.

There was white wine, red wine, ginger beer, juice, soft drink and sparkling water available. Unfortunately due to the short flight there is no tea or coffee.

Other than a ramp agent who shouted at me for taking a photo of the plane at Canberra Airport – something that I have never experienced before – the staff were friendly and helpful.

Final thoughts

Overall I was very impressed. The whole trip felt more like a premium economy rather than economy experience. The flight was punctual, smooth and comfortable.

Given the relatively high prices and limited choices for flights to Canberra, I think it’s worth paying the extra money if you value a higher-quality on-board experience.

And if you’re a plunzel or even vaguely interested in aviation, you won’t be disappointed by this eye candy. As I said before I think it’s a really good-looking plane; even accounting for the soft spot that I have for regional jets.

I’m looking forward to seeing more of these as they are introduced across the network.