Qantas has introduced the first two of 48 Airbus A321XLRs into commercial service, using them as part of their strategy to phase out their older Boeing 737-800s.

The two A321XLR aircraft, ‘Great Ocean Road’ (VH-OGA) and ‘Outback Way’ (VH-OGB), are operating their inaugural commercial services between Sydney (SYD) and Melbourne (MEL) and Sydney and Perth (PER) respectively. Brisbane (BNE) service will be introduced in mid-November.

These new jets seat 200 passengers, with 20 in business class in a 2-2 layout, with the remaining 180 in economy ins a 3-3 layout. The 321XLR is a step up from the older 737NGs, featuring larger windows, free Wi-Fi and more baggage space.

Being a larger aircraft, Qantas tried their best to upsell the additional space, but somehow made a mistake during the planning stages regarding lavatory capacity. Originally, they ordered their XLRs with three lavs, one in business class and two in economy.

With 180 passengers in the back, that meant there would be a ratio of 90 passengers per one economy washroom. I can imagine the line up being rather long given that it may be one of the worst passenger-to-washroom ratios in aviation history.

The good news is that they’ve started using common sense (or maybe the caved to social media pressure), and will add a third lavatory at the expense of three economy seats. Unfortunately, passengers won’t see this change immediately as the updated layout won’t be introduced until their fourth A321XLR is delivered.

In the meantime, passengers flying on the first three will have to deal with longer queues until these aircraft go in for their first major overhaul. The additional washroom will be located to the front of the economy cabin, right behind the last row of business class.

With economy class being reduced to 177 passengers, the ratio is significantly improved to 59 passengers per washroom.

32 of Qantas’ A321XLRs will reflect this traditional layout, but the remaining 16 will be configured to feature lie-flat business class seats with deliveries starting in 2028. These more premium units will be used to serve transcon flights to Perth, as well as on short and medium haul international routes. It’s not clear yet what the final configuration for their premium aircraft will be.

In a statement, Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson said:

“Seeing our A321XLRs take to the skies with customers for the first time is a proud moment for everyone involved and testament to the incredible efforts of the teams across Qantas and Airbus,” Ms Hudson said.

“Investing in next generation aircraft is the most significant way we can elevate the travel experience for our customers and our people. We have already seen a significant improvement in customer satisfaction on our new A220s and Jetstar’s new aircraft.

“The extended flight range enables us to operate these aircraft on both domestic and short haul international routes, including destinations across South East Asia that are not viable with our current narrowbody fleet.”