The Qantas Boeing 737-800 seats 174 passengers across 2 cabins. Seats below are rated on legroom, recline, window view and how close they sit to the galleys and lavatories.
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Power · Wi-Fi · USB · Screen
Power · Wi-Fi · USB · Screen
Avoid 9A, 10A and 10F (no window at this seat position), 12A, 12B, 12E and 12F (seat may not fully recline), row 28 (near lavatory) and row 29 and row 30 (immediately adjacent to lavatory).
The domestic workhorse, on every major route. Economy is honestly tight — fine on a Sydney–Melbourne hop, less so on the five-hour Perth run. A cabin refresh now rolling through the fleet adds new seats, charging at last, fresh sidewalls and bigger bins; if you can, check whether you're on a refreshed jet, because it's a noticeable lift.
Business up front in a two-by-two is the comfortable option. In Economy the exit rows are the must-books for legroom, and the rows just behind Business get forward galley and lavatory access. On refreshed jets every seat has charging, which changes the maths on a longer flight.
The rear combines engine noise, galley traffic and the slowest exit — the worst stretch on a full flight — and the wing rows pick up turbulence buzz. The real squeeze is width: the middle seat is rough on broad shoulders, so if you're tall, budget for an exit row.
The 174-seat version is the pre-2025-refit standard configuration. Both share the same two-two Business and three-three Economy layout; the 168-seat refit variant has updated interiors and slightly reconfigured seating density.
Exit rows and the Economy bulkhead row offer noticeably more legroom than standard seats. Qantas marks some of these as Choice seats that can be selected for a fee, or at no charge for frequent flyers above a certain status tier.
By narrowbody standards, yes — it is a well-proven, reasonably quiet aircraft. For routes of four hours or more, it is worth investing time in seat selection: avoid the middle seat and the back row cluster to keep the experience manageable.
