Beware Seat 9A: The Missing Window on Qantas!

Shôn Ellerton, Jul 27, 2017
Want a window seat? Steer well away from Seat 9A!

Today I flew on an evening Qantas flight from Melbourne to Adelaide on QF693. For those who read my article on Qantas’s Bizarre Complimentary Drinks Policy, I did get my free drinks (as it was on an evening flight); however, it appears that I did not learn my lesson while selecting my seat online!

Now there are three types of passengers: those who like window seats, those who like aisle seats, and those poor bastards who have to make do with the infamous middle seat, presumably because they either got a late-notice booking or can’t be bothered with selecting their seats online. Thankfully, Qantas does not charge for selecting your seat online, unless it is an extra legroom seat. On the other hand, Jetstar (its poorer sibling), has the cheek to charge passengers an extra $20 or so just to select their seat online. Moreover, their check-in service is frightfully awful with no bag drop forcing passengers to wait in a queue at check-in because the Jetstar staff can’t be bothered to show up until an hour or less before departure, which means you can’t go airside to relax in the café or the lounge inside. Jetstar is truly diabolical and after you add up all the extra costs, it turns out to be the same price as Qantas anyway! If you have to fly Jetstar, make sure you’re not checking in luggage.

I am anally retentive when it comes to selecting seats on aircraft. I always opt for a window seat not over the wing and I make every effort to ensure that I choose the correct side of the aircraft cabin during daylight flights to avoid being on the sunny side. Where most passengers are content with watching movies and TV shows, I get pleasure just watching the scenery fly by.

So, imagine my frustration when I (once again) selected Seat 9A, which, according to Qantas’s booking website, is a window seat but; in reality, has no window. Apparently, this is the case with Boeing 737-800 aircraft which are commonly used on Australian domestic flights.

I asked the airline crew why the window was missing from Seat 9A; however, none of them seemed to know the answer. After I got back home, I did a little bit of online research and it transpires that the reason has something to do with space reserved for air-conditioning ducts and wires. However, it does seem odd that other aircraft are not suffering with the ‘missing window syndrome’. If anyone can provide further explanation, please enlighten me.

Once again, if you want a window seat on an interstate Qantas domestic flight, it would be wise to avoid selecting Seat 9A!