might be a step too far at this stage, with most corporate travellers primarily looking for a bigger seat and bed, larger screens to watch their films on and enough space in which to work. That said, the Emirates in-flight shower seemed
to hit the mark with first class passengers bound for London, suggesting that freshening up in the air might be a step on from airport arrivals lounges, routinely used by business travellers heading on to early meetings. What is certain is that the arrival of the A380
and Boeing Dreamliner offers airlines scope to raise the bar yet further with innovations in the business cabin. Early examples of A380 product were delivered by Emirates and Qantas, with the Australian flag carrier shading its Middle Eastern rival with a seat that extends into a slightly longer lie-flat bed of 80-inches. Emirates, however, houses its seat in a shell
with built-in amenities such as a mini-bar, privacy panel, large personal table and a 17-inch wide LCD screen. Both airlines offer mood lighting in their business class cabins, while Qantas adds a nice touch with soft cotton pyjamas for its pampered passengers. Korean Air is set to weigh in with is own version of A380 luxury this month (May) with the entire upper deck devoted to business class flyers. The unique configuration of the two-storey aircraft is designed to allow Korean Air Prestige Class passengers “to feel exclusivity like they’re travelling in their own private jet,” according to Jae Ho Kim, managing vice-president and director of Korean Air Europe headquarters. While he added that the concept of an entire
floor dedicated to business class would set the benchmark for other airlines, the 94 seats packed in upstairs aboard the A380 means individuals get a bed that is 74-inches long, a full six inches shorter than the Qantas monster. The first five of Korean Air’s A380s are due to
Pictured: BMI
on the B777 from 21 to 29.5 inches. While all that expanding goes on, the seat stretches out into a bed measuring six foot three inches long. Someone who likes counting also noted there
are three storage nooks for the likes of shoes, laptops and digital gizmos, while four plugs were ready and waiting for headphones, USB devices, AC equipment and a special nine-pin hookup designed for the iPod, iPad or iPhone. Given that the flying apartment is fully-serviced,
the only element missing from a mix that could well command a premium price on the ground in crowded central London, is a shower. And that is now on the cards with the arrival of
the super-Jumbo A380, as proved by Emirates, which already offers a decent in-flight dowsing for its First Class passengers. The facility was spotted by HRG director group
supplier and industry relations Adrian Woodward who was slumming it back to London in business class. “I have to say I was thinking it was a gimmick,” he said. But he changed
“The arrival of the A380 and Boeing Dreamliner offers airlines scope to raise the bar yet further with innovations in the business class cabin”
his mind when he was given an opportunity for a closer look once the aircraft had cleared on the ground. “It’s a fantastic product – just like a shower you have in a hotel,” said Woodward. “You are allowed five minutes under the shower and a further 25 minutes in the booth, which takes up a huge part of the aircraft on the ground floor.” Woodward said showers for business class
be delivered by the end of this year and will be deployed first on short haul routes to Japan and East Asia. Business flyers on European and US routes will have to wait until August to try out the Super Jumbo premium product. Other recent business class develop- ments include the launch of Air New Zealand’s new Boeing 777-300s on the London route to Los Angeles and Auckland, replacing the B747. The new business class cabin features a thicker memory foam mattress, luxurious duvet and pillows, wider TV screen, more storage space, larger table, accessible power sockets, improved reading light and, according to the latest spec sheet, “wallpaper like
you’ve never seen onboard an aircraft”. Service improvements, meanwhile, include an invitation to business class passengers to enjoy wine tasting in the onboard “kitchen” and self- service sandwich making facilities available throughout the flight. Food and beverage can now also be ordered directly from the in-flight entertainment system.
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