Business class ➔
progress of BA parent company IAG’s agreement to buy bmi from Lufthansa, which was being carefully watched by the European Commission together with the Office of Fair Trading before going through. If uncertainty persists in a climate which
impinges on airline development but over which they have no control, it is not confined to Britain. Qantas has axed its flights from Heathrow to Bangkok and Hong Kong as it attempts to restructure its international business, while Indian carrier Kingfisher Airlines has axed all its overseas routes. Conversely, South African Airways has
replaced its older generation Airbus A340- 200 with a new Airbus A330-200 on Heathrow to Cape Town flights. With fully flatbed seats and an a la carte menu, plus award-winning wines, it offers, says UK & Ireland country manager Gary Kershaw, “greater service enhancements… and the feedback has been excellent.” Brussels Airlines is also spending money,
“While standards in the air will be
ever higher, the real challenge is on the ground, where the airlines have no control over things like security, with delays preventing passengers getting to lounges in time to enjoy them before the flight”
with the installation of new flatbed seats – complete with 'pneumatic cushion tech- nology' – in its business class due for completion in the second half of the year. Such positivity, combined with the findings of some analysts, paints a picture of a brighter future for business class. Helen Mardle, head of air
product for FCm Travel Solutions and Corporate Traveller, says, “We have seen no significant reduction in business class seat capacity. Nor have we noted any major shift or down-trading in travel policies over the past
couple of years, while we are generally seeing a downward trend in business class fares. Travel managers have also become more savvy to the discounts available if booking business class in advance.” Mardle believes that airlines with flat beds
have a competitive advantage, adding that many clients will only fly long-haul routes on carriers which offer them. That observation is grist to the mill of airlines which have already pulled out all the stops to ensure passengers can stretch their legs on long-haul flights, and to those catching up with the trend. American Airlines, for example, will take delivery of its first ten Boeing 777-300ER aircraft at the end of this year, when the business class cabin will be fitted with fully lie-flat seats. United, too, is upgrading its wide-body
Pictured, from top: Emirates; Lufthansa's new business class cabin; Hong Kong Airlines Club Premier; South African Airways
fleet, installing new premium cabins with flatbed seats. Once completed in early 2013, the airline claims it will offer more premium cabin “flatties” than any of its competitors. Cathay Pacific’s new business class
product, including one of the longest beds in the business, was launched last spring
and will be progressively installed on its entire fleet of Boeing 777-300 ERs and A330-300s by February 2013. Around the same time, Iberia will introduce
a new business class, spending 200 million euros on a range of extras, presumably including the all-important flatbed, mirroring the new seat introduced in Lufthansa’s executive cabin in March this year. Back at Virgin Atlantic, a £100million
overhaul of its Upper Class cabin is now underway. The 'Dream Suite' will offer an enhanced seat, a futuristic bar and fine dining, to be rolled out on the airline’s Heathrow to New York JFK fleet over the next three years. And, of course, interruption-free sleep time courtesy of the aforementioned Whispering Coach. While the flatbed is, literally, the bottom
line in the current battle to win custom, the future will be in peripheries, according to Adrian Woodward, director group supplier and industry relations at the Hogg Robinson Group. “Delivery of the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner will give the airlines the opportunity to introduce extras such as passenger use of iPads, onboard showers and an enhanced meal service,” he says. “But while standards in the air will be ever
higher, the real challenge is on the ground, where the carrier has no control over things like security, with delays preventing passengers getting to lounges in time to enjoy them before the flight.” With business class generally regaining its
equilibrium, maybe the Whispering Coach should have a quiet word with airport authorities on the aforementioned issue to help complete the revival.
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K ➔
84 THE BUSINESS TRAVEL MAGAZINE
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