Business class
➔ $550 million on a revamped premium
cabin, including double the overhead storage space, flatbed seating and wifi. KLM, meanwhile, has unveiled an all-new
World Busiuness Class product being fitted across its fleet of Boeing 747-400s. The new sleeper seat extends to 190cm and has a privacy canopy, while cabin interiors have a new look and there's an enhanced dining experience. The airline's first flights with the new product take off in July. In addition, Lufthansa is speeding up the
retrofit of its new business class cabin, already installed on recently delivered Boeing 747s and Airbus A330s. A major enhancement is a sleeper seat extending to almost two metres. The all-important flatbed seat – some
travellers only choose carriers which offer it – has also been recently stretched to generous proportions by Air France and Iberia, while Singapore Airlines is developing a new generation business class version, due to be launched later this year. Technology is another area that airlines
are taking seriously, from the power points that allow the use of laptops on board, to the facility to check-in online or by mobile phone, and the launch of satellite wifi. If technology is a clear bonus for the airlines, the background against which they are striving to take business class to a new level has been muddied by conflicting developments in the industry.
Hong Kong Airlines, for example, ceased
offering all-business class flights to Gatwick last year, while consolidation in the market continues with the get together of American Airlines and US Airways and the teaming up of Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic. Furthermore, Boeing’s tardiness
in delivering the 787 Dreamliner is frustrating carriers’ development plans, while the global grounding of the 'next generation' aircraft in January was bad news for all concerned, not least its largest operator, Japan's All Nippon Airways (ANA). At the time of writing ANA was not expecting to operate scheduled services using the aircraft until at least June. British Airways expects to take delivery of its first Dreamliner imminently – and a total of four by the year's end – and Virgin is due to receive its first 787 in mid-2014. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI)
says the UK risks missing out on billions of pounds in trade unless it boosts direct flights to the world’s fastest-growing economies. Just one extra daily flight to each of the eight largest markets would increase trade by more than £1billion a year, says its chief policy director Katja Hall.
BUSINESS CLASS WHO OFFERS WHAT
AEROFLOT-RUSSIAN AIRLINES Long-haul aircraft: A330-200 & -300 /B777 / B767 / Il96 Business class seats: 28-36 & 34 / 30 / 30 / 12 Configuration: 2-2-2 Seat type: Cocoon sleeper seats on B767s and A330s Check-in: Dedicated check-in desks, self-service kiosks, online, mobile Lounges: Sky Team lounge at Heathrow Alliance: Sky Team
AIR ASTANA Long-haul aircraft: B757-200 (out of UK) Business class seats: 16 Configuration: 2-2 Seat type: Sleeper seat Check-in: Dedicated desks, online Lounges: Etihad Lounge at Heathrow Terminal 4, plus others across network Alliance: None
AIR CANADA Long-haul aircraft: B767 / B777 / A330 Business class seats: 24 / 42 / 37 Configuration: 1-1-1 / 1-2-1 / 1-1-1 Seat type: Fully flat beds
Check-in: Dedicated check-in desks, online, mobile Lounges: London Lounge and arrivals lounge at Heathrow, plus Maple Leaf lounges across network Alliance: Star Alliance
AIR EUROPA Long-haul aircraft: A330-200 Business class seats: 24 Configuration: 2-2-2 Seat type: Reclines to 170 degrees Check-in: Dedicated desks, self-service kiosks Lounges: Servisair lounge at Gatwick; various across Spain and route network Alliance: SkyTeam
AIR FRANCE Long-haul aircraft: A380 / A340 / A330 / B747 / B777 Business class seats: Varies according to route Configuration: 2-2-2 / 2-2-2 / 2-2-2 / 2-3-2 & 1-2-1 Seat type: New lie-flat seat, 79-inches long, on A380 and B777-200s, otherwise pitch of around 60 inches Check-in: Dedicated desks, self-service kiosks, online Lounges: Use of SkyTeam lounge at Heathrow, plus lounges at Paris Charles de Gaulle and worldwide Alliance: SkyTeam
On the plus side, the Airbus A380
continues to dominate the skies, and deliveries are continuing apace. Malaysia Airlines took delivery of the 100th A380 to be produced in March this year, and British Airways is due to receive the first of 12 aircraft on order in July, with flights to Los Angeles and Hong Kong planned to begin in the autumn. At the same time,
an increase in airline alliances is giving business travellers the opportunity to fly with a wider range of carriers. Among forthcoming members of a club is Qatar Airways, which will become the first of the major Gulf airlines to be involved in a global
partnership when it joins oneworld. The carrier certainly fulfils the criteria in
terms of the service detailed by ATPi’s Gary Hance. “The airline that succeeds in maximising its yield in business class will be the one that gives travellers a feeling of exclusivity,” he says. “Some of the Gulf airlines are starting to
do this with impressive results, and western carriers will need to consider this in order to maintain market share with this most lucrative class of traveller.”
➔
Pictured above from top: British Airways Club World; ANA All Nippon Airways
THE BUSINESS TRAVEL MAGAZINE 83
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