Airlines flying the east-west coast transcontinental routes got a shake-up last summer when Jet Blue, a hybrid budget carrier, launched its flat bed business product – known as Mint. This came at the same time as American Airlines introduced a four-class product on new Airbus A321s. Premium passengers now have a flat bed offering on all carriers that serve these routes.
Closer to home, American continues installing a version of its well-received new business class on to its older fleet. Boeing 777-200s will get a version of the flat bed fitted to the new 777-300ERs, the difference being that the smaller cabin size of the 777- 200 means alternate window seats will face backwards. The refitted 777s – which will no longer feature first class – will fly some Heathrow departures later this year, as will some of the airline’s 42 Boeing 787s that are on order. Air Canada’s introduction of Boeing 787s with new business class seating to its fleet has also prompted it to refit its existing 777 fleet. Work on these aircraft will begin in late 2015 and be completed by mid-2016, during which time the 777s and Airbus A330s will have a premium economy cabin added. Like Air Canada, Lufthansa has chosen to fit bigger premium economy seats in a dedicated cabin. Having made
BUYINGBUSINESSTRAVEL.COM
its debut on the new Boeing 747-8s, the seat, which boasts up to 50 per cent more space than economy, is starting to appear on Airbus A340-600s, although these aircraft fly from Munich, which does not receive as much transfer traffic from the UK as Frankfurt. The most important change will come from the end of April, when Airbus A380s will have the new cabin, serving routes from Frankfurt that include Delhi, Johannesburg, Shanghai and Singapore. Singapore Airlines will have an answer to this in the second half of 2015, when it debuts its own premium economy concept. It will fit this first on Boeing 777-300ERs and later to its Airbus A380s, both aircraft serving Heathrow. Finnair becomes the
European launch customer for the Airbus A350 wide- body aircraft in the autumn, which will feature its latest business class. A retro-fit of the existing fleet is now complete, but A340 aircraft that fly to Singapore and are being phased out when the A350 arrives still carry the old, inclined flat beds. Other carriers are using
new aircraft to upgrade their business offering. Avianca replaces its current Airbus A330 with a new Boeing 787 on the Heathrow-Bogota route from 2 July. In the same month, Vietnam Airlines brings the 787 to Heathrow, with a flat bed business class
The Residence, onboard Etihad A380s
and onboard wifi for the first time. Sri Lankan Airlines has the London-Colombo direct- flight monopoly again after a short-lived attempt by British Airways. The route is popular with textile buyers and served by Airbus A330s or A340s. The latter are being
replaced during 2015 with seven new A330s that have the airline’s first fully flat bed business class cabin. Existing A330s are being refurbished, but until they are all complete, passengers may find the old product on some aircraft.
The Gulf carriers continue to slug it out to be the most luxurious. Etihad is the current winner, but for most business travellers, its first class Airbus A380 three-room suite, known as The Residence, is a dream or a lucky upgrade. Etihad’s 787, which has the smaller First Suite, however, provides a more realistic ambition. Meanwhile, Qatar Airways
has promised that its next revamp of business class will include double beds available across its fleet, something that might raise some eyebrows in the expenses department.
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