Air travel TTG Features
Are you sitting comfortably?
This summer, flyers in all classes will benefit from product development as airlines including Etihad and British Airways ramp up the onboard comfort factor. Gary Noakes rounds up the latest cabin news
Airlines are investing significant sums into cabin redesign, keeping pace with trends in comfort and technology.
First Class Etihad is just one carrier to have
onboard chefs in its first-class cabins preparing a la carte food. These are now found on all London, Paris and Australia flights. British Airways will have refitted all the First cabins on its aircraft by the
end of the year. Some Caribbean routes from Gatwick will have them this summer. They feature electronic window blinds, seats that are 60% wider at the shoulder and new menus including afternoon tea.
Business The main story with this cabin is that several airlines will offer fully flat seats for the first time this year. Qatar Airways will probably grab the most attention when it brings the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner onto the London-Doha route, complete with its
Newly designed BA First has electronic blinds
new business cabin, which will have the airline’s first fully flat seats. The small cabin of 22 seats will have a 1-2-1 layout. These are a generous 80 inches long and 30 inches wide. The aircraft will also have the latest entertainment system with 1,000 films. This summer, Lufthansa puts the first of its fully flat business seats on another new aircraft type, the stretched jumbo jet, known as the Boeing 747-800. Seats are in a V-format giving more shoulder room and have 15-inch TVs. They will appear first on routes to north America and Asia. Kitting out the entire fleet will take until 2016. Virgin Atlantic will unveil a
refreshing of its Upper Class cabin this summer, with an enhanced seat and futuristic bar. A new fine dining menu is already onboard. Brussels Airlines will refit all its long-haul fleet with new interiors by the end of 2012. New business seats are in a staggered design, offering aisle access to most and have a pneumatic cushion with hard or soft options. The fully flat beds also have 15-inch TVs and iPad connections. Refitted aircraft will appear first on the New York route. Aerolineas Argentinas, which flies
from Madrid, has removed all old Boeing 747s from its fleet and now offers new Airbus A340s with modern pod-style business-class seats that are angled lie-flat. Malaysia Airlines’ Airbus A380 will
Etihad first-class cabins have onboard chefs creating a la carte meals
feature its new business class with seat pitch increased from 58 inches to 74. Seats have 17-inch TVs
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