Page 10 - AAA JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2016 Online Magazine

COVER STORY

home to more long-haul first class routes
than London Heathrow, and Emirates flies
more long-haul first class seats than British
Airways or Lufthansa. Harbison notes that
Emirates “does First Class well.”
While First Class is “unequivocally one of
decline” Harbison says the new cabins from
Etihad Airways launched late in 2014 have
brought “unprecedented levels of luxury to
first class.”
And those new “digs” along with new
Etihad’s new Business Class suites have
prompted the king of First Class Emirates to
announce it is responding early year.
Emirates President Tim Clark, said the
“new bedroom concept will take privacy to
the next level.”
“We’re talking fully enclosed rooms, with
all the touches and amenities that you’d
expect in a hotel or a private bedroom on a
luxury yacht, room service and so on.”
Australian Business Traveller’s Flynn
says the next stage in Business Class is
“more room for working, for storing your
carry-on knick-knacks so they’re close at
hand rather than stowed out of reach in the
overhead bin.”
“I expect some business class seats
will adopt suite-style sliding partitions for
additional privacy, even beyond the seat
‘shells’ already used by the likes of Cathay
Pacific and Etihad. We’ll see more considered
design in terms of lighting and premium
finishes, as airlines strive to differentiate
their ‘travel experience’ from that of the
competition. We’ll see more airlines adopting
inflight Internet and possibly making it part
of the business class ticket price rather than
an add-on cost. Soft product will assume
increased importance, so inflight meals and
TOP: Increased storage space and a more also offered is London Heathrow-New York wine and service are all going to move to the
comfortable working environment are JFK with 1,116 weekly first class seats. fore,” predicts Flynn.
likely to be the next stage in the evolution This is a comfortable lead over the Harbison says new developments in
of Premium cabins
second-largest first class route, London Business Class will be all about “space and
mIDDLE: Premium Economy offerings Heathrow-Dubai, with 850 weekly first class privacy.” Premium Economy is now squeezing
have been successful in attracting the seats says the Centre for Aviation. “London business upmarket, he notes.
travelling public, yet run the risk of Heathrow-New York JFK’s 1,116 weekly first Flynn agrees. “Premium economy is
cannibalising the demand for the highly class seats is almost double the average already hitting the ceiling. Airlines are
profitable Business Class offerings if not
thought through 559 first class seats operated on the top 10 afraid of cannibalising the premium cabins.
routes with most first class seats, and more That’s why the likes of Singapore Airlines
OPPOSITE TOP: Singapore Airlines has than double the average 401 first class seats and Lufthansa were so late to the premium
been very successful in delivering a highly on the top 25 routes,” it notes. economy party, and it’s where Qantas and
sought after premium cabin experience
with high quality cabins and careful Overall, however, says the Centre for Cathay Pacific have carefully calibrated their
service from its world beating cabin crew Aviation, Dubai, Emirates’ headquarters, is own mid-cabin offerings.”
10 ASIAN AIRLINES & AEROSPACE JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2016 WWW.GBP.COM.SG/AAA