Air New Zealand goes for Business Premier Luxe in major upgrade

Air New Zealand is introducing a Business Premier Luxe and more top-end seats on its 787-9s and possibly 777-300ERS. In a regulatory filing revealed by Paxex.aero Air New Zealand is replacing its current 1-1-1 layout with 27 flatbeds with a 1-2-1 configuration with 42 seats, which are being referred to as suites. SEE Qantas and Virgin Australia launch fare sales to boost travel SEE Thirty years of Emirates inflight entertainment for all passengers  And the first row will have four Busines Luxe seats with a screen and sliding door. The US regulatory request says Paxex.aero "comes as part of the requirement to demonstrate accessibility for the new cabin. "Assuming approval from regulators, the new configuration is expected to begin installation on the carrier’s 787-9 fleet beginning in late April 2022."

It adds: "Photos from the filing highlight the increased space available in the first row for Business Premier Luxe passengers. The description of the accessibility process also describes a process to “remove the suite door” and flip up the ottoman to provide room to manoeuvre in the space." From the filing, it appears that the seats will be pitched at 45 inches and aligned at 24 degrees from the longitudinal aircraft centerline. When flat the bed length will be 80.25 inches (204cm) and the seats will be 20.5 inches (52cm)  wide.

The airline says "photos shown are from a mock-up Business Premier cabin in our research and development facilities." The set-up uses a prototype of the standard Business Premier and Business Premier Luxe seat design which the carrier intends to install on the 787-9. Air New Zealand Chief Customer and Sales Officer Leanne Geraghty confirmed the new product to Airlineratings.com saying: “Accessibility for customers with disabilities is a big part of our enhanced aircraft offering, and as part of this, we are in the early stages of designing our new cabin layout. What we’re proposing in this submission is a concept to ensure safe access for all customers into and out of the premium seats. "This is a very early submission and as part of the process, we are required to get approval from authorities such as the US Department of Transport to ensure the seats meet the latest design and safety requirements specified. It is also the same process we went through to seek approval for the Business Premier lie-flat bed in 2013. "To date more than 80,000 design and engineering hours have gone into the new Business Premier seats, along with 18 months of customer research and testing, so by no means is this the extent of what we’re doing. When we do have confirmed details to share, we look forward to doing so. There’s more in store so stay tuned!”  

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