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Geoffrey Thomas
19 November, 2018
As 2018 draws to a close, business class is approaching forty years old, we’re approaching the third decade since business class seats started evolving into beds, and a further revolution in passenger experience is well underway.
First class continues its slide into the long, dark teatime of the soul, which is posing problems for many airlines. Those that are serious about continuing to offer a first class product need to ensure there is enough clear blue water — what Airbus’ vice president of cabin marketing Ingo calls the “comfort canyon” — between first and business.
World's Best Airlines for 2019
Rarely is this comfort canyon spanned by upgrading first-class soft product and service, but rather by airlines clinging on to an uncompetitive business class seat too long. Just look at Lufthansa and British Airways for examples of major airlines whose hub-based dominance and maintenance of first-class means they are still installing seats that are at least a decade out of date on their newly delivered aircraft.
British Airways Club World (Business Class) Cabin. British Airways
Consistency yes, but impressive product no: Lufthansa may cry havoc and wish to let slip the dogs of protectionism against its Middle Eastern competitors, but the Rockwell Collins Diamond-based Lufthansa “footsie class” seat unveiled in 2012 based on a product from the previous decade is the only option on an increasing number of the German carrier’s routes. The staggered business class announced nearly a year ago — a reasonable updating to compare with products of five or six years ago — still has two more years since it even starts appearing. BA, meanwhile, has made so many U-turns that even Brexit seems better organized.
Lufthansa's present business class is behind the pack. Image - Lufthansa
The key trend for longer-haul is the rise of the business class suite, starting with Qatar Airways’ Rockwell Collins-produced bespoke Qsuite, continuing with the Delta ONE Suite, a Thompson Aero Vantage XL+ product, and certain to appear elsewhere.
Those airlines suggesting that passengers prefer an airy non-suite cabin to privacy are either kidding themselves or trying to pull the wool over their audiences’ quite literal eyes. Passengers who don’t want to shut themselves off can leave their doors open, but a quick look at any candid midflight snap of a suite cabin on social media or one of the many review sites suggest that most doors are closed, and those that aren’t, have nobody opposite.
Yet the future for suites is unlikely to be either a Qatar-Rockwell or Delta-Thompson style door, for several reasons. One, they’re heavy. Two, they’re complex and demand inelegant emergency egress requirements. Three, they add width, and that’s an increasing issue for the smaller widebodies like the Boeing 787 and Airbus A330, whose cabin widths are already struggling to fit some of the latest products without frustrating compromises.
Qatar's Qsuite. - John Walton
At last year’s Aircraft Interiors Expo — the big Hamburg show for seats, cabins, entertainment, and everything else inside the plane — most seat makers were offering a bolt-on door option. Some, like Japanese seat maker Jamco, quite literally: a magnetized demo door clipped right on to the side of their concept seat.
I’m expecting to see a marked uptick in the number of new privacy options on offer, either openly on the stands of AIX this April, or in the secret rooms behind the scenes. That might be pull-down fabric screens, next-gen slide-across privacy dividers, cleverly angled seating configurations, or something that nobody has unveiled yet.
Delta launched the Thompson Vantage XL+ staggered suite. Image - Delta
The future for business class is strong: the rise of longer-haul narrowbodies means innovation is sorely needed for the relatively stagnant cabins of A320(neo) and 737 (MAX) fuselages, the narrower widebodies need better options, regional business class is a little lost between the rock of premium economy and the hard place of direct aisle access, new seat maker players are working hard to enter the market, passengers are better informed than ever about what they can expect, and those expectations are higher than ever.
Part 2 on Wednesday, November 21.
As 2018 draws to a close, business class is approaching forty years old, we’re approaching the third decade since business class seats started evolving into beds, and a further revolution in passenger experience is well underway.
First class continues its slide into the long, dark teatime of the soul, which is posing problems for many airlines. Those that are serious about continuing to offer a first class product need to ensure there is enough clear blue water — what Airbus’ vice president of cabin marketing Ingo calls the “comfort canyon” — between first and business.
World's Best Airlines for 2019
Rarely is this comfort canyon spanned by upgrading first-class soft product and service, but rather by airlines clinging on to an uncompetitive business class seat too long. Just look at Lufthansa and British Airways for examples of major airlines whose hub-based dominance and maintenance of first-class means they are still installing seats that are at least a decade out of date on their newly delivered aircraft.
British Airways Club World (Business Class) Cabin. British Airways
Consistency yes, but impressive product no: Lufthansa may cry havoc and wish to let slip the dogs of protectionism against its Middle Eastern competitors, but the Rockwell Collins Diamond-based Lufthansa “footsie class” seat unveiled in 2012 based on a product from the previous decade is the only option on an increasing number of the German carrier’s routes. The staggered business class announced nearly a year ago — a reasonable updating to compare with products of five or six years ago — still has two more years since it even starts appearing. BA, meanwhile, has made so many U-turns that even Brexit seems better organized.
Lufthansa's present business class is behind the pack. Image - Lufthansa
The key trend for longer-haul is the rise of the business class suite, starting with Qatar Airways’ Rockwell Collins-produced bespoke Qsuite, continuing with the Delta ONE Suite, a Thompson Aero Vantage XL+ product, and certain to appear elsewhere.
Those airlines suggesting that passengers prefer an airy non-suite cabin to privacy are either kidding themselves or trying to pull the wool over their audiences’ quite literal eyes. Passengers who don’t want to shut themselves off can leave their doors open, but a quick look at any candid midflight snap of a suite cabin on social media or one of the many review sites suggest that most doors are closed, and those that aren’t, have nobody opposite.
Yet the future for suites is unlikely to be either a Qatar-Rockwell or Delta-Thompson style door, for several reasons. One, they’re heavy. Two, they’re complex and demand inelegant emergency egress requirements. Three, they add width, and that’s an increasing issue for the smaller widebodies like the Boeing 787 and Airbus A330, whose cabin widths are already struggling to fit some of the latest products without frustrating compromises.
Qatar's Qsuite. - John Walton
At last year’s Aircraft Interiors Expo — the big Hamburg show for seats, cabins, entertainment, and everything else inside the plane — most seat makers were offering a bolt-on door option. Some, like Japanese seat maker Jamco, quite literally: a magnetized demo door clipped right on to the side of their concept seat.
I’m expecting to see a marked uptick in the number of new privacy options on offer, either openly on the stands of AIX this April, or in the secret rooms behind the scenes. That might be pull-down fabric screens, next-gen slide-across privacy dividers, cleverly angled seating configurations, or something that nobody has unveiled yet.
Delta launched the Thompson Vantage XL+ staggered suite. Image - Delta
The future for business class is strong: the rise of longer-haul narrowbodies means innovation is sorely needed for the relatively stagnant cabins of A320(neo) and 737 (MAX) fuselages, the narrower widebodies need better options, regional business class is a little lost between the rock of premium economy and the hard place of direct aisle access, new seat maker players are working hard to enter the market, passengers are better informed than ever about what they can expect, and those expectations are higher than ever.
Part 2 on Wednesday, November 21.