British Airways generates 40 % of its turnover from high contribution, while Lufthansa has announced a figure of 50 %. As for Iberia, the introduction of its new Business Plus business class in 2005 resulted in a 20 % increase for its high-contribution cabin.
Reconfiguration every five years
Good for the airlines, and good for passengers too. If you look closely, the range of in-flight products offered by airlines has never been as wide as it is today. There are all kinds of services, from an exclusive private terminal for first class passengers to a premium economy class for leisure passengers looking for a little extra comfort. Cabin class reconfigurations follow one another at a frenetic pace - barely five years on average - and encompass both the upper contribution and the rear of the aircraft. Over the past three years, Air France, Air Mauritius, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Malaysia Airlines, SAS and Singapore Airlines have all revised their product. Cathay Pacific will introduce a new in-flight product next spring, while Japan Airlines will unveil a complete reconfiguration of its cabins in 2008.
The return to profits for American airlines is also good news for passengers on transatlantic flights. Since 2006, they have been investing in their in-flight product, finally offering standards comparable to those of European carriers. United Airlines, Northwest and, more recently, Delta and American have refitted their aircraft with business class seat-beds and have also reviewed their in-flight catering. More and more airlines understand that the class of aircraft is a reflection of the social status of the traveller. "The success of a global airline is to offer the product offering the best value for money to each type of passenger. Without ever losing sight of the fact that quality is essential, whatever the class selected. Today's first-class passenger may travel tomorrow on a low-cost carrier for leisure", explains Thierry Antinori, Vice President Marketing at Lufthansa.
First class has undergone an unexpected revival, emerging as the absolute "must" in terms of comfort, refinement and discretion. The seat that converts into a bed has become the standard for any good first class. And like haute couture clothing, the look of first class is often entrusted to leading designers.
Givenchy, Conran, Marc Newson...
The famous British designer Terence Conran has advised British Airways on its new in-flight product, Givenchy has designed the cabin linen for Singapore Airlines and Marc Newson, Australia's most renowned design icon, has worked on the redesign of Qantas' First lounges.
The design of the seat that converts into a bed varies very little from one product to another, and technical progress means that passengers can sleep in what is almost a real bed. What will make the difference to travellers is the range of ancillary services on offer, both before and after the flight. This is where First makes all the difference to other flight classes. "A First must offer absolute exclusivity, a golden 'segregation' of sorts. Paying for First Class is like a ticket to an exclusive club. The First passenger must enjoy the luxury of being totally separated from other passenger flows", sums up Bey Soo Khiang, Senior Executive Vice-President in charge of Operations and Service at Singapore Airlines.
Accompanied recording
This can take the form of a personalised limousine transfer to the departure and arrival airports, a practice already common among Gulf carriers, but also offered by Continental Airlines and Malaysia Airlines in Paris. This can also take the form of a part of the terminal reserved exclusively for First passengers: hotel-style check-in, privileged access to boarding areas, including a specific passage for emigration and security formalities, a private premier lounge, or even a special duty-free shop. All this helps to create "a certain feeling of difference" from other passengers. The concept of a special first class area was tried out at the end of the 90s by the now defunct Swissair in Zurich, and taken up by Swiss. Swiss has since been joined by SAS, Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways. With the inauguration of Bangkok's new Suvarnabhumi airport, Thai, in particular, is offering a real check-in lounge as soon as passengers enter the terminal, where they can relax while waiting to receive their boarding card.
Some airlines go even further in the race for exclusivity. Thai Airways and British Airways, for example, offer access to a private spa. But the ultimate in luxury is Qatar Airways, which has opened a private terminal in Doha reserved exclusively for first and business class passengers. Inside the Premium terminal, Qatar's first class passengers benefit from additional services, including a spa. There is a real demand for this kind of product," explains Éric Didier, Director of France. For example, we have secured transport contracts to China thanks to the opportunity given to business travellers to benefit from this exclusive terminal."
At the end of 2005, Lufthansa also launched a First terminal in Frankfurt, its main hub. Passengers have access to a private terminal from which they are taken to their aircraft. An important detail: it's a Mercedes that takes passengers to the foot of the aircraft!
On board, the former must provide an extra touch of comfort. On night flights, British Airways' latest innovation is called the "Turndown Service". At the customer's request, staff convert the seat into a bed, with mattresses, pillows, duvets and fine Egyptian cotton sheets, while pyjamas and slippers await the lucky passenger. The final touch comes in the form of a relaxing spray that travellers can sprinkle on their pillow for what is obviously hoped will be a peaceful night's sleep! In Abu Dhabi, Etihad offers a seat that swivels 180°, allowing its occupant to dine face-to-face with another passenger, or even to discuss business. In April, Air France followed suit and redesigned all its ground services for the first time.
Distinguishing first from business class
Around one hundred specially trained Air France ground staff are dedicated exclusively to first class passengers. At Roissy 2 airport, the airline offers a special welcome in the intimacy of a dedicated check-in lounge, personalised assistance throughout a circuit guaranteeing smooth passage, boarding at the foot of the aircraft in a private car and, on arrival on board, individual introductions to members of the crew. Air France has recently added a baggage porter service for its l'Espace Première customers in terminal 2 E at Roissy-CDG.
The avalanche of ground services in first class also serves to further distinguish it from business class. For it is in this segment that the most spectacular metamorphoses have taken place over the last decade. The comfort of Business class in 2007 is, in fact, comparable in every way to that of First class in the 1990s. British Airways started the movement in 2000, by offering the first horizontal seat-bed in its Club World class, a product which was then the exclusive preserve of First. As a result, the British carrier forced all the major airlines to align themselves with this standard.
Since then, it's been a case of one-upmanship. British Airways once again sought to demonstrate its leadership in the business class market by unveiling its new Club World last November. The cabin is now equipped with a 25 % seat-bed, which is wider than the previous model and reaches a height of 1.85 metres. At the same time, Singapore Airlines unveiled its new products. With a business seat also measuring 1.85 m, the two airlines seem to be imposing this new length standard, which is on average 30 cm longer than the seat-beds of other airlines.
Passenger well-being
Technology has also adapted. For example, video screens are larger and brighter, and computer sockets are universal, so passengers no longer have to travel with a whole range of sockets specially designed for the aircraft. Integrated coat hangers and storage compartments for Lufthansa and SAS, sunglass rests for Air France and a combination locker for British Airways - all these touches of comfort make a difference. Even the cabin lighting has been redesigned. More subdued and in a variety of colours, they contribute to a soothing atmosphere. The changes even affect the hand baggage compartments. Deeper, they are also more easily accessible.
Another distinctive element of in-flight service is catering. More and more airlines want to seduce their high-spending passengers with refined menus. Austrian Airlines has long had a real chef who prepares the dishes selected by business passengers on request. The airline has also entrusted all its catering to a major Viennese caterer, DO&CO. Gulf Air and Lufthansa have also adopted the idea of a chef on board.
A great chef on board or interactive video
For some years now, airlines have been inviting chefs to use their talents to design in-flight menus. Air France called on Guy Martin, chef of the Grand Véfour, named "best French chef" by the World Master of Culinary Arts in 2001, to design its first-class menus. Delta has recruited a TV celebrity, Michelle Bernstein, from Food Network, for its Business Elite Class. Singapore Airlines works with a dozen chefs, including Frenchman Georges Blanc, Singaporean Sam Leong and Indian Sanjeev Kapoor.
In high-contribution classes, a menu concocted by a chef has become an "accessory" as indispensable as the interactive video or the seat-bed. A good meal costs, in fact, little more than a standard meal; the secret is in the way you prepare it", Joanne Smith, vice-president of Delta Airlines, told the American press last year. Most dishes have to be tested in flight, as the relative lack of humidity and low air pressure affect the passenger's taste. Similarly, top sommeliers have to select wines with a more pronounced character. British Airways has even worked on a champagne that retains all its sparkle in flight...
Economy class increasingly segmented
The major renovation project has not forgotten the economy classes. The segmentation of this class continues with the introduction of Premium Economy, a class reserved for passengers paying the full fare. Launched by Eva Airways and Virgin Atlantic around ten years ago, it was initially met with scepticism. But since then it has found its customers. Virgin Atlantic, which relaunched its full-fare economy class last year, recorded the biggest increase in passengers in this class between 2004 and 2006.
Premium Economy is now available on Air New Zealand, All Nippon Airways, Bmi, British Airways, Garuda, SAS, Thai Airways in the United States and United Airlines. Japan Airlines will also be launching its Premium Economy product this autumn. The airline is considering the possibility of offering passengers in this class access to a lounge. New long-haul low-cost carriers such as Orient Hong Kong and Jetstar (Australia and Singapore) are also offering a product similar to Economy Premium. Most of these classes have a slightly wider seat, with an average seat pitch of 96 cm, compared with 82 to 88 cm in traditional Economy class. The seats are equipped with a computer socket and individual video.
In traditional economy class, the most revolutionary design can be attributed to Singapore Airlines. The more ergonomic seat offers more legroom and, above all, two out of three seats are equipped with an electrical socket and a USB port. This is one of the major innovations of the new product: the Krisworld entertainment programme console can become a mini computer keyboard. Lufthansa has already announced an upgrade to its long-haul economy class, probably in 2008.
Improving comfort in economy class is making headway. The German company AIDA, which specialises in aircraft design, is working on a new prototype seat for the rear cabin. Lighter and more ergonomic, it would resemble a cinema chair with a fold-down seat. It would allow passengers to move around more easily, or even stretch out from time to time, without the risk of disturbing their neighbour or having to fold down their tray table... And the arrival of new aircraft such as the Airbus A350 and A380, the Boeing 747-8 or the Boeing 787 Dreamliner augurs a new turning point in the art of travelling. Whatever the class of flight.
