{"id":32453,"date":"2013-07-04T16:52:58","date_gmt":"2013-07-04T15:52:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.voyages-d-affaires.com\/classes-affaires-et-economique-premium-la-course-a-lexcellence-20130704.html"},"modified":"2016-02-10T10:11:29","modified_gmt":"2016-02-10T09:11:29","slug":"business-and-premium-economy-classes-the-race-for-excellence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.voyages-d-affaires.com\/en\/business-and-premium-economy-classes-the-race-for-excellence","title":{"rendered":"Business and premium economy classes: the race for excellence"},"content":{"rendered":"

Despite the gloomy economic climate, the business passenger is still a prime target in the airlines' strategy to win new customers. The current move upmarket in the front cabins of aircraft, being implemented by Air France-KLM, British Airways, Malaysia Airlines, Jet Airways, Air Canada, American Airlines, US Airways and Delta, is proof of this. At a time when competition is becoming global, how could it be otherwise when we know that this market segment, which represents only 8 % of world traffic in terms of passenger numbers, generates 25 % of revenue alone!<\/p>\n

And yet... in Europe and North America at least, this is no time for euphoria. This is because the business class market is particularly dependent on the economic climate, with experts estimating that 70 % of passengers filling the front of aircraft are travelling for business reasons. So the trend in high-contribution air traffic seen in 2012, and even more so in the first few months of 2013, is enough to give cold sweats to the managers of European airlines, who have made major investments to improve their offering.<\/p>\n

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Asia underpins growth<\/h2>\n

The crisis that the West has been going through for five years now has gained momentum, and its impact is highlighted in the survey of high-contribution traffic in 2012, published last February by the International Airline Association (IATA). While this organisation notes an overall increase of 4.8 % in the number of passengers in premium classes compared with 2011, IATA highlights the dichotomy that now exists between Europe and the rest of the world.While premium traffic is stagnating within European borders and on routes crossing the North Atlantic, the front cabins of aircraft flying to Asia and the Middle East are filling to record levels.<\/p>\n

Stricter travel policies, shorter journeys, same-day return trips: at a time when companies are squeezing their budgets, the range of services on offer is becoming simpler within the intra-European market, as shown by the rise of low-cost carriers, but also by the launch of HOP by Air France or the latest version of Germanwings, Lufthansa's economic weapon on the continental level.<\/p>\n

However, in parallel with this low-cost trend, the airlines are doing their utmost to add lustre to their top-of-the-range long- and medium-haul offers. On these flights, which last between three and five hours, a certain level of service is justified, and things are moving. Airlines are now introducing certain features that were previously limited to long-haul routes. Air France, for example, recently overhauled its business class with real meal trays, sophisticated menus and more space between seats. Similarly, Austrian Airlines and British Airways are promising a seat pitch almost similar to that offered on long-haul flights, particularly on routes to the Middle East.Competition from the Gulf carriers is no doubt to blame, as they have accustomed travellers to a very high level of service...<\/p>\n

Luxury ambitions<\/h2>\n

\""An\"Renowned<\/p>\n

The luxury of the premium classes offered by the Middle Eastern carriers Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways, and the extreme quality of the forward cabins offered by the Asian carriers Singapore Airlines, Thai and Cathay: these players have pulled the sector upwards, largely explaining the emphasis placed by the other airlines on improving their long-haul services. \"Long-haul premium passengers are the key to our profitability. By analysing the factors that determine a passenger's choice of airline, we will be able to configure our product, service and network\".<\/em>commented British Airways management to explain the complete overhaul of its intercontinental products.<\/p>\n

Since mid-2011, the British airline has been implementing an ambitious \u00a35 billion programme over five years, including new aircraft - Airbus A380s and probably Boeing 787s scheduled for 2013 - reconfigured cabins and new, more elegant lounges. Iberia, its sister airline within IAG, is following suit this year with the introduction of new 2m-long lie-flat seats in its Business Plus cabin, as well as a high-tech entertainment system.<\/p>\n

\"WithThere are countless examples of new business products: Delta is offering bedding developed in conjunction with the Starwood group's Westin hotel brand; Jet Airways is touting the merits of its new business cabin, aptly named... First; Virgin unveiling its New Upper Class Suite, a resolutely high-tech cabin with touch screens and connectivity for smartphones and tablets, with leather armchairs that extend horizontally to create a 2.20 metre bed; Air Canada promoting its Super Business Suite, in which each fully reclining seat has direct access to the aisles; Austrian Airlines converting its long-haul fleet of Boeing 777s and 767s to full-flat seats, on the way to becoming the global standard.<\/p>\n

\"KLMThe Air France-KLM group is part of this race for excellence.In March, KLM presented its new World Business Class offer.Its credo is to make passengers feel \"at home\" on board.Its motto: comfort, privacy and style. To achieve this, the Dutch airline has enlisted the services of two major local design names, Hella Jongerius for the interior design and Marcel Wanders for the tableware. However, the key feature of the World Business Class is a new 'full-flat' seat with a flap separating the seats for greater privacy. KLM's flight plan calls for the World Business Class to be launched from July this year and to run until summer 2014, just as its partner Air France launches its new long-haul business offer.<\/p>\n

\"Smiles\"Air<\/p>\n

Air France and its full-flat<\/h2>\n

Like KLM, the full-flat seat is also Air France's main battle-horse, the materialisation of its lofty ambitions. Having taken the helm of the airline in November 2011, CEO Alexandre de Juniac has made service improvement a priority, as he sees it as the key to winning back long-haul passengers. And the airline's CEO has put his foot down: speaking to the major national media last year, Alexandre de Juniac conceded that Air France was now behind some of its competitors such as Singapore Airlines, Emirates and the Luft-hansa group in terms of the comfort of its high-contribution product. So the national airline called in designers and asked its customers to find out what they wanted. The result will be a new range of products in 2014, the outlines of which are already known.La Premi\u00e8re, with its seat that converts horizontally into a real bed, should offer unrivalled luxury. In business class, the seats will also be replaced and the service concept revised upwards, according to passengers' wishes.<\/p>\n

At the same time as improving product quality, the airlines are also committed to giving a human touch to their service. This applies to all on-board classes, of course, but even more so to the front cabins, which benefit from a little extra attention. \"Our aim is to create interactivity between passenger and staff to ensure that our passengers leave feeling that they have had the best possible experience in the air\".<\/em>says Huib Gorter, Malaysia Airlines' Senior Vice President for the UK and Europe.Many airlines are insisting on training their flight crews, with one key word: smiles.<\/p>\n

Magical moments<\/h2>\n

As part of this, Finnair has introduced a programme called \"Magic Moments\", encouraging each member of the flight crew to show initiative in solving a problem or anticipating customer expectations. At the same time, the Scandinavian carrier is highlighting its concept of comfort in its business class, emblematic of the art of living in the North. Passengers drink from Iittala crystal glasses or dine on Finnish or Swedish specialities in a porcelain service created by the famous Finnish designer Marimekko.<\/p>\n

Making catering a symbol of the airline's national identity as well as the quality of its offer is obviously not limited to the Finnish airline.Worthy ambassadors of countries with a rich culinary culture, Air France, with Michel Roth, and Iberia, with Tono Perez, are playing the starred gastronomy card to attract high-spending passengers. Lufthansa also invited Alsatian chef Marc Haeberlin to concoct original dishes for its First class in March and April - a slight departure from national cuisine.<\/p>\n

A phenomenon of communicating vessels or the effect of the times? While Premi\u00e8re, the venerable relic of the golden age of air transport, is now only offered by a dozen or so airlines - Air France, British Airways, Lufthansa and Swiss in Europe, and the best Middle Eastern and Asian airlines, since this prestigious offer remains an essential factor in business relations in this part of the world - recent years have seen the rise of a new class of service, 'Economy Premium', an intermediary between Business and Economy at discounted fares.<\/p>\n

And the premium was<\/h2>\n

The first airlines to apply this concept were Eva Air, which pioneered the concept in 1991, followed by Virgin Atlantic and British Airways. SAS Scandinavian Airlines and Air New Zealand followed in the early 2000s... But they really took off in the mid-2000s, when the financial crisis squeezed corporate travel budgets and the difference in comfort between economy and business class became so great that the need arose to offer a class offering greater comfort than a traditional economy class, without necessarily offering a seat-bed.<\/p>\n

The Asia-Pacific region has seen a proliferation of Premium Economy flights over the last five years. After Air New Zealand and Qantas, All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, China Southern and, since last year, Cathay Pacific have all embraced this value-added concept. \"We weren't sure whether there was a demand for it until three years ago, but I've never closed the door on the launch of a Premium Economy product.<\/em>says John Slosar, CEO of Cathay. There is a clear demand for this type of product, so we decided to launch a full-fare economy class. And with great success.<\/em><\/p>\n


<\/em><\/p>\n

For carriers tempted by the adventure, success is generally on the cards. Between the end of 2009, when it was launched, and the end of 2012, Air France carried more than 1.5 million passengers in its Premium Voyageur class, a full-fare economy product. In December, the airline decided to further improve its services with a wider range of menus - although special menus will be subject to a charge - and more priority ground services. All of which brings Premium Voyageur closer to the standards of a 90s-style business class...<\/p>\n

\"GastronomyBecause Economy Premium is looking more and more like a 'light' business class than a 'plus' economy class. Indeed, it is the same desire for quality that drives Turkish Airlines' Comfort Class, with its seats offering 116 cm between rows and a seat that reclines to 22 cm.In other words, the same standards as Lufthansa's Business Class a little over a decade ago!<\/p>\n

However, the problem that business travellers still face when booking Premium Economy is the lack of consistency in the product. The differences from one airline to another can be stark, almost contradictory. While Air France, British Airways, Cathay, Delta Air Lines and SAS offer a genuine class distinct from the economy product, other carriers simply include a little more space between the rows in their 'Premium' concept. This is the case with United Airlines, for example. Of course, the difference in spacing with
pure economy class is close to 10 cm, but do these extra centimetres justify the extra price without any other advantages?\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n