There will be a dog flight in the skies next month as the major airlines battle over business class.
'All-business' is the new buzz-word. Both Singapore Airlines and British Airways take to the air this May with new services aimed at the premium flyer and luxury traveller.
Slick black leather seats which convert into the same flatbeds you’ll find on the monster A380 are what Singapore Airlines is offing passengers who fly its new all-business class planes; along with stellar service and the comfort of knowing you’ll be flying with 99 other high-paying customers. Singapore Airlines is the first airline to announce an all-business class plane on a trans-pacific route. Five Airbus 340-500 ultra-long-range aircraft have been converted into all-business planes for daily flights from Singapore to New York and Los Angeles and are being phased in from mid-May.
Meanwhile British Airways' new start up airline, Open Skies, due to start flying between New York (Newark) and Paris at the end of May will be mostly premium class. That ‘mostly’ means there will be a few rows of economy right at the back.
Lufhansa is also launching a new all-business service this month with flights between Munich and Dubai in the air from 1 May.
BA has announced it also intends to fly an all-business service between London and New York by 2009.
It is not alone, the air space over New York is groaning with all-business class options. Executive airline Silverjet flies all-business class 767s with 100 flat beds between London and New York. L’Avion a French all-business class airline flies between Paris (Orly) and New York and Lufthansa flies all-business into NewYork (Newark) from three separate German cities; Munich, Frankfurt and Dusseldorf through its jet service, PrivatAir. It also flies all-business class from Dusseldorf to Chicago.
However, not everyone is keen to join this particular Jet Set. Nine months after Sir Richard Branson announced Virgin Atlantic would be launching an all-premium class carrier by 2009 the business-savvy billionaire has backed down, at least for now. “People are losing their shirts, literally” said Branson recently, a reference to the demise of two boutique airlines that were offering London - New York all-business services; the now defunct Eos and MaxiJet.
Whatever the cost for the airlines, one thing is crystal clear, pampered premium-class fliers are the winners.