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Business-class seat on a British Airways Boeing 747-400
Business-class seats of Air India's Boeing 777-300ER
Emirates Airline Business-class lie-flat seats on the Boeing 777-300ER

Business class is a travel class available on many commercial airlines and rail lines, known by brand names which vary by airline or rail company. In the airline industry, it was originally intended as an intermediate level of service between economy class and first class, but many airlines now offer business class as the highest level of service.[1] Business class is distinguished from other travel classes by the quality of seating, food, drinks, ground service and other amenities.

Contents

Airlines

History

Airlines began separating full-fare and discounted economy class passengers in the late 1970s. In 1976, KLM introduced a Full Fare Facilities (FFF) service for its full fare economy class passengers, which allowed them to sit at the front of the economy cabin immediately behind first class, and this concept was quickly copied by several other airlines including Air Canada.[2] Both United Airlines and Trans World Airlines experimented with a similar three-class concept in 1978, but abandoned it due to negative reactions from discount economy class travelers who felt that amenities were being taken away from them.[3] United also cited the difficulty of tracking which passengers should be seated in which section of the economy cabin on connecting flights.[4] American Airlines also began separating full-fare economy passengers from discounted economy passengers in 1978, and offered open middle seats for full-fare passengers.[5]

Around this time, there was speculation in the airline industry that supersonic aircraft would corner the market for the highest-paying premium passengers, and that a three-class market would emerge consisting of supersonic first class and subsonic business and economy classes.[2] In 1977, El Al announced plans to reconfigure its aircraft with a small first class cabin and larger business class cabin on the assumption that most transatlantic first-class passengers would shift their business to the Concorde.[6]

British Airways introduced "Club Class," a separate premium cabin with numerous amenities, in October 1978 under CEO Colin Marshall as a means of further distinguishing full-fare business travelers from tourists flying on discounted fares.[7] Pan Am announced that it would introduce "Clipper Class" in July 1978,[8] and both Air France and Pan Am introduced business class in November 1978.[9] Qantas claims to have launched the world's first Business Class in 1979.[10]

On November 1, 1981, Scandinavian Airlines System introduced EuroClass with a separate cabin, dedicated check-in counters and lounges for full-fare passengers. Simultaneously, first class disappeared from their European fleet.

Domestic and Regional Business Class

Australia and New Zealand

Both Qantas and Virgin Australia offer Business Class on their domestic networks as well as on trans-Tasman flights to New Zealand. Flights between Perth and Sydney typically feature lie-flat seats, with deep recline cradle seats on other routes.

On the other hand, Air New Zealand does not offer Business Class on either its domestic or trans-Tasman network. Bulkhead and emergency row seats with additional legroom ("Space +" seats) can be reserved for an additional fee.

North America

Canada

Air Canada calls its domestic business class product "executive class", which evolved from a premium economy "Connoisseur Class" that was available for full fare paying economy passengers, essentially a guarantee of a vacant adjacent seat if possible and free alcohol service. Domestic First on Air Canada, available only on wide bodies, ceased to exist from 1992 as did International First, replaced by a somewhat diminished[citation needed] "Executive First" class.

United States

In the United States, business class is usually only offered on transcontinental flights (and even then typically only on premium routes between New York City and California) and flights from the East Coast to Hawaii. US carriers generally designate "first class" as the premium product on other domestic two-cabin aircraft, although the service is closer to a regional business class or premium economy product in other parts of the world. Defunct carrier AirTran called their domestic first class "business class."

Europe

European carriers generally offer a "business class" consisting of enhanced economy seating with better service. There may be a curtain to separate business from economy class, based on demand, but the seats are in the same cabin. Some airlines such as Air France and Lufthansa use convertible seats that seat three people across in economy, or adjust with a lever to become two seats with a half seat length between them for business class use. British Airways uses convertible seats on their European Regional network (but not domestic flights).

Business class has started to disappear from some short/medium haul routes, to be replaced with full fare economy and discount economy (KLM and SAS). On these routes, the seats are the same for all passengers, only the flexibility of the ticket and the food and beverage service differs. On shorter routes (typically less than one hour) many airlines have removed business class entirely (e.g. BMI on many routes) and offer only one class of service. British Airways offers "UK Business" on their domestic system, offering the same service as Economy with the addition of expedited check-in, baggage reclaim, lounge access and an in-flight drink voucher.

Discount Carriers

Most low-cost carriers, such as Ryanair and Easyjet in Europe, Tiger Airways in Australia, Southwest Airlines in the United States, and even some national carriers such as Aer Lingus and Air New Zealand on their domestic and regional networks do not offer any premium classes of service. Some, however, have options above a standard coach seat:

  • AirAsia charges a premium for passengers to sit in front of the aircraft or the exit seats which also offer more legroom as well as board first (such seats are called "Hot Seats").[citation needed]
  • On their domestic and trans-Tasman networks, Air New Zealand has "Space +" seats available complimentary for Koru Club elite members and for a small charge at check-in for others. Other than a few more inches of legroom the seats are identical to normal economy seats.
  • JetBlue offers Even More Space (the first 9 rows on the A320 and the bulkhead and emergency row on the E-190) for between $20 and $90 extra per segment. EML includes priority boarding and priority security screening but no other benefits.
  • Spirit Airlines has Big Front Seats in the first row of all their aircraft. The seats were part of Spirit's former First Class offering, Spirit Plus, but now offer no benefits other than bigger seat pitch and a 2 by 2, rather than 3 by 3 arrangement.
  • Virgin America offers Main Cabin Select and includes a guaranteed bulkhead or emergency row seat, free alcohol, food, pay-per-view movies and checked baggage. Unlike JetBlue and Spirit, where the cost is under $100 per segment for the upgrade, Main Cabin Select is marketed as a true premium economy product, and can easily double the cost of a regular economy ticket. Space available upgrades are also available at check-in for between $70 and $160 each way.

Long Haul Business Class

Cradle seat on Singapore Airlines, used on shorter flights
Fully flat herringbone seat on Air Canada

Long haul business class seats are substantially different from economy class seats and many airlines have installed "lie flat" seats into business class, whereas previously seats with such a recline were only available in international first class. There are essentially three types of long haul business class seats today. These are listed in ascending order of perceived "quality".

  • Cradle seats are seats with around 160 degrees of recline and substantially more leg room compared to the economy section. The seat pitch of business class seats range from 33–79.5 in (84–202 cm) (usually 55–62 in (140–160 cm)), and the seat size of business class seats range from 17.5–34 in (44–86 cm) (usually 20–22 in (51–56 cm)). Although many airlines have upgraded their long-haul business class cabins to angled lie flat or fully flat seats, cradle seats are still common in business class on shorter routes.
  • Angled lie flat seats recline 180 degrees (or slightly less) to provide a flat sleeping surface, but are not parallel to the floor of the aircraft when reclined, making them less comfortable than a bed. Seat pitch typically ranges from 55 to 65 in (140 to 170 cm), and seat width usually varies between 18 to 23 in (46 to 58 cm). These seats first appeared on Northwest, Continental, JAL, Qantas and several other airlines in 2002 and 2003.[11]
  • Fully flat seats recline into a flat sleeping surface which is parallel to the floor. The appearance of flat seats in business class has made it increasingly difficult for many passengers to justify, either to their employers or themselves, the added expense of an international first class fare. Many airlines offer such seats in international first class but retain inferior seating in business class to differentiate the two products and fares. British Airways, which introduced flat beds in first class in 1995, was among the first airlines to introduce fully flat business class seats with its Club World product in 1999.[12]
    • Herringbone seating, in which seats are positioned at an angle to the direction of travel, is used in some widebody cabins to allow direct aisle access for each seat and to allow a large number of fully flat seats to occupy a small cabin space. The concept was first developed by Virgin Atlantic Airways for its Upper Class cabin and has since been used by Delta, Cathay Pacific, Air Canada and Jet Airways, among other airlines.[13]

As with first class, all alcoholic beverages are complimentary and meals are of higher quality than economy class. Economy class passengers are usually not permitted in the business class cabin though First class passengers are generally allowed to cross the curtain between Business and First class.

Branding

The exact name for business class may vary between operators. Bold text indicates the airline class is a combination of first and business class.

Defunct

Trains

On Amtrak in the United States, "business class" is the premium class of service on medium-haul trains, such as most Northeast Corridor trains and the Pacific Surfliner, and the main class of service on Acela Express. "First class" is the premium class of service on Acela Express and is also the designation for bedroom accommodations on sleeper trains.

Until June 2009, Via Rail in Canada premium class service was called "Via 1", on short range routes oriented towards business travel. The premium service on the transcontinental route (The Canadian) is called "Silver & Blue". In June 2009, "Via 1" was renamed "Business Class" and "Silver & Blue" (The Canadian) and "Easterly" (The Ocean) were renamed "Sleeper Touring Class" and "Totem" (The Skeena) was renamed "Touring Class".

Limousine (chauffeured service)

In France, "business class" is a premium service of chauffeured limousine.[14]

See also

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References

  1. ^ Perry Garfinkel (2008-03-10). "On some airlines, business class goes first". The International Herald Tribune. http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/03/10/business/seats.php. Retrieved 2008-03-11. 
  2. ^ a b http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FGM_AAAAIBAJ&sjid=sFMMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3911%2C2956115
  3. ^ http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=3U1SAAAAIBAJ&sjid=M3wDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5550%2C2787679
  4. ^ http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZtoiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=z8wFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1263%2C913435
  5. ^ http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=aH9IAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NG0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=7067%2C2493773
  6. ^ Williams, Winston (1977-08-18). "El Al Sees Financial Drain Resulting From Fare Cuts – El Al Expecting Reduced Fares To Cause Severe Financial Drain – Article – NYTimes.com". Select.nytimes.com. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0F17FF355B167493CAA81783D85F438785F9. Retrieved 2012-03-29. 
  7. ^ Petzinger, Thomas (1996). Hard Landing: The Epic Contest For Power and Profits That Plunged the Airlines into Chaos. Random House. ISBN 978-0-307-77449-1. 
  8. ^ "Pan Am Profit Hit High in 2nd Quarter; Revenue Rose 16%". Pqasb.pqarchiver.com. 1978-07-27. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/djreprints/access/108181970.html?dids=108181970:108181970&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Jul+27%2C+1978&author=&pub=Wall+Street+Journal&desc=Pan+Am+Profit+Hit+High+in+2nd+Quarter%3B+Revenue+Rose+16%25&pqatl=google. Retrieved 2012-03-29. 
  9. ^ "air france | 1983 | 1806 | Flight Archive". Flightglobal.com. 1983-10-01. http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1983/1983%20-%201806.html. Retrieved 2012-03-29. 
  10. ^ "Boeing Aircraft Take Qantas Further". Qantas.com.au. http://www.qantas.com.au/travel/airlines/history-boeing/global/en. Retrieved 2012-03-29. 
  11. ^ Woodyard, Chris (2003-08-05). "More airlines to offer seat-beds". Usatoday.com. http://www.usatoday.com/money/biztravel/2003-08-05-bizclass_x.htm. Retrieved 2012-03-29. 
  12. ^ Tom McGhie. "Losing economy seats to launch club class 'flying bed' revolution may not add up". Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/1999/may/26/15. Retrieved 2012-03-29. 
  13. ^ Post. "Airlines in the hot seat over Virgin’s Upper Class patents". Business.timesonline.co.uk. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/transport/article2708778.ece. Retrieved 2012-03-29. 
  14. ^ Business Classe Services – Location de véhicule avec chauffeur à Lille

External links

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