Showing posts with label Jets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jets. Show all posts
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Virgin Atlantic - The Lounge
Virgin Atlantic's vision is to create an airline that people love to fly, and they add to that that they want to have some fun doing it. The business class lounge at London Heathrow is a perfect example of just how they are bringing this vision to life.
The airline was created by Richard Branson, and now part owned by Singapore Airlines. It s based out of the UK, and seems to be adding more and more routes every year.
I have never been in an airport lounge quite like it.
I used to think that their old lounge was something pretty amazing, but this one leaves you literally breathless. The lounge opened a few months back and is open to people flying Upper Class or who have a Frequent Flyer Gold card.
Upper Class is what they call their premium cabin as they do not have a First Class but offer a kind of hybrid First/ Business. I say hybrid as they price it the same as business class fares of their competition but throw so much more in.
The sort of extras that they throw in for the fare includes: a limo that collects you and takes you to the airport (which in the UK checks you in and had a drive through check-in so you never have to queue), the amazing Clubhouse at Heathrow, seats on the plane that are lie flat and are the largest in the business, a sit down bar and also free massages en route!
But the feature of this posting is the lounge at Heathrow. Posted below are a pile of photos of the place to show how stunning it is. It takes your breath away when you walk in for three reasons: (1) as it is so huge, (2) it looks incredible, like a 1970s inspired fantasy of an airport and (3) the glittering array of free services and features.
The services and features include (and remember you pay nothing extra for any of them):
Cowshed spa with massages, wet shave etc
Bumble & Bumble hair salon
Shoe shine service
Brassiere restaurant
Deli
Menu and drinks service at all seating areas (I had delicious organic scrambled eggs and Scottish salmon)
Cocktail bar
Pool table
Monster multi screen cinema
Internet café and library, although there are laptops with free internet access dotted all over the place for you to use
Play area with games
Business Center
Outside viewing area, to watch the planes taking off
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Virgin Atlantic
Inflight massage station
Virgin Atlantic's new Upper Class Suite is set to challenge the traditional first class market and become the natural choice for soon-to-be homeless Concorde flyers. Priced at a business class fare, but targeted at both business and first class markets, the Upper Class Suite is supported by a groundbreaking integrated launch campaign, created by Start.
The challenge; To create a revolutionary strategy, which would be Virgin Atlantic's first ever global below-the-line product launch and branding campaign solely from the UK.
Initially, Start branded the new Upper Class Suite following extensive strategy and naming discussions with Virgin Atlantic's Brand Team and advertising agency Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R. The name 'Suite' signifies a quantum leap in quality and comfort offered by the new concept - a radical, patented new design providing passengers with an extra-wide seat that flips over into a customised, extra-long bed - in relation to rivals' standard business and first class seats. This required a novel approach for launch communications.
The solution: a global campaign featuring integrated, on and offline direct marketing pieces tailored to key audiences. The high-value showcase brochure was styled after a 12" limited edition album and will be sent to 2 400 top corporates and premier flying club members across the UK. A 7" version of the brochure was also sent to over 90,000 flying club members, travel agents and flyingco. companies across the UK. In the US, a total of 120 000 brochures are being sent out to top corporates, flying club members and travel agents. Over 56 000 will be sent out in South Africa, and 4 000 in Japan.
The key brochure pieces invite the audience to the microsite, the hub of the campaign. The site enables the visitor to explore the Suite concept and simulate the new Upper Class cabin experience. HTML emails were sent to over 230 000 flying club members across the UK, and over 118 000 members in the US, to drive them to the microsite where they can experience and explore the Upper Class Suite for themselves. Start also developed a moving image video that translates the ground-breaking Suite concept into a corporate sales environment.
Start also created a 'Suite Selection' chocolate box, sent to nearly 2 500 agencies and intended as a 'sharer' mailer for agencies to distribute and enjoy. The 'Suite Selection' raises awareness and drives excitement about the new product. It includes the 7" brochure and encourages agents to visit the microsite trade section for offers, incentives and to experience the Upper Class Suite.
With the Upper Class Suite campaign, Start has made a revolutionary change to the look and feel of airline photography and imagery. By layering interiors photography with moving-image fashion-style photography inspired by style and fashion magazine art direction, the brochures, video and microsite have real energy and synergy.
Breda Bubear, Head of Advertising and Promotions, Virgin Atlantic says: "The day has finally arrived and didn't you do us proud! The site is working perfectly and we're getting great reaction to it...Thanks again for being as passionate as us about this project - we couldn't have done it without you!"
Sir Richard Branson, chairman of Virgin, says: "Our Upper Class Suite demonstrates our firm commitment to continue to invest in product innovation. Quite simply, our Upper Class Suite gives you everything and more than you get in others' first class - except the bill!
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Friday, February 15, 2008
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
An upgrade idea...
The proposed master bedroom for the Dreamliner as designed by Lufthansa Technik
For the Super-Rich, It’s Time to Upgrade the Old Jumbo Jet
By JOE SHARKEY
The tremendously rich are different not only from you and me but also from the merely rich. For one thing, some of them have really nice airplanes.
This is not about the presumed titans of the private jet universe like the mighty Gulfstream G5’s or Global Expresses, whose occupants can leap continents and oceans at high speed and in plush comfort, without all the inconveniences of commercial airports, airline schedules and, well, strangers.
This is about big, long-haul airliners that are converted to private jets and can carry not only pampered passengers and their entourages, but also, in some cases, their Rolls Royces and racehorses. These are specially equipped, privately owned jumbo jets — the kind that normally carry as many 300 to 400 passengers — but reconfigured with interiors designed for the enjoyment of, at most, a couple of dozen.
And in a market in which many owners progressively upgrade — starting out, for example, with a Boeing 737 and eventually moving up — the next big thing is the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which lists for about $150 million and up.
As a private jet, at least under a new “V.I.P.” design being introduced today by Lufthansa Technik at the National Business Aviation Association convention and trade show in Orlando, Fla., the 787 will have 35 seats — most of which can also be used as single lie-flat seats, queen-size beds or double beds, said Jennifer Urbaniak, a Lufthansa spokeswoman.
As a commercial airliner, the 787 will seat 210 to 330 passengers, depending on the airline that flies it.
“There are around 39 Boeing 747’s with interiors configured for V.I.P. use in the world, and many 757’s and 767’s, an MD-11, and two 777’s,” said Aaga Duenhaupt, a manager for Lufthansa Technik, based in Hamburg, a subsidiary of Deutsche Lufthansa that designs and builds the interiors for new and used (or “pre-owned,” as they like to say in both the luxury car and luxury jet markets) airliners for individual or corporate use.
Even though the first deliveries of the 787 are not expected until 2008, industry experts say that marketing interior design plans now makes sense because there is always great interest in the next big thing at the highest end of the luxury private jet market. Ordering now ensures getting into the front of the line for a private 787, fully loaded, they say.
PrivatAir, a Swiss company that markets charter and individual flights on privately configured big planes, is interested in buying a 787 from Boeing and in having it outfitted in true luxury, its chief executive, Greg Thomas, said.
“We’ve signed a letter of intent and are still in negotiations about the finer points of the contract,” he said. “We have put money down; at the moment it’s refundable. We are very interested in the airplane — the capabilities are superb and it’s a classy product.”
PrivatAir, which specializes in long-haul V.I.P. flights, manages a fleet of 50 aircraft, including a 757 that is chartered by governments worldwide for special purposes. The 757 is also used three or four times a year for so-called air-cruises — “around-the-world trips for 21 days, basically by retired Americans,” he said. Those trips can cost $50,000 to $70,000 a person.
Such planes are also used for special business purposes. “We’ve done movie launches,” Mr. Thomas said. “We did the launches of ‘Ocean’s 11’ and ‘Ocean’s 12’ and ‘King Kong,’ ” he said. “The studio will rent the plane for the actors to go and do premieres. One of the ‘Matrix’ movies we whistle-stopped in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore to open the movie in several cities one day after another.”
Mr. Thomas said PrivatAir had ordered a 767 aircraft and expected delivery late this year.
Jumbo jets are often favored by Arab sheiks and other fabulously wealthy people who tend not to advertise their opulent lifestyles. A notch or two down-market, the 777’s, 767’s and 757’s are often coveted by corporate titans, among them Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the co-founders of Google, who bought a used 767 last year and spent millions converting it into a private jet.
Airliner-size jets are also used by individual business people. Among them is Willie Gary, who grew up in a family of migrant workers in Florida but is now a prominent liability lawyer. Weary of wasting valuable time away from his family in commercial airports and eager to have the space to conduct business in the air, Mr. Gary bought a Boeing 737 several years ago and had it outfitted as a private jet. He also owns a 16-seat Gulfstream G2 that he refers to as his “second plane.”
Mr. Gary planned to invest in a bigger private 757, but now he says he is ready to kick the tires of the 787 Dreamliner, once the plane is on the market.
“On the 737, we can take depositions,” Mr. Gary said. “We have meetings and settlement conferences. It gives me the luxury of getting in and getting out and moving on. I’ve touched down in as many as five states in a day,” he said. “But I’m not going to keep the 737 forever. I’m a goal setter, and I’m always looking for something new.”
Anticipating strong growth in private demand for the long-haul, airliner-size planes, Lufthansa Technik says it is setting up a unit to design 787 interiors for clients.
The interiors have been developed in a partnership with Andrew Winch, who is best known for designing top-luxury interiors for big yachts.
Over the years, Lufthansa Technik has designed the interiors for 12 jumbo 747’s, said Mr. Duenhaupt. A 747 purchased “green,” that is, with basically a bare interior, costs about $180 million, he said. “And then, if you really want that 747 to be a full-blown V.I.P. aircraft, with all the V.I.P. luxuries, you can spend up to $50 million more on the interior.”
Some private 747’s are even equipped with medical emergency rooms, “including ones that can do open-heart surgery when people are flying into a certain environment,” Mr. Duenhaupt said. “But preferably the surgery is done on the ground when the plane has landed.”
Luthnansa Technik is now working on preliminary designs for the much-delayed Airbus A380, which will be the biggest plane in the sky once it is available.
In addition to its size, which will allow for even more luxury, the A380 has a feature that may appeal to the most status-conscious of owners, who may travel with underlings. That feature harks back to the days of ocean liners, where social classes were physically segregated.
“The A380 will offer a chance to separate the senior V.I.P.’s from the junior V.I.P.’s because you have two decks, and they can be kept apart,” Mr. Duenhaupt said.
For the Super-Rich, It’s Time to Upgrade the Old Jumbo Jet
By JOE SHARKEY
The tremendously rich are different not only from you and me but also from the merely rich. For one thing, some of them have really nice airplanes.
This is not about the presumed titans of the private jet universe like the mighty Gulfstream G5’s or Global Expresses, whose occupants can leap continents and oceans at high speed and in plush comfort, without all the inconveniences of commercial airports, airline schedules and, well, strangers.
This is about big, long-haul airliners that are converted to private jets and can carry not only pampered passengers and their entourages, but also, in some cases, their Rolls Royces and racehorses. These are specially equipped, privately owned jumbo jets — the kind that normally carry as many 300 to 400 passengers — but reconfigured with interiors designed for the enjoyment of, at most, a couple of dozen.
And in a market in which many owners progressively upgrade — starting out, for example, with a Boeing 737 and eventually moving up — the next big thing is the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which lists for about $150 million and up.
As a private jet, at least under a new “V.I.P.” design being introduced today by Lufthansa Technik at the National Business Aviation Association convention and trade show in Orlando, Fla., the 787 will have 35 seats — most of which can also be used as single lie-flat seats, queen-size beds or double beds, said Jennifer Urbaniak, a Lufthansa spokeswoman.
As a commercial airliner, the 787 will seat 210 to 330 passengers, depending on the airline that flies it.
“There are around 39 Boeing 747’s with interiors configured for V.I.P. use in the world, and many 757’s and 767’s, an MD-11, and two 777’s,” said Aaga Duenhaupt, a manager for Lufthansa Technik, based in Hamburg, a subsidiary of Deutsche Lufthansa that designs and builds the interiors for new and used (or “pre-owned,” as they like to say in both the luxury car and luxury jet markets) airliners for individual or corporate use.
Even though the first deliveries of the 787 are not expected until 2008, industry experts say that marketing interior design plans now makes sense because there is always great interest in the next big thing at the highest end of the luxury private jet market. Ordering now ensures getting into the front of the line for a private 787, fully loaded, they say.
PrivatAir, a Swiss company that markets charter and individual flights on privately configured big planes, is interested in buying a 787 from Boeing and in having it outfitted in true luxury, its chief executive, Greg Thomas, said.
“We’ve signed a letter of intent and are still in negotiations about the finer points of the contract,” he said. “We have put money down; at the moment it’s refundable. We are very interested in the airplane — the capabilities are superb and it’s a classy product.”
PrivatAir, which specializes in long-haul V.I.P. flights, manages a fleet of 50 aircraft, including a 757 that is chartered by governments worldwide for special purposes. The 757 is also used three or four times a year for so-called air-cruises — “around-the-world trips for 21 days, basically by retired Americans,” he said. Those trips can cost $50,000 to $70,000 a person.
Such planes are also used for special business purposes. “We’ve done movie launches,” Mr. Thomas said. “We did the launches of ‘Ocean’s 11’ and ‘Ocean’s 12’ and ‘King Kong,’ ” he said. “The studio will rent the plane for the actors to go and do premieres. One of the ‘Matrix’ movies we whistle-stopped in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore to open the movie in several cities one day after another.”
Mr. Thomas said PrivatAir had ordered a 767 aircraft and expected delivery late this year.
Jumbo jets are often favored by Arab sheiks and other fabulously wealthy people who tend not to advertise their opulent lifestyles. A notch or two down-market, the 777’s, 767’s and 757’s are often coveted by corporate titans, among them Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the co-founders of Google, who bought a used 767 last year and spent millions converting it into a private jet.
Airliner-size jets are also used by individual business people. Among them is Willie Gary, who grew up in a family of migrant workers in Florida but is now a prominent liability lawyer. Weary of wasting valuable time away from his family in commercial airports and eager to have the space to conduct business in the air, Mr. Gary bought a Boeing 737 several years ago and had it outfitted as a private jet. He also owns a 16-seat Gulfstream G2 that he refers to as his “second plane.”
Mr. Gary planned to invest in a bigger private 757, but now he says he is ready to kick the tires of the 787 Dreamliner, once the plane is on the market.
“On the 737, we can take depositions,” Mr. Gary said. “We have meetings and settlement conferences. It gives me the luxury of getting in and getting out and moving on. I’ve touched down in as many as five states in a day,” he said. “But I’m not going to keep the 737 forever. I’m a goal setter, and I’m always looking for something new.”
Anticipating strong growth in private demand for the long-haul, airliner-size planes, Lufthansa Technik says it is setting up a unit to design 787 interiors for clients.
The interiors have been developed in a partnership with Andrew Winch, who is best known for designing top-luxury interiors for big yachts.
Over the years, Lufthansa Technik has designed the interiors for 12 jumbo 747’s, said Mr. Duenhaupt. A 747 purchased “green,” that is, with basically a bare interior, costs about $180 million, he said. “And then, if you really want that 747 to be a full-blown V.I.P. aircraft, with all the V.I.P. luxuries, you can spend up to $50 million more on the interior.”
Some private 747’s are even equipped with medical emergency rooms, “including ones that can do open-heart surgery when people are flying into a certain environment,” Mr. Duenhaupt said. “But preferably the surgery is done on the ground when the plane has landed.”
Luthnansa Technik is now working on preliminary designs for the much-delayed Airbus A380, which will be the biggest plane in the sky once it is available.
In addition to its size, which will allow for even more luxury, the A380 has a feature that may appeal to the most status-conscious of owners, who may travel with underlings. That feature harks back to the days of ocean liners, where social classes were physically segregated.
“The A380 will offer a chance to separate the senior V.I.P.’s from the junior V.I.P.’s because you have two decks, and they can be kept apart,” Mr. Duenhaupt said.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Versace-Bad Taste in the Sky
Not content with fashion and a burgeoning hotel empire, Versace will now be designing interiors for private jets. The fashion company has announced a new collaboration with Tag Group SA to design interiors for the Boeing BBJ, Bombardier Global Express and other private jets. The interiors will be shown at a British Air Show this summer. The prototype is described as having a white and black scheme including white leather chairs and black carpeting.
Friday, November 30, 2007
TAP
TAP Portugal has signed a firm contract for 12 A350XWBs, plus three options, and a letter of intent for an additional eight A320 Family aircraft. The Lisbon based airline herewith converts its initial order for the A350, placed in December 2005, into the new A350XWB, and has, simultaneously, increased the number of aircraft ordered, from 10 to 12. At the same time TAP is taking delivery of its first directly owned A330-200.
In announcing the transaction, TAP's Chief Executive Officer, Fernando Pinto, said: "We have thoroughly re-evaluated our initial A350 order and the result clearly demonstrated that the XWB is the winner in all areas. This aircraft will meet TAP's requirements to cater for passenger traffic growth across the Atlantic and our plans to serve further destinations. The A350XWB offers outstanding passenger comfort thanks to its wider cabin, and unmatched operating costs, fuel consumption and environmental friendliness. The further additional A320s is a natural choice for our expansion plans, as the A320s perfectly fit our need for efficient single aisle aircraft offering the best possible comfort for our passengers".
"We are particularly honoured by this renewed mark of confidence from TAP, one of Europe's major airlines. This order is also a further endorsement of the new A350XWB programme. "Airbus Chief Operating Officer Customers, John Leahy said. "I am confident the A350XWB will deliver on its promises and that it will be the right aircraft to accompany TAP's future growth strategy, together with our market leading A320 Family aircraft."
TAP currently operates a fleet of 51 Airbus aircraft, including 17 A319s, 15 A320s, three A321s, four A340-300s, five A310-300s and seven A330-200s, and is Airbus' largest customer in Portugal. The A350XWBs will in time replace the A340-300 and A330-200 fleet, and support TAP's network expansion.
The A350XWB (extra wide-body) is Airbus' response to market demand for a medium capacity long range wide-body family available in three basic passenger versions, the A350-800 which can fly 270 passengers, the A350-900 seating 314, and the A350-1000 which is designed for 350.
The A350XWB will benefit from the widest fuselage in its category, offering unprecedented levels of comfort in this market segment. It will also offer the lowest operating costs and lowest seat mile cost of any aircraft in that category. The Family is designed to confront the challenges of high fuel prices, rising passenger expectations, and environmental concerns in that market segment.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
The best first class worldwide
Now THIS is flying high!
(For a more modest priced First/Business Class try SilverJet, Oasis, MaxJet and Eos.)
The closest most air travelers will ever come to a first-class seat is the humiliating "perp walk" to the economy-class section during boarding.
No, we aren't criminals, but we sure feel like second-class citizens when we shuffle past the already boarded elite passengers, who glare at us between sips of their mimosas as if we're no better than cargo. Squeezing our frames into the tiny steerage seats is arguably the final insult.
Yet a fortunate few - by luck or through the miracle of frequent-flier miles - will one day ascend to the coveted front of the cabin.
According to a recent survey by the Orlando marketing firm YPB&R, that's where everyone wants to sit. One in 10 business travelers craves lots of legroom, nearly two-thirds say they value the extra-spacious overhead compartments and almost half would die for the full meals served to first-class passengers.
"It isn't just the comfort and service of first class that's appealing," says Joel Widzer, author of the book, "The Penny Pincher's Passport to Luxury Travel: The Art of Cultivating Preferred Customer Status." "If you want to arrive at your destination well-rested and ready to get to work, you need that upgrade."
The question is, if you're going to go first class, which airline should you fly? The conventional wisdom says the domestic airlines have lost their touch when it comes to the big seats. (Indeed, three of the top five airlines in Travel + Leisure magazine's 2003 list of the best domestic airlines operate a one-class configuration.)
In order to come up with my list of the five best first-class sections, I took a look at several recent surveys, including those conducted by Travel + Leisure, British pollsters Skytrax Research, Zagat's, and, of course, J.D. Power and Associates. As always, I compared the numbers against your experiences and my own (even though, to be completely honest, I can count the number of times I've been upgraded on one hand).
Singapore Airlines. It's difficult to find a survey of the best first-class sections without a mention of Singapore's front-of-the-cabin service. On long-distance flights, the seats turn into lie-down-flat beds, complete with a down-filled mattress, duvet and a large pillow. You're also issued a pair of designer pajamas and a toiletry kit with body lotion, lip balm and towels. The service is beyond attentive, according to passengers I've spoken with. And the food? Decadent. Caviar, Dom Perignon and gourmet, cooked-to-order meals are on the menus. "All in all," says Jeff Tucker, a technology consultant in Kalaheo, Hawaii, "Singapore Airlines is the best there is."
Virgin Atlantic Airways. Limousine service to the airport. On-board masseuses. An in-flight bar. If you didn't know any better, you'd think they'd turned the clock back 40 years to the golden age of flying, when first class really was a first-class experience. Virgin, which is constantly trying to outdo archrival British Airways, recently introduced a new first-class cabin called the Upper Class Suite, with seats that are nearly 80 inches long and 33 inches wide. You certainly won't get any complaints about seat room in this first-class section. (Technically, Virgin's first class is considered a business-class service, with its "premium economy" subbing for business class. But that's just semantics - Upper Class is a real first-class product.)
Cathay Pacific Airways. Talk about being pampered. If you're flying from Hong Kong, your experience starts at a special lounge called The Wing, where you can watch a movie, catch up on work in your own personal space or grab a bite to eat at its in-lounge noodle bar. On long-haul flights, Cathay pulls out all the stops, with luxurious sleeper seats which feature luxury duvets and pillows, toiletry kits designed by La Prairie and gourmet, cooked-to-order cuisine. Cathay also waives some of its rules for folks sitting up front, permitting a special checked-baggage allowance of two pieces that weigh up to 70 pounds each. So you can travel in style and take along the kitchen sink - almost literally.
British Airways. Flying can be stressful, which is why British Airways operates a spa out of its London first-class lounge. That, and perhaps a little competition with Virgin (which, after all, has an on-board masseuse), have driven this carrier to offer a range of treatments and massages "designed to relieve the stresses of the journey and prepare you for a relaxed and comfortable flight." The first-class section is impressive, too. Each individual seat is called a "demi cabin" because it converts not only into a bed, but an office of sorts with a separate seat where another passenger (presumably also from first class) can "visit" with you. British Airways also has a reputation for having an excellent on-board "cellar" with a selection of wines, champagnes and spirits - but alas, no bar.
Thai International Airways. The last thing Thai wants its Royal First Class customers to be on those tedious transcontinental flights is bored. Which is why you're issued a personal Video Walkman when you sit down. There's a library with first-run movies, classic films, a ballet or music videos, to pass the time. And, of course, there's luxury - and lots of it. Sleeper seats. Food served on china with silverware (nothing plastic here). Cuvée des Roys champagne. Plus, the service is said to be second-to-none, with cabin attendants constantly patrolling the aisles to make sure every passenger is happy. Needless to say, it would be very difficult to have a bad flight on Thai.
Don't forget business class
Not all airlines offer a first-class cabin. In fact, some of the best premium airline services don't even carry a "first-class" label. This is done mainly because so many companies have policies forbidding their employees from flying first class. So the airlines wisely renamed their top-of-the-line product "business class."
A good example is Austrian Airlines' "Grand Class," which showed up on several of the surveys, despite being a business-class product. Austrian Airlines is a sentimental favorite of mine because I grew up in Austria and still have family there, who I visit frequently. I admit it, I shamelessly beg for an upgrade to Grand Class every time I fly on Austrian, and I've actually gotten an upgrade on two occasions. It's worth the groveling.
"It's the best business class around," raves Alf Wirth, a financial adviser who is a frequent traveler to Vienna, Austria. "In fact, except for the seats only reclining to 160 degrees, it would win even against any other first class." Wirth likes the food, service and ambience - and even though my friends who handle public relations for Austrian Airlines cringe whenever I call, I wholeheartedly agree.
Before booking that ticket, though, I'd like offer a reality check. A New York-to-Vienna ticket in Grand Class will set you back about $5,022. Want to fly from Los Angeles to Singapore on Singapore Airlines? Get ready to part with $9,368. That's big bucks.
If you can't afford to do that, or just think that the money would be better spent on something like oh, say your mortgage, then you can always do the "perp walk" and follow the rest of the livestock to the back of the plane.
(For a more modest priced First/Business Class try SilverJet, Oasis, MaxJet and Eos.)
The closest most air travelers will ever come to a first-class seat is the humiliating "perp walk" to the economy-class section during boarding.
No, we aren't criminals, but we sure feel like second-class citizens when we shuffle past the already boarded elite passengers, who glare at us between sips of their mimosas as if we're no better than cargo. Squeezing our frames into the tiny steerage seats is arguably the final insult.
Yet a fortunate few - by luck or through the miracle of frequent-flier miles - will one day ascend to the coveted front of the cabin.
According to a recent survey by the Orlando marketing firm YPB&R, that's where everyone wants to sit. One in 10 business travelers craves lots of legroom, nearly two-thirds say they value the extra-spacious overhead compartments and almost half would die for the full meals served to first-class passengers.
"It isn't just the comfort and service of first class that's appealing," says Joel Widzer, author of the book, "The Penny Pincher's Passport to Luxury Travel: The Art of Cultivating Preferred Customer Status." "If you want to arrive at your destination well-rested and ready to get to work, you need that upgrade."
The question is, if you're going to go first class, which airline should you fly? The conventional wisdom says the domestic airlines have lost their touch when it comes to the big seats. (Indeed, three of the top five airlines in Travel + Leisure magazine's 2003 list of the best domestic airlines operate a one-class configuration.)
In order to come up with my list of the five best first-class sections, I took a look at several recent surveys, including those conducted by Travel + Leisure, British pollsters Skytrax Research, Zagat's, and, of course, J.D. Power and Associates. As always, I compared the numbers against your experiences and my own (even though, to be completely honest, I can count the number of times I've been upgraded on one hand).
Singapore Airlines. It's difficult to find a survey of the best first-class sections without a mention of Singapore's front-of-the-cabin service. On long-distance flights, the seats turn into lie-down-flat beds, complete with a down-filled mattress, duvet and a large pillow. You're also issued a pair of designer pajamas and a toiletry kit with body lotion, lip balm and towels. The service is beyond attentive, according to passengers I've spoken with. And the food? Decadent. Caviar, Dom Perignon and gourmet, cooked-to-order meals are on the menus. "All in all," says Jeff Tucker, a technology consultant in Kalaheo, Hawaii, "Singapore Airlines is the best there is."
Virgin Atlantic Airways. Limousine service to the airport. On-board masseuses. An in-flight bar. If you didn't know any better, you'd think they'd turned the clock back 40 years to the golden age of flying, when first class really was a first-class experience. Virgin, which is constantly trying to outdo archrival British Airways, recently introduced a new first-class cabin called the Upper Class Suite, with seats that are nearly 80 inches long and 33 inches wide. You certainly won't get any complaints about seat room in this first-class section. (Technically, Virgin's first class is considered a business-class service, with its "premium economy" subbing for business class. But that's just semantics - Upper Class is a real first-class product.)
Cathay Pacific Airways. Talk about being pampered. If you're flying from Hong Kong, your experience starts at a special lounge called The Wing, where you can watch a movie, catch up on work in your own personal space or grab a bite to eat at its in-lounge noodle bar. On long-haul flights, Cathay pulls out all the stops, with luxurious sleeper seats which feature luxury duvets and pillows, toiletry kits designed by La Prairie and gourmet, cooked-to-order cuisine. Cathay also waives some of its rules for folks sitting up front, permitting a special checked-baggage allowance of two pieces that weigh up to 70 pounds each. So you can travel in style and take along the kitchen sink - almost literally.
British Airways. Flying can be stressful, which is why British Airways operates a spa out of its London first-class lounge. That, and perhaps a little competition with Virgin (which, after all, has an on-board masseuse), have driven this carrier to offer a range of treatments and massages "designed to relieve the stresses of the journey and prepare you for a relaxed and comfortable flight." The first-class section is impressive, too. Each individual seat is called a "demi cabin" because it converts not only into a bed, but an office of sorts with a separate seat where another passenger (presumably also from first class) can "visit" with you. British Airways also has a reputation for having an excellent on-board "cellar" with a selection of wines, champagnes and spirits - but alas, no bar.
Thai International Airways. The last thing Thai wants its Royal First Class customers to be on those tedious transcontinental flights is bored. Which is why you're issued a personal Video Walkman when you sit down. There's a library with first-run movies, classic films, a ballet or music videos, to pass the time. And, of course, there's luxury - and lots of it. Sleeper seats. Food served on china with silverware (nothing plastic here). Cuvée des Roys champagne. Plus, the service is said to be second-to-none, with cabin attendants constantly patrolling the aisles to make sure every passenger is happy. Needless to say, it would be very difficult to have a bad flight on Thai.
Don't forget business class
Not all airlines offer a first-class cabin. In fact, some of the best premium airline services don't even carry a "first-class" label. This is done mainly because so many companies have policies forbidding their employees from flying first class. So the airlines wisely renamed their top-of-the-line product "business class."
A good example is Austrian Airlines' "Grand Class," which showed up on several of the surveys, despite being a business-class product. Austrian Airlines is a sentimental favorite of mine because I grew up in Austria and still have family there, who I visit frequently. I admit it, I shamelessly beg for an upgrade to Grand Class every time I fly on Austrian, and I've actually gotten an upgrade on two occasions. It's worth the groveling.
"It's the best business class around," raves Alf Wirth, a financial adviser who is a frequent traveler to Vienna, Austria. "In fact, except for the seats only reclining to 160 degrees, it would win even against any other first class." Wirth likes the food, service and ambience - and even though my friends who handle public relations for Austrian Airlines cringe whenever I call, I wholeheartedly agree.
Before booking that ticket, though, I'd like offer a reality check. A New York-to-Vienna ticket in Grand Class will set you back about $5,022. Want to fly from Los Angeles to Singapore on Singapore Airlines? Get ready to part with $9,368. That's big bucks.
If you can't afford to do that, or just think that the money would be better spent on something like oh, say your mortgage, then you can always do the "perp walk" and follow the rest of the livestock to the back of the plane.
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