Ubercool

All-Business Class

March 7th, 2008

The luxury travel explosion has another entrant. This week, Singapore Airlines announced it would enter the all-business-class arena by offering single-class planes on its non-stop flights between Los Angeles and Newark and Singapore. Like SilverJet, which flies from London’s Luton airport to Newark and L’Avion, which plies the same route from Paris, all-business-class airlines are riding a tidal wave of Time Compression.

The trend began in earnest in 1996 when British Airways launched the industry’s first seats that could lie completely flat for a superior sleeping experience. As globetrotting executives and jetsetters increasingly log more miles to monitor their far-flung activities, the trend caught on with Virgin Atlantic, Emirates and, in 2005, with the emergence of all-business-class airlines.

British Airways was the first airline to offer a real flat-bed seat in 1996. At a recent company event in San Francisco, BA shows how it has upped the ante with even more experiential seats.

While the major U.S. carriers have yet to test the model, international airlines are forging ahead. In 2002, Lufthansa tested an all-business-class flight between Newark and Duesseldorf, Germany, a service it has since expanded. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways have announced plans to start all-business class flights of their own.

The all-business-class model only works on heavily traveled routes between major financial centers, such as London and New York. While the Singapore corridor is nowhere as popular, it’s Singapore’s sterling reputation that has lead to an “almost daily wait list” for business-class seats, according to a company spokesperson.

Singapore Airlines plans to operate all-business class service between Newark and L.A. and Singapore using a modified Airbus A340-500 that seats just 100 people.

The Newark/Los Angeles and Singapore non-stops also happen to be the world’s longest routes, at 18.5 hours for the L.A. ride, while the Newark journey is the longest by mileage, but shorter in duration due to polar route wind differences.

Singapore will create its all-business-class air service by stripping economy seats out of its Airbus A340-500s to turn the 181-seat two-class configuration into 100 business-class seats. Singapore plans to charge about $8,100 round trip, up from the current $7,800.

Higher fares will help offset revenue loss from its “Executive Economy” seats, which were unique on these flights and whose removal will likely lead to much chagrin among cost-conscious fliers dreading these uberlong flights.

Singapore recently opened terminal three, T3, at Changi airport, which features, among others, a butterfly garden and restrooms with a view.

Once landed, premium travelers can be met by Singapore’s JetQuay service which whisks VIPs through immigration and customs, a truly enjoyable experience. If these services are any indication, it looks like business class is about to go luxe.

Ubertrends: Time Compression, Generation X-tasy
Value Propellants: Convenience, time-saving, indulgence, affluence, exclusivity

Entry Filed under: Travel