While many airlines walk away from true first class, some – like Air France, Cathay Pacific, and Singapore Airlines – lean into it. The same is true for Emirates. The market for spending far more than business class isn’t a large one, but it’s lucrative.
- Customers trading down from flying private for long haul. This isn’t about ‘how much more than business class is it worth’ but how much of a value is commercial airline first class, if you can make it a reasonable substitute?
- And while many businesses won’t pay for first class, for executives crucial to multi-billion dollar deals transporting their brain from one place to another is very lucrative and airfare a rounding error. They may not be the ones taking advantage of high end alcohol onboard (unless they’re French!) but eliminating all stress from the experience delivers them in their best condition to be effective.
That’s why there are still 8,000 first class seats flying every day.
Air France has a gorgeous new first class. Already they had a top 5 world product, and the new first class is also a top 5 world product – though it doesn’t clearly move them up that ladder. Their first class ground service in Paris is probably best, though, outmatching rival Lufthansa in Frankfurt.
Lufthansa, though, is testing new first class service ideas. Here’s one report from a Miami – Frankfurt flight,
New amuse-bouche with two different small servings
Caviar service with potato blinis instead of toast, served with a mother-of-pearl spoon
Option to have a smaller main course to try more of the different food offerings
New dessert concept inspired by “café gourmand,” with three smaller servings
New cutlery, plates, and glassware, including different wine glasses to accommodate various wine types
New blanket—seems to be a wool/cashmere blend
Lufthansa is also testing picking up passengers at home and driving them straight to the plane, skipping the terminal (even the first class terminal) completely.
It’s not clear how this will work in practice, especially with passport control. You’d need to a make a stop in the car, at least, at the First Class Terminal’s passport control in Frankfurt for immigration formalities and the same goes for security screening? And it will be also interesting to see how they time traffic to and from the airport. If they’re setting this up to take you straight to the aircraft, that’s cutting it very close with boarding and passengers might miss flights – but if they build in a buffer, it seems like passengers would still kill time in the lounge?
Nonetheless, at least they’re trying to think different with premium services and counter the fact that modern airports have become a huge time suck and inconvenience factor – especially considering that the very purpose of air travel is time efficiency.
@ Gary — These new Lufthansa seats have to the dumbest thing EVER in commercial aviation (except maybe SONG and TED). The entire thing will end in failure, but of course they will keep the horrible seats for like 20 years before changing them. So sad to see this happen to Lufthansa.
it’s noteworthy, Gene, that Song and Ted no longer exist
Don’t forget SWISS FC too. I had the pleasure of taking them out of ZRH. Dedicated security and passport control; terminal side and airside FC lounges with outstanding food and beverage options (including cook to order), car to midfield terminal with direct elevator access to FC, and excellent food and service onboard.
You wouldn’t impress me by giving me caviar, but by giving me what I request. If that were caviar, great (def not me), but let me choose
@Gene — You just had to go there, didn’tcha… takin’ swipes at SONG and TED… And, @Tim Dunn, they still exist in my memories. Bah!
caviar or stemwear is unimpressive and unimportant, which they can discontinue anytime
I’m jealous.
But lie-flats are great and if I am asleep all those other perks are missed. FC prices are still a fraction of what a private jet costs, so as a shareholder I would be happy to have the CEO fly FC and forego the G650, particularly on the long haul flights.
I am looking forward to Boom bringing back (I hope) supersonic travel (I got to fly it 4 or 5 times) where, as the article notes, time effiency is the reason for air travel.
@Gene – Can you please elaborate on LH? I am curious to know more about why you feel this way. I thought having a variety of seats to suit the needs of different premium passengers (e.g. taller flyers) sounded kind of innovative when I first heard about it.
@ Mike Hunt – Who exactly needs a 1.75x wide seat in F? It is basically useless for couples and not worth the extra cost for singles. Maybe they are going for the market of people who weight over 500 pounds? And, the different choices of business class seats is a disaster for families and will be a nightmare for maintenance.
@Gene — You belittle the extra seat-width, but, oh… the ability ‘sprawl’ for a nap-nap… that ‘double-wide’… it’s heaven. Bah!
@ 1990 — Its not double, only 1.75x.
@Gene:
Kvetch, kvetch. Perhaps an airline listens to customers, and gives them what they want. Obviously, they can’t hear you through the static.
Different style wine glasses for different wines. Not everyone drinks Mateus Rose. Most decent restaurants do it.
I’m in favor of caviar, and often asked The Purser why didn’t they use mother pear spoons, for taste interaction? He said often asked that.
Oh, on my last flight to Tokyo, when what I wanted to eat, I said surprise me. And he brought out multiple small plates. Fantastic! As for wine, he brought out tastes of various types to go with each dish. But some people have no taste.
On Tokyo and Singapore flights we flew on the 747/8. I book early enough to always get the one set of two seats together. Two couples on our flights were envious of us for it. So, Gene, there are FC passengers that will always book the “suites” on the Allegris. Not to mention checking in at the FRA FC Terminal. Relaxed check-in. Took our passports and tickets. When we eventually boarded our car to the plane, we first passed through immigration.
I cannot help but laugh at your arrogant ignorance. Oh, and by the way, I am OK without an in-flight shower. I can live without it. But don’t mock those that do
@ AlanZ — You have no clue. I’ve likely flown more international First than you. You are the one who is arrogant AND ignorant. I’ll take the arrogant label. 😉