BUSINESS travel by air, both in Europe and long haul, could change dramatically in the coming year because of four major developments.
When the giant Airbus A380 makes its long-delayed but keenly anticipated appearance at the end of this year, new concepts of business travel could become a reality.
The decision by British Airways to abandon all its Club Europe business-class services from the regions and to operate BA Connect instead could mean that only its business travellers from the southeast of England will be able to fly in a dedicated cabin.
BA’s equally ambitious £100-million plan to overhaul its long-haul business class could trigger a new round of competition to benefit all.
Everyone will be keeping an eye also on Eos and MAXjet — the two dedicated business airlines now operating out of Stansted to America.
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One thing seems certain: travellers heading from the regions to mainland Europe will have to forget business class on BA. The airline claims there is “no demand” for such a service and so, from the end of March, its struggling CitiExpress operation, 50 aircraft, 2,500 employees and bases in Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Bristol and Southampton will become BA Connect. Only flights operating from Heathrow, Gatwick and London City will continue to offer complimentary catering on shorthaul services and a separate Club Europe cabin.
Ainslie Penson, Cheshire Clothing Company sales director and a regular flyer from London and Manchester, says: “I always insist on travelling economy. When I had a business trip to Italy from London last year, I booked well in advance and paid pennies while some were paying up to £300.”
Passengers eager to fly in a business cabin can turn to bmi on some European routes — and enjoy a hot breakfast on early morning flights.
In the bigger picture, Singapore Airlines should be ready to start operating the “super jumbo” by the end of this year. Although the A380 is designed for up to 555 passengers, SIA insists it will carry no more than 480 in three classes. Changi airport has been adapted to handle the jet — and other airports are following suit. But the introduction of the A380 has been delayed for six months and, according to Airbus, nobody is prepared to reveal just what the business traveller can expect on board.
BA’s new boss, Willie Walsh, says that its new business class — to be unveiled in July — will “without doubt” be the best, with big changes on the ground and in the air.
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But other airlines make similar boasts. Qantas says it has “set new standards in business-class travel”; Cathay Pacific reckons the number of staff for every passenger gives it the edge, Continental offers “a fantastic” business service, Air New Zealand’s Premier business service is the “newest in the sky” and Virgin Atlantic says its “halfway house” premium economy seats are so popular it has increased them by 47 per cent since 2004.
Eos and MAXjet continue to receive excellent reviews of their operations from Stansted, especially for the standard of service and the configuration of the Eos Boeing 757, with only 48 seats.
SAS offers fully flexible fares to cater for business travellers who know “when an appointment is due to start but often do not know when it will end”. Bmi, which now operates across the Atlantic, says it has 60 inches of legroom and laptop power, telephones and data ports at each business class seat.
Airlines are spending more money on airport lounges so that business travellers can relax, or eat before boarding and then sleep on board ready to work on arrival. Emirates, especially, is proud of its new lounge at Gatwick, its entertainment system and commitment to take delivery of one new aircraft a month for at least the next seven years. But, like so many other airlines, it is wary — not to say secretive — about revealing just how it intends to attract more businessmen and women to fly in its admittedly luxurious cabins and so to subsidise those who travel economy and suffer the cramped conditions at the back.
By this time next year, airline executives around the world are convinced that they will have a clearer picture of just how the future of business travel will really unfold.