Luxury reloaded

Just when one thought that the world has seen the ultimate in flying first business class, flydubai, Emirates and Singapore Airlines are changing the rules of the game, once again.

The Dubai based low-cost airline, flydubai, has introduced flat beds on the Boeing 737 Max aircraft, which was inducted into its fleet at the recently concluded Dubai Air Show. The airline is the first globally to have a flat bed in a single-aisle aircraft. A flat bed is normally associated with larger aircraft like the Boeing 777 or 787, or the Airbus A-380 or A-340.

“Eventually this is the product that you will get whether you fly for 40 minutes or six hours,” Sudhir Sreedharan, Senior Vice-President, Commercial Operations - GCC, Africa and Indian Subcontinent, flydubai, told Indian journalists on board the aircraft. “This machine dispels the myth that if you are low-cost you give a product that is compromised,” he added.

There are other finer details too. Like in the second row of business class, which has three rows, the cabin has just one seat. The first and third rows have two seats each. “If someone wants to work while flying then the second row is the place for them,” Sreedharan points out.

Emirates too has come up with a fresh configuration for its new first class on the Boeing 777-300 Extended Range.

For one, the new first class cabin features a sleek modern design in which the soft leather seat reclines into a fully flat bed and can be placed in a “zero-gravity” position inspired by NASA technology, giving a feeling of relaxation and weightlessness.

Also, “To ensure all first class customers have a view, Emirates has introduced the industry’s first virtual windows for suites located in the middle. These virtual windows project the view from outside the aircraft using real time camera technology. In the other suites, binoculars are available for customers who want to explore the sky outside their windows,” explained the air hostess at the Dubai Air Show, where the static model was on display.

The enclosed suite has interesting touches like a sliding small door that has a carving through which the air hostess can peek in, and see if you are asleep or awake and serve you canapés or drinks.

While flydubai has already introduced the new aircraft connecting Dubai to Bangkok, Emirates will introduce its first class from December 1, on flights to Brussels and Geneva.

Also from December, Singapore Airlines (SIA) will be offering passengers on its Airbus A-380 a new cabin product, which is the culmination of an extensive programme spanning four years around the theme “space made personal, experience the difference.”

While the airline’s business class seat reclines into a full-flat bed, the centre seats can be converted to double beds and its carbon fibre composite shell structure creates a thinner base structure that allows more under-seat stowage space. The business class will also feature bathroom amenities from Penhaligon — a well-known British brand — and the meals will be served on Narumi chinaware. The new Singapore A380 will also be the first A380 in the world to be equipped with SITAONAIR GX connectivity system, offering customers high speed broadband connectivity, similar to that on the ground.

“The significant investment demonstrates our commitment to continued investment in products and services, our long-term approach to ensure we retain our leadership position, and our confidence in the future of premium full service air travel,” said SIA CEO Goh Choon Phong.

The new cabin products will debut on the Singapore-Sydney route and they will initially be fitted on five new A380s. The new cabin products in suites, business class, premium economy and economy class on 19 A380s has been made at an investment of $850 million.

While the constant upgrades create a new benchmark, there is also the suites, The Residence, on Etihad. Available on the Airbus A-380, each Residence is meant for up to two people. Travelling in the Residence means that you have your own butler who has been trained in London. Prior to a flight you can ask for bath robes engraved with your initials. The Residence includes a bedroom with a double bed and a flat screen television. However, during take-off and landing the guests have to sit in the lounge and not in the bedroom.

Ashwini Phadnis was at the Dubai Air Show at the invitation of flydubai. V Sajeev Kumar was in Singapore at the invitation of Singapore Airlines

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