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The Changing Face of First Class

By Dan Schlossberg
ConsumerAffairs.com

May 2, 2007

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Consumers cramped into the sardine-like conditions of airplane passenger cabins will get more bang for their buck if they fly first class.

According to Forbes.com, the internet arm of the business magazine, airlines plan to treat first-class flyers like high rollers in Monte Carlo casinos.

That’s especially true for international carriers like Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines. Both have ordered the new Airbus 380, which contains 50 per cent more cabin room than the commonly-used Boeing 747-400, and plan to refit their first-class sections.

Emirates has already done that, turning seats into suites suitable for sleeping, dining, or meeting space.

When Singapore Airlines gets its 19 A-380s, it promises to convert the extra space into first-class convenience passengers never experienced before. It calls the coming changes "a complete departure" from anything else in the industry.

Lufthansa won’t wait for the delivery of the planes; it has already spent $137 million to upgrade first-class airport lounges where passengers can order any meal they desire.

Coming changes in first-class cabins for several airlines include fewer seats, bigger movie screens, larger lavatories, and passenger choice as to what and when their meals are served.

When those changes occur, flying first class may be like staying in a five-star hotel.

Industry experts say, however, that cosmetic changes will occur primarily on international flights, where some carriers will morph business class into first class.

On the other hand, first class doesn’t figure to change much in the U.S. domestic market. If anything, available first-class cabins may disappear as airlines create single-class cabins in an effort to please the most passengers – as JetBlue did when it started flying seven years ago.

Although nearly three dozen airlines still offer first-class sections, that number is likely to dwindle as smaller airlines and discounters count on low fares to lure customers.

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