Business Travel Executive, August 2018

SPECIAL REPORT Flights to Quality 16Business Travel Executive AUGUST 2018 receive Bulgari amenity kits and Bose noise canceling headphones The Super Diamond seat pitch on the 787 9 is 73 80 inches while the IFE touchscreen is 16 inches Hong Kong Airlines The carrier launched a new B E Aerospace Super Diamond business class seat on its A350 900 aircraft the first of which launched operations between the airlines HKG hub and Los Angeles The seats recline fully flat offer direct aisle access and feature three storage compartments It has a generous 44 inch pitch while the seat orientation paired with unique shell shape provides aisle privacy the airline says Lufthansa German carrier Lufthansas newest business class seat product is still a ways away from entering service namely because it will be reserved for use on the yet tolaunch Boeing 777 9 aircraft which it expects to receive in 2020 The layout of the cabin is particularly intriguing with an alternating 1 2 1 and 1 1 1 configuration meaning LH is another carrier offering throne seats There is a trade off here though while all will be fully flat only some will have the confirmed 78 inch bed length Due to the additional desk space of the throne seats these will have a shorter bed length though Lufthansa has yet to announce just what that will be Malaysia Airlines Malaysias flag carrier took delivery of its first Airbus A350 late last year its first of six that it will be leasing from Air Lease Corporation and the only Airbus of its ilk to feature a first class cabin The seat design itself is not entirely new they have been based heavily on Thompson Aero Seatings Vantage XL design with a few modifications however it is the first of its kind used by Malaysian Airlines The aircraft features four of the suites in total Qantas Qantas has launched Dreamliner service on its long haul routes from Down Under including to Los Angeles and London Business class features the next generation of Qantas fully flat Business Suite such as those on the carriers A330 aircraft and include an adjustable divider between each seat The cabin is configured 1 2 1 with a total of 42 seats Premium economy boasts 205 inch seat width and 38 inch pitch with nine inches of recline and an ergonomically designed pillow for dozing on those marathon long hauls Meanwhile the all new economy seat offers an extra inch of seat pitch compared to Qantas A380 aircraft as well as an updated version of the footnet which it features on the A380s and an HD screen which is five percent larger than previously Qatar Airways Last year Qatar Airways debuted its new business class seat the Q Suite Qatar says it is the first business class seat that turns into a double bed due to a privacy door that completely encloses you along with adjustable panels and movable TV monitors on the center four seats allowing passengers traveling together to create a private suite According to the carrier the current fleet will be retrofitted with the new seats but with exceptions The new seat design will not fit in Dreamliners and A380s so a similar seat will be developed to create a uniform product across the fleet The airlines Oryx One IFE platform has been redesigned to make it easier to surf content Passengers can choose from 3000 entertainment options offering movies music news and games BTE Practically every major carrier in the world is rolling out their own versions of the best and the brightest in new cabin products Qatar Airways Q Suite Qantas fully flat Business Suite