Once upon a time in a sky far, far away there were just two seating options for airplane passengers. You had your choice of first or coach, just like you had two meal options–chicken or beef. Times have changed, at least for international flights. (“Ice in your water?” has replaced the “chicken or beef” question once posed on domestic flights). While the new airline seating options afforded the modern long-haul passenger is a good thing, they also can be quite confusing. You see, every airline is its own kingdom offering its own variations of seating. Not to fear, however, as a knight in shining armor is here to challenge the airlines to clarity.
First to take up the gauntlet is British Airways. BA offers four travel classes on its transcontinental flights: First, Club World, World Traveler Plus and World Traveler. Privacy, comfort and ambiance characterize BA’s first class seating. It includes personal windows incorporating electronic blinds spanning two windows. Seats are 60% wider at the shoulder and have their own unique lighting system. BA also gives you your own wardrobe and provides a full flat bed with a quilted mattress to sleep on.
Club World is BA’s business class. Select flights offer sleeper service as part of Club World. Entertainment options include 100 movies and TV programs, 50 music CDs and audio books, plus 20 interactive games–all available on your own schedule. Seats look like a personal deluxe cubicle with privacy screen and include a memory foam headrest.
World Traveler Plus is BA’s “premier” economy, where you get “added extra privacy, relaxation and expert service,” meaning larger seats and fewer rows in that section of the aircraft. World Traveler is the basic economy section.
The next airline to answer the call is Lufthansa, which actually doesn’t need any clarity policing. Their seating is a straightforward First, Business and Economy. First allows you to be social and “take part in what is going on in the cabin” or use the adjustable privacy screen to create your own “personal environment.” Although Lufthansa’s First Class resembles other airlines’ Business Class, they are upgrading their First Class offerings on more aircraft starting in 2011.
Lufthansa has upgraded their meal offerings for Business Class. Business Class also offers fully adjustable seats and an extensive entertainment selection with 30 feature films, 25 TV programs and more. Economy seats include personal entertainment touch-screens with 12 of the latest movies, music and children’s programming.
We’ll adventure into the seating classes of more airlines in our next post.