Tag Archives: Business Class

Airberlin installs business class seats on its Airbus A330-200s

Airberlin A330-200 business class seat (Airberlin)(LRW)

Airberlin (Berlin) has retrofitted theย last Airbus A330-200 with companyโ€™s all-new Business Class. This means that Airberlin is now the only German airline with complete horizontal FullFlat seats on every Business Class long-haul flight. According to the airline, “thanks to the mainly single-seat arrangement guests can enjoy even more privacy and access to the aisle from any seat. Gourmet menus and premium wines from Sansibar round off a premium travel experience.”

In other news, Airberlin starting on June 2 is transferring its Dusseldorf โ€“ London (Stansted) service to Etihad Regional (Darwin Airline) with its three daily SAAB 2000 flights.

Copyright Photo: Airberlin.

Airberlin:

El Al upgrades its premium cabins

El Al Israel Airlines (Tel Aviv) has announced it is upgrading its Tel Aviv-New York (JFK) route with new Business Class “bed-like” seats and a renewed First Class to be completed by end of May 2014 on its Boeing 747-400s.

El Al President and CEO Elyezer Shkedy:ย โ€œThe upgrade of the premium class seats on our wide-body aircraft is part of our ongoing strategy of upgrading the El Al product and passenger experience. After purchasing our 8 new Boeing 737-900 ER planes, we embarked on a process to fully renew the Business Class and First Class seats on the Boeing 747-400 aircraft. We continue to work on providing the best product and the most advanced service for our customers.โ€

In addition, El Al is renewing the First Class seats on its Boeing 747-400 fleet and offering customers an intimate, prestigious and redesigned cabin.

El Al Israel Airlines is the only airline offering First Class on nonstop flights to/from North America.

Upgrading Premium Classes on the 747-400 Fleet

Aircraft Interior, Seats and Cabin Appearance:

Interior of Aircraft: The interior of the premium classes on the 747-400 fleet have been redesigned.

Business Class: El Al has renovated its seats to “bed-like” and is offering more space between rows. Business Class on the upgraded aircraft offers 47 seats, instead of 49, with 20 seats on the upper deck and 27 on the main deck.

Business Class Seats:

  • Electrically operated seats
  • Expanded Pitch: 193 โ€“ 196 cm
  • Seat Width: 50.8 cm
  • “Bed-Like” Seat
  • Operational Features: sitting and resting positions, leg support, ergonomic support
    First Class: Passengers will enjoy a more intimate and prestigious cabin that ensures their privacy.ย  The cabin includes 8 First Class seats instead of 12.

First Class Seats:

  • Electrically operated seats providingย  ergonomic support
  • Pitch: 2 meter
  • Seat Width: 53.3 cm
  • Flatbed seat

As part of the process, El Al cooperated with Hollandia, a recognized expert in precision engineered sleep systems, to offer a unique mattress which was designed specifically for the comfort of First Class passengers.ย  The mattress is made with Tempur, a special advanced material used by NASA for upholstering seats on its spaceships. The material is known to be soft and pliable, providing the right support for the body. The mattress is covered with a soft and pleasing to the touch Aloe Vera finish for a coddling experience.

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All Cabin Photos by: Sivan Faraj/El Al Israel Airlines.

Top Copyright Photo: Bruce Drum/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 747-412 4X-ELE (msn 26551) arrives at London (Heathrow).

El Al:ย AG Slide Show

Finnair to offer full-flat seats for nine long-haul routes

Finnairโ€™s (Helsinki) flights to Tokyo and New York will feature aircraft equipped with full-flat seatsย available in Business Class.ย Additionally, Finnair will offer full-flat seats on flights to Beijing beginning onย May 1, 2014ย and as ofย June 1, 2014ย the full-flat allocation also extends to Hanoi, Hong Kong, Nagoya, Osaka and Shanghai. The new seats are a result of Finnairโ€™s 29 million-euro program to retrofit most of its wide-body fleet of Airbus A330 and A340 aircraft.

The Zodiac Seats UK Vantage model seats, which are already in use on Finnairโ€™s four newest Airbus A330s, are designed to provide a fully-flat bed measuring 79 inches in length and 23 inches in width. The fully adjustable seats also come with an individual reading light, adjustable head rest, mood lights and a range of inflight entertainment options.

After the full-flat retrofit program is complete, all of Finnairโ€™s long-haul Airbus fleet will have full-flat seats in Business Class with the exception of three older aircraft. Due to maintenance or other technical reasons, designated full-flat routes may still be served by these other aircraft, which feature angled lie-flat seating in Business Class. These three aircraft will be the first to be removed from the fleet as next-generation Airbus A350 XWBs begin arriving in 2015.

Finnair currently operates 15 Airbus A330 and A340 aircraft in its wide-body fleet, serving a network of 15 long-haul destinations in Asia and North America. A further 11 Airbus A350 XWBs (with an option for 8 more) are due to arrive beginning in H2 2015, which will help the airline double its revenue from Asian destinations by 2020. Finnair will be the first European airline to fly with the state of the art A350.

Top Copyright Photo: Ton Jochems/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A330-302X OH-LTO (msn 1013) arrives back at the Helsinki (HEL) hub.

Finnair:ย AG Slide Show

Bottom Copyright Photo: Finnair.

Finnair Lie-Flt Business Class Seats (Finnair)(LR)