The business of business class

Since the late 1990s, many airlines have discarded First Class for Business class, or a mix of the two (think Delta and Air New Zealand). Of late, full-business carriers have come and gone (like SilverJet and MaxJet respectively). Now legacy carriers like Singapore Airlines and British Airways are looking to introduce Business-only flights on their long haul routes (click here to see inside the cabins of these airlines). So, what is it that makes business class tick, and how can airlines differentiate their product, as the top tier gets crowded.

First the three functional requirements of a business traveler:

Reliability + Frequency – on time performance and lots of options for timings
Flexibility – business travelers often like to change their plans at the last minute
Comfort – if the business traveler is able to have his own private space and get a week’s worth of work done on his laptop in-flight, he’ll not be too concerned with money

Premium Carriers rule the skies

Eos Airlines seems to have got it right, with their “uncrowded, uncompromising” strategy, and four flights between New York and London everyday. The cabin setup even allows passengers to face each other during meals – simulating a meeting setup. …