“First In Business” as Qatar coins its’ QSuites is finally coming to Singapore!
Qatar Airways will be flying their A350 on one of its’ three daily flights to Singapore come November 1st 2018. This will increase to twice daily in December.
Having recently experienced this phenomenal Business product on two long-haul flights, I must say that it sure is one of a kind. The cabin is configured 1-2-1 with the middle rows alternating between 2-apart and 2-together which can be converted into a double bed! Those travelling alone may wish to select the window seats because once the sliding door is closed, you are literally in your own world.
Qatar also offers On Demand Dining so you can pick and choose what you want from their very extensive menu and be served when you wish.
When you are ready to retire, alert any crew and your seat will be transformed into a very inviting bed with soft sheets and a luxurious velvet-like duvet! I was able to get some decent sleep on my 14-hour trek thanks to the comfortable bedding.
The mini-suite is full of features from dimmable lighting, ample storage and working space, and a huge TV with an almost endless variety of entertainment (maybe not as big a range as Emirates’).
Time does fly very quickly when you are flying on the QSuites and a mere 7 hour 30 minute between Singapore and Doha may just a tad too short to really experience First In Business!
Malaysia Airlines’ First Class is only available on their Kuala Lumpur (KUL) – London (LHR) route. It is about to get more e(xc)lusive because MAS is reducing the number of first class seats from eight to four.
KUL-LON
Malaysia Airlines flies twice daily to London on their A380. It departs Kuala Lumpur at 09.50am and arrives in London at 04.35pm. The overnight flight leaves KUL at 11.15pm and touch-down in London at 5.55am in the morning.
The return journey (MH3) leaves London at 10.25am and arrives in KUL at 06.45am the next day. Otherwise, the evening flight (MH1) departs LHR at 21.35pm and arrives 5.50pm the next evening.
MAS First Class
Currently there are 8 first class seats on their A380. Soon, MAS will replace them with the new A350s but reducing the number of first class seats to four. The new A350s will feature the Vantage XL seats designed by Thomson Aero similar to those you can find on Qantas Business Class. Oh, really?!
Qantas Business Class Seats
By the way, there are no first class seats between Australia and Kuala Lumpur on MAS (if you intend to fly via KUL to LON).
So how is Malaysia Airlines setting themselves apart by using Business Class seats found on other carriers in their first class cabins?
According to AusBT’s interview with Peter Bellew, CEO of MAS, explains that with only four first class seats spanning just one row at the front of the plane, it creates a more exclusive zone and increased privacy. It “should make it (more) popular”.
Also expect (very) fine-dining and a more premier “experience” on the ground as well as on board mentioned Mr Bellew.
All being said, unless you are at that side of the world, it (still) doesn’t make sense to fly First Class to London on Malaysia Airlines. I did a quick check on Skyscanner and I found out that British Airways, Qatar, Emirates are all selling their First Class at around the same price point. Unless there is a huge advantage, like price, over other carriers, I would prefer not to fly MAS.
From Australia, the choices are even more obvious. Qantas, Emirates, Eithad and Qatar are all offering more for less as compared to Malaysia Airlines. However, unless there is a need to connect in KUL, flying First Class to London from Australia is definitely not in MAS’ interests.
01 September 2017 – Japan Airlines landed in Melbourne from Tokyo after nearly a decade of hiatus and this is what you need to know.
Japan Airlines celebration at the check-in counters
Carrier: Japan Airlines (JAL) a member of Oneworld alliance.
Aircraft: B787 Dreamliner
JL 773
Departs: Tokyo (NRT) 10.30am
Arrives: Melbourne (MEL) 09.55pm
JL 774
Departs: Melbourne (MEL) 12.05am
Arrives: Tokyo (NRT) 09.05am
According to my experience and seatguru.com, JAL has 44 Business Class seats, 35 Premium Economy and 116 Economy class seats.
This configuration is pretty peculiar because the number of Business and Premium Class seats are at a 40/60 ratio. Meaning JAL is confident of filling more premium passengers on their aircrafts.
Japan Airlines 787 900 – seatguru.com
Japan Airlines Melbourne – Tokyo Launch
02 September 2017 is the inaugural flight from Melbourne to Tokyo. There was a small ‘celebration’ at the check-in desk and also at the gate. Congratulatory speeches were delivered by the Chairman of JAL, CEO of Melbourne Airport, Japanese consular and Head of trade industry Victoria.
I was there very early. Before the check-in counters were opened. That was because I want to catch all the actions and also to pig myself out in the Qantas International First Class lounge.
After I got my boarding pass, I went straight to the lounge.
If you are taking business class or a Oneworld elite member, you get to the use the new Marhaba lounge at Melbourne airport. If you would like to read more about this lounge, click here. I did not use this lounge before my flight to Tokyo however, I went next door to Qantas First Class Lounge as that is still my preferred lounge (of course!).
The Melbourne – Tokyo business class seats are not the ‘latest’ business class layout by JAL. The latest is called the Skysuite SS9II or Sky Suite III. The ones I was on was the ‘version 1’ or SS9 so to speak. The SS9II features the herringbone design similar to the Cathay Pacific ones. This new layout can fit 52 Business class seats as compared to the current 44.
Nevertheless, seats aside, there’s only one word to describe JAL’s hospitality – delightful.
THE HARD PRODUCT
JAL Business Class Seats
There is a manual that teaches you how to operate the seats. Neat.
I am quite impressed with JAL’s headphones by SONY. The sound quality is not too bad!
I must say the quality of the slippers are pretty impressive too. Shoe horn included.
Then the cabin crew comes around and asked you whether you want a ‘cotton shirt’. It’s actually a mini-yukata I think… I am not sure.
I am not a fan of inflight entertainment and I don’t usually watch movies on it. If I do, I prefer to watch TV comedies like Big Bang Theory or 2 broke girls.
A 10-hour flight will get you 2 meals. It was close to 1am when they served the first meal, so this was the night snack… .
Some passengers were already asleep so I have to eat my meals in the quietly without disturbing my fellow passengers.
Well, the night snack ain’t sufficient for me. So I ordered a bowl of ramen at 30 000 feet. Look at the meat! So good!!
…and then I slept and morning came. So it was time for breakfast. You get a choice between the Japanese breakfast or the Western breakfast. Apparently, the Japanese breakfast which comes in a bento is very popular. So if you want that, inform the cabin crew as soon as possible.
What intrigues me most is how Japanese the lavatory was. If you had been to Japan, you will know that one of the wonders of the (toilet) world is their automated bidet system.
All in all, Japan Airlines is marvellous. I was very impressed with the cabin crews’ hospitality – extremely polite and courteous. The meals, entertainment, layout, designs were all thoughtfully presented. Hints of minimalism mixed with Japan-ish design can be seen throughout the cabin. I will definitely take them again soon and I am also sure that you will enjoy it as much as I do – if you fly them too.
I may have travelled on countless Business Class flights but never did I know that my favourite airline actually “invented” it. Yes, apparently Qantas was the first to coin the term Business Class in 1979 and has since been adopted by almost all airlines in the world today.
Nevertheless, one must acknowledge that it was British Airways that created that space between Economy and First a few years earlier and had it called Club Class. Up until a few years ago, although some still do today, many airlines had a special name for their Business Class product. For example, it was Raffles Class on Singapore Airlines and Golden Club Class on Malaysia Airlines. British Airways still go by the name Club World today and so does Thai Airways with their Royal Silk Class.
The evolution of Business Class over the years have been nothing short of amazing. Thinking back to one of my first Business Class flight on Malaysia Airlines’ Golden Club Class while I was still in grade school – these were the WOW-factor seats then!
Whilst these sort of seats still exist on some airlines, especially on short haul flights, they don’t excite most frequent flyers. In fact, many would dread them.
Then came these seats on wide bodied aircrafts such as the B747, B777 and A330.
Fast forward to today, these are what I call Business Class seats….or “suites”! Just bliss!
After unveiling their latest premium economy class seats, Qantas teased us again with a rendition of a new Business Class concept seat designed by David Caon.
Australian industry designer, David Caon is known for designing Singapore and Hong Kong lounges as well as collaborating with Marc Newson on the design of the A380. This time, he is the lead designer on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
The new concept seats are based loosely around the Thompson Vantage XL seat (also used by Scandinavian Airlines SAS) on which the Qantas Boeing 787 and Airbus A330 Business Suite are based.
Caon explains that the new concept seats named CS01 was “an exploratory project, loosely based on the Thompson XL staggered format”.
Caon played with a variety of colours and I must say the colours are more restrained and sombre than the likes of AirAsia.
When profits are sliding and the airline business is getting more and more competitive, airlines have become more creative to make you part with that extra dollar.
In 2015, British Airways started charging passengers for business class seats selection. I was on a BA 777 from New York to London and they have one of the weirdest business class (Club World) seating arrangement. On a 777, they seat up to 8 passengers across so whether or not I pay to select a seat, if I were alone, I would still have to sit ‘next’ to a stranger staring at each other, forcing a smile. Trust me, it really does feel weird especially when the privacy divider is down!
I do not know who started the ‘race to the bottom’ first, and Eithad announced in August of the same year with 8 new fare categories claiming greater ‘choice’ and ‘clarity’.
The Economy Breaking Deals, Economy Saver, Economy Value, Economy Freedom, Business Breaking Deals, Business Saver, Business Freedom and First Class Freedom
In essence,
Miles earned, checked baggage allowances, flexibility to make changes to the original booking, cancellation policies and upgrade eligibility vary from one category to another.
In the Business Class categories, premium add-ons vary by fare type. For example, if you buy a Business Saver ticket it includes the airline’s chauffeur service, whereas a Business Breaking Deals ticket does not.
Then came 2016, Emirates announced that passengers can pay to access their premium lounges in Dubai International Airport. For USD200, you get to gain entry into their First class lounge and for USD100 to their Business class lounge. Dubai’s first class lounge was pretty impressive. You get a free massage, world-class wines and fine dining prepared by famed chefs.
More recently, SWISS have joined in the fun. They too, have started to charge business class passengers for seat selection. SWISS and Malaysia Airlines have similar business class seats arrangement. There are some seats (read this) that offer bigger space and more privacy than others.
When Christopher Mueller was with Malaysia Airlines, an interview with Aviation Week revealed his intention of a knock down business class product.
We want to go modular so that people can build their own product. Customers might book a business-class seat, but opt out of the miles or lounge access. Or they could take a day flight in economy to Australia and return in business overnight.
I don’t see a knock down business class product as devaluing the idea of business class. In fact, when you only ‘pay for what you need’, it sounds reasonable. Sometimes all I need is a bigger seat especially when I know that I won’t have time to go to the lounge. I also have trouble keeping all those amenity kits in my cupboard (and I consider leaving it behind after a flight is wastage).
More often than not, most of these airlines are not charging their top tier frequent flyers on seat selection, lounge access (even if you were flying economy) so in actual fact, it does pay to be loyal. That is just one more reason to stay loyal to a particular airline or a particular alliance for that matter.
In hindsight, I guess this is only a matter of time before major airlines start ‘itemising’ their business class product similar to those of Jetstar, Scoot and other low-cost airlines. Some might argue that this cheapens the airline but I beg to differ.
Bloomberg has just published an article about the diminishing Asian airlines empires and the birth of the a new empire which Qantas is lucky to be a part of. Qantas has come a long, long way. Whilst in the past, many would have dreaded a long haul flight due to their abysmal service, not so the case today. Qantas is now at the forefront of service delivery and hard product, no to mention, their unblemished safety record making – still the safest airline in the world today!
I have always wanted to try out their new “Business Suite” seat which was released about a year ago but did not have the opportunity until recently. Flying from Singapore to Brisbane, I was very impressed with both the new hard and soft product.
My “bed” for the night was promptly prepared by a cabin crew before take off. I was greeted by the in-flight manager (as I always do on an Emirates or Qantas flight) who welcomed me back. I could have been the only elite in the front cabin because she didn’t speak to anyone else! Yes, that made me feel special! LOL.
Very swanky…..
Choices for supper and breakfast on the 8-hour long flight back to Australia
I chose the Vegetarian Laksa – it wasn’t the best, but it was good!
About 90-minutes before landing, I was gently awakened by a crew member and I could immediately smell the aroma of freshly brewed coffee coming from the galley. Before long, I was served my breakfast choice of Shakshuka! You wouldn’t believe how good the eggs were! FYI – the eggs were prepared onboard! In case you are curious about how they managed to get it done inflight, check this link out.
I didn’t open the amenity kit until I got home. Here it is!
Early this year, Malaysia Airlines (MAS) started to retrofit all their Business Class seats and by now, they should have completed giving their business class product a completely new makeover.
MAS’ new A330 now offers seats at 20.6 inches wide and transforms into a fully-flat 76-inch flat bed. These are the same seats used on Swiss, Brussels and Finnair – all for their long haul destinations. The most sought-after seats are the ‘throne’ seats where the armrests are so wide, that I think they should be called side-tables instead.
I had the opportunity to try out these seats (although I am not the first one to write about it) from Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur and I selected the ‘throne’ seat – 1K. The business class cabin is configured in a 1-2-1 and 1-2-2 configuration. The first row seat on the left is A, followed by D, G and then K. The second row is A, D, G and H, K.
In my opinion, there is only one proper ‘throne’ seat – 1K – in the entire business class cabin although others point out that 4K and 6K are ‘thrones’ as well. True to a certain extent but the foot-well on those seats are flanked by two seats in front of you and it is smaller than the only throne at 1K. where you really do have a lot of ‘foot’ space.
The ‘A’ seats are good too but if you look carefully at the layout above, you don’t get a table space on the right-hand side as compared to those at K.
So if privacy and space is a must for you, by all means, grab the (1) Ks. You will not regret it.
This is a very poorly taken panoramic picture of the space I had on 1K. What I am trying to tell you is that you have so much work and meal space. Your meal table is on the left that swings toward you, and you can work and eat at the same time without having to put away your laptop. You don’t get this much ‘luxury’ on other seats
It was very disappointing to see that a premium business class cabin was ruined by old headsets where my ear sponges have disintegrated and not to mention their duvets and blankets were so paper thin that you might need to ask for two.
Knowing that MAS priority today is to return to profitability, I can agree that some cost-cutting measures have to be in place. However, a premium is still a premium and if the measures taken were not mindful on what they should and should not cut, then it might be difficult to justify what/who is considered premium for a national carrier.
In short, the new MAS business class product is quite attractive in terms of pricing and many people would concur that it has one of the cheapest business class product in the market right now. However, you still cannot buy the ‘throne’ seat at economy class prices, so there you go Malaysia Airlines, the ‘wow’ factor is still missing in your premium product.
Last but not the least, I have to say this, Satay on Malaysia Airlines at 30,000 feet. Bliss.
