Business in the air

Just like you retire to your office seats and think about how to carry out the business of the day while you put down some bullet points on your paper, you have the opportunity of also doing so in the comfort of your cabin on air, especially, the business and first class cabins of an aircraft.

You could take your laptop with you whether you are travelling the Business class, First class or Economy class cabins.

You have absolute space for talking business on air especially, when you are on Business Class of First class.

Depending on the airline or the configuration of the aircraft, some airlines like Virgin Atlantic call their First class Upper class, some call it Premium, but you can be sure to have enough space for business chat on your long haul flights.

Your trip in the Business cabin is a high-end travel experience, featuring optimal comfort, pleasure and efficiency.

In the Business cabin, your seat is designed to provide optimal comfort. In just a few seconds, it transforms into a spacious bed up to 2 m / 6.5 ft in length, one of the longest on the market. It takes on the shape of your body and guarantees quality sleep. Thanks to its ‘enveloping’  shell, you enjoy privacy throughout your entire flight.

On board an Air France plane, the Business seat also includes an individual screen that lets you enjoy an entertainment lineup with over 500 hours of on-demand programming. A large selection of French and international newspapers is also at your disposal.

For your well-being on board, you also have a hypo allergenic feather pillow,  a pure wool blanket,  a ‘comfort and well-being’ kit that includes toiletries and a Clarins moisturiser.

The Business Cabin of any international airline provides a space and service ideal for working on board. It provides everything you need to work comfortably: a power outlet to plug in your laptop or other electronic devices,  a reading lamp that can be oriented so as not to bother or be bothered by your neighbor, noise-cancelling headphones, a personal telephone to make calls via satellite, express light meals, to lunch or dine quickly after takeoff.

Most of them have spacious and user-friendly seats

For instance on AirFrance Business class designed by ergonomics experts has been revamped to offer ideal sleeping conditions: in just a few seconds, it transforms into a bed that is 2 m / 6.5 ft long and 61 cm / 24 in wide, one of the most spacious on the market.

With its user-friendly controls, you can easily find your best position throughout your flight. You can even have your legs outstretched before takeoff, as well as during takeoff and landing.

The seat also includes a new storage space and a removable armrest to facilitate access for passengers with reduced mobility.

We are progressively installing the new Business seat on all of our long-haul aircraft. It is now available on board more than half of our fleet.

But British Airways (BA) has made a radical departure that really sets it apart from all other airlines, with a herringbone pattern of front and back facing seats that roughly alternate. The two seats on either side run head to foot, while in the middle four, the center two seats face the same direction while the aisle seat on either side faces the opposite (On planes with an upper deck, there is no middle, just two rows of two seats, each facing head to foot.

On some older three class planes (767-300 and 747-400) that have not been upgraded to the hybrid Business First, United has rear facing business class seats, but they are in pairs facing the same direction, not alternated, so you always face the same way as the person seated next to you.

KLM Royal Dutch airline has teamed up with leading Dutch designer Hella Jongerius, to introduce a brand-new atmosphere, furnishings and style in World Business Class (WBC).

In addition to the new full-flat seats, the interior features new carpeting, panel decorations, curtains, lighting, blankets, cushions and upholstery.

KLM said it will be changing all of WBC in the height of Dutch design, thereby combining its Dutch roots with international allure.

The new full-flat seat offers customers optimum comfort. It can be reclined horizontally so the passenger can lie fully flat.

The seat position in the cabin and the partition between television screens ensure greater privacy for passengers.

There are also storage compartments in the seats beside the passengers and under the television screens.

The number of seats in World Business Class will be reduced from 42 to 35 aboard the Boeing 747-400.

“I am convinced that the comfort of our new lie flat seat and this contemporary design will be greatly appreciated by our most valued customers.

“Even in times of financial difficulty, KLM continues to invest in customer comfort. I am proud of this superb and unique result: an entire World Business Class cabin created by leading Dutch designers giving our passengers that warm, at-home feeling.

“It is crucial to answer passengers’ demand and that they can get the best on board experience on our extensive long haul network,” said Henri Hourcade, general manager Air France KLM United Kingdom while launching the cabin in Amsterdam recently.

For long-haul flights to Africa, you can sleep all the way to West Africa on Arik Air Business class with its young fleet. Your leather seat with lumbar massage and privacy screen converts to a fully flat bed, the mattress is just soft enough, the duvet just fluffy enough and the pillows and turn down service, complete with an after-dinner drink, is perfect. The cabin is spacious with a 2-2-2- configuration.

There are individual 17” video monitors for each seat, mood lighting to help you relax and a selection of movies and music that will make it feel like you’ve never left your living room couch. Especially when you slip into the sleeper PJ’s and slippers provided for you.

Article accredited to Businessday