Tag: Business Class

  • Cathay Pacific to honor premium Vietnam-US tickets sold by mistake

    Cathay Pacific to honor premium Vietnam-US tickets sold by mistake

    Cathay Pacific Airways mistakenly sold Vietnam-U.S. first class and business class tickets at economy prices, but will honor them. The Hong Kong flag carrier made this announcement in a Twitter post Wednesday after customers reported Tuesday that they were able to purchase first class and business class tickets at unusually cheap prices from Vietnam to North American destinations such as San Francisco and New York in the U.S. and Vancouver, Canada.

    Cathay, Asia’s largest international airline, offered return business and first seats from Vietnam’s central city of Da Nang to New York at the price of $650 and $845 respectively, while typically these tickets cost $16,000 and $31,000.

    Hanoi-based pastor Jacob Bloemberg was one of the lucky customers who were able to purchase the tickets, which only lasted “for minutes.”

    “My wife and I travel from Hanoi to the U.S. every year, but we are very excited this time as we enjoy business class seats at the price of an economy seat,” he said.

    The number of tickets sold during the computer error is believed to be several thousand. Cathay Pacific blamed the mistake on an individual entering the wrong fares into the company’s system. Although Cathay has not revealed the cost of this error, it is calculated that the airline should have collected at least $685,800 from 11 customers that it spoke to.

    However, Cathay said it hoped the move would make this year special for its customers.

    “Yes – we made a mistake, but we look forward to welcoming you on board with your ticket issued. Hope this will make your 2019 ‘special’ too!,” the airline said on its Twitter account.

    It added #promisemadepromisekept, and #lessonlearnt at the end of the post.

    Last summer, a similar situation happened with Hong Kong Airlines when business class tickets were sold for $587, much lower than the usual price of $3,800. The airline honored its mistakes and covered all bookings.

    Bloemberg said that Cathay’s move was “honorable.”

    “If there are similar errors in the future, I’d like to find out right away.”

  • Malaysia Airlines launches business suite

    Malaysia Airlines launches business suite

    Malaysia Airlines announced the rebranding of its First Class cabin to Business Suite offering passengers new levels of luxury with ample cabin space and privacy. “The new Business Suite was introduced in response to the growing demand of our guests. Our target is to enable the frequent flyer, looking for enhanced comfort, to now be able to enjoy a premium experience at competitive prices,” Malaysia Airlines group CEO Captain Izham Ismail said in a statement.

    “We are confident that our new Business Suite will change the way people travel in business class,” Izham added.

    Starting Dec 12, 2018, the Business Suite will be available on all of the airline’s A350-900 and A380-800s.

    The suite comes with a dedicated check-in counter, access to Malaysia Airlines premium First Class Lounge, 50kg baggage allowance as well as fine-dining experience onboard.

    The Business Suite cabin will be available on the London, Tokyo, Osaka route and on the Sydney and Seoul route during the winter season.

  • Best seats in business class: Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-200ER

    Best seats in business class: Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-200ER

    Business class on Singapore Airlines’ refitted Boeing 777-200ERs proves almost identical to what you’ll get aboard the airline’s flagship Airbus A380s, but with a few tweaks and touches to maximise your space for sleeping and working.

    Now gracing Australian skies on overnight flights from Brisbane to Singapore – and planned also for flights between Sydney and Jakarta – here are our top seating picks in business class, whether you’re aiming to work through the flight, catch some shut-eye or chat with your partner.

    Singapore Airlines refitted Boeing 777-200ER business class: the basics

    Singapore Airlines spreads 26 business class seats across the first seven rows of its refitted Boeing 777-200ERs, configured in a 1-2-1 layout that places the ‘A’ and ‘K’ seats by the windows and the ‘D’ and ‘F’ seats in the centre:

    Even though there’s no first class cabin, business class begins at row 11 and also skips the ‘unlucky’ row 13, with all seats found together within a single ‘zone’ of the aircraft.

    Note that Singapore Airlines’ other, non-refitted Boeing 777-200ERs instead feature a different type of business class seat and use a different layout also, for which this guide does not apply.

    Singapore Airlines refitted Boeing 777-200ER business class: best seats

    For sleeping – 11A, 11K: While every business class seat here transforms into a fully-flat bed, the window seats in the first row provide considerably more space both beside and in front of you, as there’s no narrow ‘foot cubby’ to contend with.

    Instead, you can spread out as you wish, which taller travellers will particularly appreciate:

    If 11A and 11K are already taken or otherwise unavailable, look to 11D or 11F instead – also with extra foot space, but not as roomy:

    Also note that 11A & 11K double as bassinet seats, so if there’s a baby-toting traveller on your flight and you’ve perched yourself here, there’s a chance you may be moved to accommodate them.

    For productivity – other A, K seats: Those bulkhead seats above certainly are spacious, although they lack many of the storage nooks afforded to passengers in the other rows.

    On daytime flights when you’re planning to work, we’re sure you’ll appreciate this extra storage bin – handily located near the USB and power outlets for convenient charging of your devices…

    … as opposed to your only at-seat storage option in those bulkhead seats: a literature pocket that already comes filled with literature:

    For couples – the D + F pairs: When travelling with your significant other, aim for one of the seven centre pairs.

    You’ll need to lean forward slightly to see each other when sitting upright, although with each seat measuring 30 inches wide, one traveller could certainly visit the other’s seat while enjoying a movie – there’s even a second headphone outlet at these seats to make this easy.

    If you’re a solo traveller and can’t snag a window seat, don’t fret – there are two sturdy privacy dividers which can be opened in between, so that even if one passenger retracts theirs, the other can remain in place.

    Avoid 18D, 18F: Found in the very back row of business class, these seats are practically next to the main aircraft door used for boarding economy passengers (18D even more so than 18F), and what’s more, the two business class restrooms are located directly behind.

    That severely limits your privacy both on the ground and in the air with so many passengers passing by these seats, not to mention the extra noise from the lavatories.

    Instead, as there are no restrooms ahead of business class – only rearward, behind these seats – you’ll find greater privacy in a row further forward instead.

  • Garuda Indonesia unveils new Business Class

    Garuda Indonesia unveils new Business Class

    The layout of Garuda Indonesia’s new Business Class with Super Diamond Seats is unveiled in this Garuda photo. The Airbus A330-300 is configured with 24 Business Class seats and 263 Economy Class seats.

    Garuda Indonesia has unveiled its new Business Class service following the arrival of its latest Airbus A330-300 aircraft on Monday.

    The aircraft, which is the first of four Airbus A330-300s that will be delivered in 2016, features 24 and 263 Business and Economy Class seats, respectively.

    The former, dubbed Super Diamond Seats,  offer an all-aisle configuration (1-2-1), fully flat-bed seat, adjustable arm-rest, head-rest, meal table and reading light, integrated baby bassinet stowage, new mini bar display, 16-inch LCD touchscreen with a touchscreen handset/remote, double USB plug and power outlet.

    “Garuda Indonesia is the first airline in the world to implement the Super Diamond Seat Business Class service on its A330-300 aircraft; as opposed to competitors who implement it only on their A350 aircraft,” said Garuda Indonesia president and CEO Arif Wibowo in a press release on Monday.

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    Meanwhile, passengers sitting in Economy Class seats can expect new features such as a 4-inch articulating recline ability, foot-rest, 11-inch LCD touchscreen, USB plug and power outlet.

    The national flag carrier also received the delivery of its last Boeing 777-300ER aircraft on Monday, of a total of 10 that were ordered in 2013. Configured with a 393-seat capacity, the 10th aircraft consists of 26 Business Class seats and 367 Economy Class seats.

    Six out of 10 Boeing 777-300ERs operated by Garuda Indonesia are equipped with First Class service, with eight First Class seats, 38 Business Class seats and 268 Economy Class seats.

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    As part of Garuda’s fleet revitalization program, the airline is set to receive 16 new aircraft in total throughout this year, consisting of the one Boeing 777-300ER, four Airbus A330-300s, four ATR72-600s and eight Airbus A320s to be operated by Citilink.

    By the end of 2016, Garuda Indonesia Group expects to operate a total of 188 aircraft; 144 aircraft by Garuda Indonesia and 44 aircraft by Citilink.

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