Airport Guide
Could the current economic climate spell the end for luxury mile-high travel?
While the golden age of jet travel, when even flying to Spain was seen as a great adventure, is long gone, the past couple of decades have seen the world's airlines battle it out to see who can pamper their high-flying passengers the most.
From flat-screen TVs, in-flight bars, full beds and even cabins, no expense has been spared to outdo one another and secure the lucrative long-haul business class market.
That airlines would be willing to concentrate so much on the front of their planes while seemingly neglecting all their other passengers – the so-called 'economy' class – was perfectly understandable given that there was no shortage of people willing to pay through the nose for a little extra leg room on flights of even four hours.
However, it would now appear that even the wealthiest jet-setters are having second thoughts about such unnecessary luxuries, with falling demand for the most expensive tickets prompting some aviation industry observers to claim that the age of luxury travel in the sky has now come to an abrupt end.
While this may seem a little premature, particularly given the cyclical nature of economic matters in general, events over the past few days have lent support to such a suggestion.
Just this week Australian airline Qantas announced that it is to suspend the first-class option on its flights from between Sydney and Buenos Aires, London and San Francisco, with business-class travellers to be automatically bumped up the pecking order so as to fill thousands of empty seats.
Likewise, British Airways, which for years had a running battle with Virgin Atlantic over who could offer better-off flyers the most bang for their buck, has confirmed that it will also be scaling back its first-class travel due to shifting customer demand.
BA chief executive Willie Walsh recently stated: "The long-haul aircraft that we take delivery of this year will not have any first class cabins in them.
"Longer term we will review the configuration of [all] new aircraft."
What's more, even Brits who hit the jackpot in Las Vegas will not be able to travel back to the UK in style after it was confirmed that BA's new route between London and Sin City will be without first class.
However, while many airlines are losing millions of pounds through falling demand for their most expensive tickets, it could well be the case that many shy away from making any dramatic changes, given that reconfiguring the layout of their whole fleets would cost a substantial amount of money.
As such, more overbooking has been highlighted as the most probable course of action for some airlines, meaning that while many wealthy individuals are being forced to endure economy class, a substantial number of flyers of more modest means are left behind at the airport.
© Adfero Ltd
From flat-screen TVs, in-flight bars, full beds and even cabins, no expense has been spared to outdo one another and secure the lucrative long-haul business class market.
That airlines would be willing to concentrate so much on the front of their planes while seemingly neglecting all their other passengers – the so-called 'economy' class – was perfectly understandable given that there was no shortage of people willing to pay through the nose for a little extra leg room on flights of even four hours.
However, it would now appear that even the wealthiest jet-setters are having second thoughts about such unnecessary luxuries, with falling demand for the most expensive tickets prompting some aviation industry observers to claim that the age of luxury travel in the sky has now come to an abrupt end.
While this may seem a little premature, particularly given the cyclical nature of economic matters in general, events over the past few days have lent support to such a suggestion.
Just this week Australian airline Qantas announced that it is to suspend the first-class option on its flights from between Sydney and Buenos Aires, London and San Francisco, with business-class travellers to be automatically bumped up the pecking order so as to fill thousands of empty seats.
Likewise, British Airways, which for years had a running battle with Virgin Atlantic over who could offer better-off flyers the most bang for their buck, has confirmed that it will also be scaling back its first-class travel due to shifting customer demand.
BA chief executive Willie Walsh recently stated: "The long-haul aircraft that we take delivery of this year will not have any first class cabins in them.
"Longer term we will review the configuration of [all] new aircraft."
What's more, even Brits who hit the jackpot in Las Vegas will not be able to travel back to the UK in style after it was confirmed that BA's new route between London and Sin City will be without first class.
However, while many airlines are losing millions of pounds through falling demand for their most expensive tickets, it could well be the case that many shy away from making any dramatic changes, given that reconfiguring the layout of their whole fleets would cost a substantial amount of money.
As such, more overbooking has been highlighted as the most probable course of action for some airlines, meaning that while many wealthy individuals are being forced to endure economy class, a substantial number of flyers of more modest means are left behind at the airport.
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