by Vijay Verghese

See also First Class Seat Survey | Economy Class Seat Survey | Small Airlines Guide | Airbus vs Boeing | Frequent Flier Programs | Business Class Seats Review

BA's new Club World	Emirates B-777	Virgin Atlantic Suite	Cathay new club seats	Qantas: roomy

THIRTY THOUSAND feet aloft, coddled in business class, having mortgaged the car, house, wife, kids and dog, it is perhaps reasonable to expect two things — that the champagne is fizzy and the bed is flat. After all this is the FRONT of the plane, not the cattle-class rear end where noses are jammed into armpits, tighter than Rubik's wettest dream.

Send us your Feedback / Letter to the Editor

This is where those Airbus adverts have you believe you'll discover that buzzing bar with long-limbed beauties, sensuous spa, and a full-size Coliseum where Christians — and reality show producers — are being fed to the lions. It is the very pinnacle of success. Share it with a G&T, or your inner child, if you can afford the extra companion fare.

The proof of the pudding is in the sleeping. How flat is that bed? Can both corporate cheek bottoms coexist in unfettered harmony as you stretch out languorously for yet another prime cut of juicy steak?

Generous aircraft seat size, roomy seat pitch (the distance between rows, seat anchor to anchor), and comfortable seat recline, are not the only prized assets of Club Class travel. More often than not, you'll get a personal TV (or PTV), sometimes with movies on demand, swivelling screens that might let you watch a movie upside down in case you happen to be Australian, and even occasional Internet access. For on-the-go executive travellers, inflight Web access is a great way to stay ahead of the competition and buy the cheapest Viagra. A few minutes online and you can bankrupt your boss. All in the line of duty. "Give me a raise, or I'll send you a long e-mail." "Oh my God, no, not that."

We surveyed 32 airlines to see how their bottom lines compare in business class. Strap in, lie back, and read on.

First things first. If you're travelling flat out, you'll need to be flat. While there is a lot of hoo-ha about state-of-the-art business class cabins, just three airlines hitherto were capable of escorting you absolutely horizontal - Virgin Atlantic, British Airways and South African Airways. But this is changing fast. Remember, recline is measured in degrees, inches and centimetres. A simple rule of thumb - six inches (15cm) translates roughly into 25 degrees.

Unabashedly over-the-top is Singapore Airlines whose new A380 has commenced Singapore-Sydney services with London to follow. This behemoth carries just 471 passengers (not the sweaty 800 of journalistic scuttlebutt, though that figure does represent the aircraft's maximum capacity). In addition to 12 partitioned Singapore Airlines Suites in a grade beyond first class - where a double bed can be created for passengers travelling together who might thus fully enjoy the feel of Givenchy linen aloft - the 60 business class seats on the upper deck recline fully flat and offer USB ports, in-seat power for a laptop and a 39cm (15.4-inch) LCD video screen. The seat width is 86cm or 34 inches with a forward-facing configuration of 1-2-1 permitting aisle access from every seat. These seats have already appeared on the B777-300ER fleet. A-380 business class toilets offer special amenities including a shaving mirror but, for practical and weight considerations, no shower.

Cathay Pacific is introducing a new business class product with fully flat 180-degree reclining seats that stretch out six-and-a-half feet - handy if you play basketball. The shoulder width in bed mode is a comfortable 32 inches with the normal seat width at 23.5 inches with the armrests up. The new 15-inch PTV is a huge improvement on the current nine-inch version and there is in-seat power for your laptop. The new Cathay business class seats are being retrofitted on the B747-400s, A330-300s and A340-300s while the new B777-300ER aircraft will come with the new configuration. The accompanying chart reflects the new Cathay Pacific business class seat configuration. Bear in mind several aircraft will still carry older seats with a 19-inch width and 130-degree angle of recline, until replaced.

Malaysia Airlines has unveiled a new business class product featuring roomy seats that recline a full 180 degrees. That's flat. There are innumerable variations in position and lumbar support. Go ahead and play around. The seats are being introduced progressively on the B-747 and B-777 fleet.

Thai Airways, which has searched for some years to find the right mix, is making a strong comeback with a new business class product called, unsurprisingly, Royal Silk Class. Coinciding with a new brand image and livery change for the airline as a whole, the new business class product features seats that recline a full 170 degrees. This was launched on the longhaul A340-500s plying the groundbreaking 17-hour Bangkok-New York nonstop route. The route was canned in July 2008 and the future of the THAI Airbus A340-500 fleet is in doubt. Airbus A340s and retro-fitted B747-400 aircraft also offer generous 170-degree recline. The A-340 aircraft are flying Bangkok to Los Angeles, Auckland and Zurich. Personal entertainment options have started appearing with large 10.4-inch screens and a choice of over 30 films and documentaries on all classes on A340-500 and A340-600 aircraft. New livery and entertainment is being gradually introduced to the THAI longhaul fleet.

Jaunty Indian newcomer Jet Airways offers a 180-degree fully flat bed onboard its B777-300ER aircraft as well as on the Airbus A330-200s. Jet Airways offers some of the widest business class seats in this survey at 23 inches. There's a truckload of in-flight entertainment on a large touchscreen and there's power for your laptop too. The A$385m Qantas International Business Class Skybed is almost flat. It is a very accommodating six feet six inches in length and almost 24 inches wide when fully reclined, with a curving cocoon headboard that offers greater privacy. In fact several other airlines provide flat, but angled, beds. This means that while your body is flat, it is not horizontal. Your head will be positioned slightly higher than your feet.

Not to be outdone, Air New Zealand has introduced its new Business Premier featuring "lie-flat" beds, 22-inch-wide leather chairs that open out into six-feet-seven-inches of stretch space when you decide to nod off, an Ottoman footrest that doubles as a visitor seat, in-seat power and a 10.4-inch screen for on-demand entertainment. The new class will be phased in gradually on B747-400 aircraft and the new B777-200s.

The Singapore Airlines A380 hosts a 60-seat business class on the upper deck, with 34-inch wide seats that recline fully flat

South African Airways provides an exceptional bed, roomy, spacious (using a traditional 2-2-2 seat layout on the A340-600). The pitch is a yawning 73 inches and a seat width of 24 inches will accommodate a reasonably successful upwardly mobile girth. SAA has won accolades for its seat not only for its lie-flat position, but also for the numerous sitting and recline variations that account for much of the flying time. The traditional seat layout is a definite plus. For one, you can talk with a companion aloft and need not be thrust into someone's smelly socks.

On British Airways, seats are coupled, with passengers sitting next to, and diagonally facing, each other in twos. It's a private, but conversation-damping, arrangement. Separating the passengers was a flip-open fan that provided a stylish yet somewhat flimsy partition. This has been replaced in the new BA Club World with a more solid partition that covers the space at the press of a button. The new Club World business class seats recline 180-degrees flat - six feet in the fully flat position, and six feet six inches in the NASA-inspired "Z" position with the knees drawn up a wee bit. This, NASA, claims, is the most restful posture for recline. If it works in space, it should at 30,000ft. The new seats offer a few extra inches of elbow room as the armrest flattens out flush with the bed as the seat back drops down into the horizontal position. This opens up 25.25 inches of width. With a 2-4-2 seating configuration, only the centre two seats, twinned together, face the same way, forward. This is where romantics might park.

Expect touch-screen 10.4-inch LCD with movies on demand, a footrest (not an extra seat), a small drawer for personal effects and a Club Kitchen well stocked with fruit, juice and muffins to grab munches along the way. The 110 volt power socket will need a US adaptor for some. The new Club World is rolling out in the B747 fleet to be followed by the B-777s through 2008. The Boeing 747s on the Hongkong-London and Singapore-London routes are already largely equipped with the new product (reflected on our seat chart). The new Club World offers a cosy stand-alone cubbyhole sort of feel with firmer surrounds and more legroom though passengers using the centre two seats will need to step over their neighbour's outstretched feet to get to the aisle.

THAI Royal Silk Class	Lufthansa flat out	MAS: flat beds soon	Sri Lankan A-340	SIA: SpaceBeds

On then to trendsetter Virgin Atlantic which has come out with a revolutionary piece of club-class kit. The Upper Class Suite (as the new rig is termed) features single seats angled in from the windows and two in the middle forming a V-shaped herringbone. This is a 1-2-1 layout on B-747s but as seats are not really next to one another, each is an utterly private space unto itself. On A-340s the configuration is 1-1-1. On the plus side, each pod is a self-contained bedroom, working room, dining room and meeting room. There's even room for a baby to nap next to its mother.

When the seat is upright, a guest can sit on the facing leg-rest with a fold out table in between. The guest "chair" has a seat back but can be a squeeze to slip into. Full marks for gadgetry though. There's room to stow your books and the laptop can be tossed under the footrest. The downside is you cannot actually look out of the window (as you are facing away with your back to the view), nor can you cosy up to a neighbour. These are stylish cubicles for singles who appreciate a chic open-plan office layout. Seats are 22 inches wide. Whip out your laptop and get working. Yes, there's power.

China Southern, one of the largest carriers on the Chinese mainland, has introduced "cocoon-style flat-bed" seats on its new A-330 aircraft. The new Premium Business Class seat features electronically adjusted footrest extensions, a lumbar massage funtion, a 10.4-inch LCD video screen, power plugs for laptops (no adaptor needed) and a roomy 58 inches of seat pitch. Kenya Airways is something of a dark horse. It does not claim to dazzle you with technology but it certainly offers comfortable seats that stretch out almost flat though the recline is described by the airline at 180 degrees. Not to be outdone, Air Canada's new ultra-longhaul A340-500s linking Toronto and Hongkong offer a 180-degree recline Executive First bed with stowage compartments and lumbar support. There is video on demand as well and a 63-inch seat pitch. The Air Canada A340-300s on the Vancouver-Hongkong run offer a still comfortable 151 degrees of recline.

With customary German efficiency, Lufthansa does a 180-degree stretch for business travellers and both Air France and Finnair have rolled out new business seat versions. The Air France product offers a 180-degree recline with Finnair MD-11s offering 170 degrees.

Contenders in the front-of-the-bus sweepstakes include Continental (a satisfying 170 degrees on the B777-200) and United Airlines (with a less generous150 degrees). Not best known for its in-flight entertainment, Continental is now introducing an audio-visual on demand system with a 10.6-inch PTV. Northwest Airlines World Business Class "cocoon" seats stretch out an extraordinary 201cm, with a six-way adjustable headrest, lumbar support (and massager) and 176 degrees of recline. This easily puts NWA at the top of the US airline heap.

American Airlines B777-200s flying transpacific routes offer a seat pitch of up to 60 inches with generous recline and laptop power. Emirates offers "sleeperette" seats in a 2-3-2 configuration on A-330s and B-777s with lumbar support and electronically adjustable footrests. While the seats are not flat, there's sufficient distraction in the form of riotous inflight entertainment. The A-330s feature in-seat video cassette players and a choice of up to 50 titles. Most of their aircraft are kitted with external cameras offering up-close views of take-offs and scenery below en route. Gulf Air is rolling out its refurbished A-330s with a new premium cabin designed to enhance travel comfort with “rich, deep-pile carpeting complemented by warm, Arabian colours”. The new seats stretch out into beds with sheets, duvets and pillows. An onboard changing room, done up “spa style”, with a window and timber flooring, gets guests into the mood. Later pore over a 15-inch PTV and enjoy some sumptuous menus.

Qatar Airways, an aggressive newcomer to the Far East, offer a generous 60-inch seat pitch with plenty of legroom though its seats are a modestly tighter 19.6 inches wide. Seats recline a comfortable 160 degrees and there's a large 15-inch PTV for video entertainment aloft.

Vietnam Airlines	SAS club class	Royal Brunei	Eva recline mode	Air France

And how do the Asian giants compare? The Singapore Airlines A380 business class seats offer an expansive 34 inches of stretch room while the Raffles Class SpaceBeds open up when the armrests are stowed, to a full 27 inches wide, more than any other seat surveyed (save for Virgin's bed which, when fully deployed, has up to 33-inch breadth in certain areas of the sleeping space). Regional flights offer the Ultimo seat with a 142-degree recline and seat width of 21 inches. On SIA's new B777-300ER aircraft business class seats go up to a roomy 30 inches with a 130 degree (fully flat) recline. The layout here is 1-2-1 with a seat pitch of 51 inches. The bed length is 76 inches. Cathay Pacific offers a slightly shallower 130-degree recline on its older seats with a 19-inch seat width. Seats open out to a toe-stretching six feet and three inches, sliding into a semi-private "cocoon" with comfortably soft cushioning. Cathay's new business class seats offer a 180-degree fully flat recline with a 23.5-inch seat width. The new seats are being steadily phased in.

Japan Air Lines offers a staggering 60 possible configurations in its JAL Executive Class — Seasons

Thai Airways International offers a generous 170-degree recline on its A340-500s. Seat pitch on the jumbos is 50 inches and there's a personal TV. Seat pitch on the B-777 is 47 inches. The aircraft features a PTV, telephone and PC port. THAI is in the process of undergoing a major business class overhaul that should see it emerging as a serious executive class competitor.

Japan Air Lines offers a staggering 60 possible configurations in its JAL Executive Class — Seasons. The greatest recline and pitch is on intercontinental flights that offer "Shell Flat Seats" as on the B747-400 and B-777s. Fly on a Malaysia Airlines A330-200 and business travellers will be treated to a substantial 62-inch seat pitch. That's a fair bit of legroom. Royal Brunei's retrofitted B-767s servicing routes to Australia, New Zealand, Europe and some Asian destinations provide a pretty comfortable 75-inch recline.

In April 2006, Finnair became the first airline in Nordic countries to offer lie-flat seats in long-haul Business Class. All Finnair Boeing MD-11 aircraft have 36 seats with advanced French lie-flat seats. Seat pitch is 63". The Scandinavian Airlines Business Sleeper seats on their A340 business class recline a fuller 170 degrees now in a comfortable 2-2-2 configuration with a 61-inch seat pitch. The SAS business class seats offer a 20-inch width between armrests, 6.1 feet of stretch when extended, and a generous 10-inch video screen.

A personal TV is available on most airlines but don't take it for granted. The largest 10.4-inch monitors are to be found on Emirates, EVA, Finnair, Japan Air Lines, Malaysia Airlines, Lufthansa, Qantas, Royal Brunei, SIA and SriLankan Airlines , with Virgin a little brasher at 10.5 inches. THAI has come up with a 10.4-inch screen on newer longhaul aircraft. Cathay's monitors are modestly smaller at nine inches but there's video on demand - and a good updated selection too. JAL will more than double its inflight programming on international flights on its Magic-III system. That means more Hollywood gore (or Bollywood cheese, depending on your mood) to choose from. On SIA's SpaceBed, unwind with a choice of over 40 KrisWorld movies and features, and 50 games. Or play a networked PC game with a friend sitting on another seat. On some Finnair flights DVD players are available for in-seat viewing. We can't think of a better way to hone those executive skills. Malaysia Airlines' new business class also features a dramatically expanded inflight entertainment selection with over 200 music CDs and 40 movies available on demand.

Singapore-based regional airline Silkair's seats do not have power or web access, but Business Class passengers are provided with portable DigEplayers (portable entertainment systems offering a variety of movies, short features, music videos and audio clips) for flights of over three hours.

If you have a hankering for sending e-mails aloft, look no further than Emirates or Virgin. Cathay Pacific's NETVIGATOR inflight e-mail experiment shut down 1 June 2006. Spamming the boss comes at a price, so check the rates carefully. Qantas International Business Class SkyBeds come with telephones capable of sending and receiving inflight short messages (SMS), a handy facility if all you really need is to make contact and plan arrangements for your appointments on arrival. On Emirates, send or receive SMS at US$1 per item. Even Aeroflot the Russian behemoth is in on the act with a rebranded image and new business class featuring a la carte menus, food served on fine china and inflight crew undergoing rigorous training in service and hospitality. On its Hongkong run the airline is code-sharing with Cathay Pacific. The new image features a silver fuselage with an orange stripe and a dark blue tail with the Russian flag.

What are you waiting for? Get online and key in www.SmartTravelAsia.com - At least we're free.

Send us your Feedback / Letter to the Editor