Aer Lingus to launch a FULLY FLAT business class seats on European routes

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• Mark says:

  16 Dec16 December 12:19

  I don’t really see the worth of a lie flat seat on a short European sector from Dublin. You won’t have time to get any meaningful sleep and surely that’s the whole point?

  • Shoestring says:

    16 Dec16 December 12:24

    They’re proper Business seats, for a start – as opposed to pseudo-Business seats on many European flights, take BA’s Club Europe seats as one of the worst examples

    • Evan says:

      16 Dec16 December 13:12

      Not really. BA are pretty much the same as all European carriers. The only major airline to run a US first type cabin as business is Turkish.

      • RIccatti says:

        16 Dec16 December 15:38

        The fact that BA/SAS/AF/KLM/SWISS downgraded to economy seats (and now sometimes without blocked middle!!) does not make it an agreeable “Business Class” option.

      • Dimitri says:

        16 Dec16 December 20:27

        Please do not spread the same old false story that Club Europe is the same as all other airlines. Well it’s not. Airlines like Swiss, Aegean etc have extra pitch for European business class and for some of us it makes a huge difference on a 3-4h flight.. It might not be flat seats but at least I don’t have to crash my legs like in BA. Even low cost Volotea had bigger pitch at the front seats than BA front row in club Europe!!

      • Evan says:

        16 Dec16 December 21:40

        @Dimitri – Lufty is the same pitch as BA. As are Austrian and Brussels. I’ll agree regarding AF and SWISS. Aegean may be larger but lets face it is of limited use (although I find them very pleasant). It does depend on height I agree – I’d rather sit in an emergency exit seat than any a320 business seat on Euro carriers apart from Turkish. I don’t really care about food and booze on a flight of this length I’d rather have the extra room.

    • Mark says:

      16 Dec16 December 13:20

      I agree entirely regarding BA Club Europe – a woeful product. I suppose it will come down to a trade off between length of flight, comfort and cost. Anything below 3 hours flight time and I would stick to economy unless the upgrade cost is marginal.

      • Mr Dee says:

        16 Dec16 December 21:20

        Agree CE is not a proper business product

  • John says:

    16 Dec16 December 12:31

    It really is a lot more comfortable, especially when Dublin to some places in Europe can be 4+ hours, but agree not worth paying too much extra for. US airlines, TK, QR, QF have a nicer seat in their short-haul business cabins but the price premium over their economy flights is a lot higher than BA’s and European airlines’ premiums for Eurobusiness seats

    • Russ says:

      16 Dec16 December 12:41

      +1. QR also have an annoying habit of pricing their short-haul business class as First with First prices when the seats are still in business.

      • Lady London says:

        16 Dec16 December 13:22

        That’s a bit like British Airways seems to be doing : pricing their short-haul Economy class as Club with Club prices when the seats are still as good as in an Economy cabin.

  • Will says:

    16 Dec16 December 12:56

    I agree Mike.
    In the USA and Asia where domestic business is 2 x 2 narrow body aircraft with wider seats with more recline this is perfect for the job.

    Unfortunately in Europe business class now means an economy seat with lounge access and a free meal.

    It probably wouldn’t have been more profitable but I think if BA had gone 2 x 2 for business and operated a policy of bumping up status holders (or flex ticket holders etc) to business when economy is full I think it would have created a much better customer perception of the airline.

    They could even run 3 cabin classes if they wanted, “proper” business 2×2, premium eco 3×3 with complimentary food and bagggage then economy HBO with anything extra paid for.

    It’s clear from the LCC’s the demand for HBO is huge, BA need to find a way of getting some of that market without compromising the brand image, they’ve failed on the second part of that currently.

• Lady London says:

  16 Dec16 December 14:16

  Business Class also gets you another piece of luggage, and possibly up to 32kg each piece rather than just 23kg, on a lot of airlines.

  Airline profits have rocketed sky high in the past 2 or 3 years. Passengers are now being made to pay literally £00’s for what we used to have included in every fare before. Specifically for BA, travelling Business Class avoids excess charges that weren’t there before. The British Airways charge for luggage has now reached £200 per piece of luggage longhaul and the real gobsmacker – £65 per piece shorthaul. Business gets luggage included. So these charges are not added just to get a piece of luggage – that you will more or less always need particularly longhaul – onto the plane with you now.

  HBO fares, as predicted, have been a “3 card lady” trick to achieve this. HBO fares were introduced at a slightly lower fare charge than a luggage-inclusive previous basic fare. Now the airlines have the process underway, of removing luggage from the fares most people can afford without status.

  So again, lounges and free food/alcohol is not the only benefit of status. Due to these wheezes by the airlines, luggage being included with status is worth far, far more than a few drinks. British Airways, the Lufthansa grouping, have now caught up with these too.

  • Lady London says:

    16 Dec16 December 14:18

    *these charges are not added –> now added correction

  • Shoestring says:

    16 Dec16 December 14:39

    Yeah but the difference between HBO & Economy Plus is only £16, so that’s the real cost of a piece of checked luggage (in Europe).

    And luckily Avios reward flights include 1 item of checked luggage.

    You’d have to be a bit of a harebrain to pay £65.

    • Lady london says:

      17 Dec17 December 23:25

      I do hope you are right Harry but my assessment on the first two items you mention is
      “That’s “for now” “.

      Give it another 18-24 months or so and watch the 3-card lady trick complete.

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