FLAT , COMFORTABLE BEDS HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE MAIN FEATURES OF FIRST CLASS , BUT THIS HAS BECOME STANDARD IN BUSINESS CLASS
FLAT , COMFORTABLE BEDS HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE MAIN FEATURES OF FIRST CLASS , BUT THIS HAS BECOME STANDARD IN BUSINESS CLASS
for the Virgin Group and was a Director at Virgin Blue ( now Virgin Australia ).
“ For certain routes and markets there is only a limited number of people with the budget to justify the exceptional service offered in first class .”
While in Europe carriers like Air France and Swiss Air have sought to enhance their traditional first class seating , Bensel believes
the level of privacy and comfort offered these days by airlines like Lufthansa goes a long way towards explaining why passenger attitudes have changed .
Spending on first class increasingly tough to justify Organisations in all sectors have endured a punishing few years , leaving it up the finance function , among others , to assess where costs can be cut and sacrifices made .
Business travel remains an integral part of company operations , especially for those with clients and partners across the globe . But , while jetting abroad won ’ t be getting the boot altogether , executives shouldn ’ t be surprised at the prospect of being bumped down from first to business .
Some firms are even taking the drastic step of banning first class business travel as they try desperately to make savings .
“ The pandemic and current economic climate are playing into the decision processes of both individual and corporate buyers ,” says Huttner .
114 October 2023