Investments have been made at the back of planes, but they remain modest compared to innovations at the front end

Up front at the pointy end of commercial airplanes, airlines have invested heavily in developing over-the-top cabin amenities and service delivery in an effort to pamper their premium high net worth passengers.

Just when it seems suites are the ultimate luxury, Etihad Airways stunned the world with a three-room Residence on board its yet-to-be-delivered Airbus A380 which will debut in December 2014. First Apartments featuring suites with a bed and a reclining lounge seat is a notch below, but will pose strong competition to the suites of Emirates and Singapore Airlines. Whereas new products in the premium cabins tend to represent leaps in technology and innovation, changes in the economy class cabins are more likened to small baby steps.

Compared to earlier generations of airplanes, newer types such as the A380s, B747-8 Intercontinental, B787 Dreamliners and the A350s (which will be delivered to Qatar Airways in late 2014 and Vietnam Airlines in early 2015) already offer ultra-quiet cabins and contoured cabin architecture that enhance the sense of spaciousness. Both the B787 and A350 have cabin sidewalls that are nearly vertical, a feature that offers passengers seated by the window as much vertical space as those seated at the aisle. LED mood lighting allows airlines to customise cabin ambience to match each phase of the flight. On the A350, inflight entertainment boxes are incorporated into the flat floor, freeing up legroom space under the seat.

In a study published by Airbus, Asian travellers are leaning towards Wi-Fi-enabled cabins, 3D-enabled entertainment and a more relaxing cabin with better air quality, lower cabin noise, mood lighting and seat space. In reality, most of these, with the exception of 3D entertainment, are already in service on board the newer airplanes. Forty two per cent of those surveyed also indicated their willingness to pay more for more space.

As Asia’s increasingly affluent middle class takes to the skies, airlines will shift their battle more to the rear of the plane in the premium economy and economy cabins. For the longest time, the yield in economy class has been the Achilles’ heel for many airlines. If indeed almost half of Asia’s new middle class are willing to fork out a little more for greater comfort, airlines that have an attractive premium economy class stand to rise above others clinging on to the one-size-fits-all model in economy class travel. Singapore Airlines is the latest to jump on this bandwagon, itself a latecomer compared to its Asian peers such as Eva Air, Cathay Pacific Airways and All Nippon Airways.

WHAT
Premium economy
Singapore Airlines (SIA) will introduce a premium economy cabin to its B777-300ERs followed by some A380s and A350s on longhaul and selected medium-haul routes (possibly including destinations in Australia).

WHERE
An SIA spokesman confirmed to Australian media that this new product will be introduced in 2H2015.

WHAT
Seats
SIA introduced its new cabin product when it took delivery of its 20th B777-300ER in September 2013. Seats feature a backrest cushion with bolstered sides that provide better back support. Ergonomically sculpted headrests also can be adjusted to provide optimal neck and head support for passengers of different heights.

Starting early 2015, SIA will retrofit the first 19 B777-300ERs with these seats, so that the entire B777-300ER fleet will have a homogenous product by September 2016.

WHERE
As of May 1, SIA has 22 B777-300ERs and of these, three have the new seats. These operate to destinations such as Tokyo (Narita), London and Mumbai.

WHAT
Inflight entertainment (IFE)
In February, the regional wing of Singapore Airlines took delivery of the first of 23 B737-800s and made significant changes to its cabin.
The airline introduced movies with sounds where previously only silent movies were screened. Those travelling in economy class can also elect to stream blockbuster hits, short features and music onto their own mobile devices with the launch of wireless IFE system, SilkAir Studio. A separate mobile app is not needed. USB ports and power sockets are also provided (two of the latter are available for every three passengers in economy class).

Overhead storage
Larger pivot overhead bins offer more storage for hand-carried luggage, a feature that helps free up legroom space under the seat.

Mood lighting
The planes are also fitted with Boeing’s Sky Interior which has contoured ceiling architecture and mood lighting.

WHERE
SilkAir’s B737-800s are currently serving destinations such as Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Phuket, Davao, Chiang Mai and Hyderabad.

WHAT
Inflight entertainment (IFE)
In July, Lion Group Indonesia’s full-service carrier Batik Air will add the first of six Airbus A320s. This will be followed by the introduction of the first of four B737-800s in August.

The 10 aircraft will be equipped with a fibre-to-the-screen (FTTS) embedded IFE system, offering passengers a more responsive touchscreen but also freeing up space under some seats previously taken up by the IFE box. With optic fibre replacing metal wires in linking the server to the screens, the FTTS system weighs only a third of the legacy system it replaces.

Batik Air’s CEO, Achmad Luthfie, said: “The weight saved allows us to operate more fuel-efficiently and reduce carbon emission, and we are able to extend the range of our new aircraft.” This is crucial as the islands of Indonesia are sprinkled over an area equivalent to all of Europe from Istanbul to Ireland.

There are no plans at present to retrofit this system on the six B737-900ERs it currently operates but a decision may be taken when these aircraft undergo major heavy maintenance checks.

WHERE
Domestic routes initially and in late 2014, the B737-800 will be operated on the Jakarta-Singapore route, the airline’s first international destination.

WHAT
Seats
Taiwan’s China Airlines has signed an agreement with Air New Zealand (ANZ) to introduce the latter’s Skycouch economy class seats on board its own B777-300ERs that will be delivered in October 2014. China Airlines has 10 B777-300ERs on order.

In 2011, ANZ introduced the Skycouch seats that allow two passengers travelling together to book three seats. The trio of seats can then be converted into a couch after the armrests are recessed into the seat back and the footrests are flipped 90 degrees to form a flat platform. The Skycouch is possibly an option for passengers who do not wish to upgrade to Premium Economy or Business Class but still desire a little more flat space on longhaul flights.

WHERE
Its B777-300ERs will be deployed on regional routes to Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City and Hong Kong from late October to end November 2014. The B777-300ER will go into longhaul service on December 1, plying the twice-daily flights between Taipei and Los Angeles. Starting February 2, 2015, it will also operate on the thrice-weekly nonstop Taipei-New York route.

Heightened concern about safety has compelled inbound companies within Malaysia to implement more stringent guidelines to ensure travellers are in good hands

Recent incidences revolving around safety have partially eclipsed what should have been the country’s year to shine through its Visit Malaysia Year 2014 campaign.

First there was the vanishing of Malaysia Airlines’ (MAS) MH370 on March 8. Then Sabah made headlines again for another abduction off its east coast on May 6.

While agencies in developing countries in Asia and South Asia are still searching for reasonable prices, Asian Overland Services Tours and Travel (AOS) director of sales and business development, Andy Muniandy, is seeing a growing trend in safety considerations.

“We have in place travel insurance for all our clients so they are protected from the time they arrive in Malaysia until they depart. The cost of the insurance is built into the package; it is a small amount,” he said.

“Providing travel insurance is still a novelty among groundhandlers in Malaysia, so it gives us an edge and a selling point in wooing new partners and keeping existing tour partners.”

Foo Tze Zhaun, business development manager, Corporate Information Travel, said last year a US-based company had requested during the tender stage for information about his company’s insurance policy, the amount of coverage, as well as that of its suppliers such as hotels and transportation companies. It also wanted a copy of the insurance policies.

“While this is still not normal practice, it may become a growing trend in the future,” said Foo.

Tour operators must also consider more than just travel insurance.

To ensure that critical information gets disseminated to overseas partners in the speediest way possible, Luxury Tours Malaysia recently set up a crisis management team. It also has dedicated staff to provide clients with the latest updates on troubled spots.

Manager, Ganneesh Ramaa, said: “Increasingly, more Asian tour operators overseas want to know whether we have such a team in place before they do business with us because unforeseen occurrences can happen at any time.

“If certain areas are affected by floods or tour programmes have to be delayed because of heavy rains, we want our partners to hear from us first before they get the news from clients via email or instant messaging or social media.”

Transport is another touchy subject.

AOS’ Muniandy explained: “Previously only Middle East and European clients will insist on tour vehicles being less than five years old. The age of our coaches was never a concern among Asian clients. Now, we get increasing queries from clients from India, Indonesia and Indochina who want to know the age of our vehicles.”

Some inbound players have made it a point to exceed the minimum standards of European consumer laws on safety, which require that coach drivers take a 30-minute rest for every four hours of continuous driving and an hour’s rest for every eight hours of continuous driving.

Mayflower Acme Tours deputy general manager for channel management, Abdul Rahman Mohamed, said all the company’s coaches and chauffeur-driven limousines are equipped with devices that can track the speed of the driver in real time and the vehicle’s location.

Abdul Rahman added: “It is also compulsory for all our drivers to undergo defensive driving and take refresher courses every year.

“The high safety standards we practise give us an edge over our competitors to get major MICE and leisure accounts. The expense for this is well spent because it gives our clients peace of mind and confidence to use our services.”

Off the ground, the Malaysian government has called for better aviation safety measures after the disappearance of MH370.

IATA has also convened a task force for global aircraft tracking and passenger data, including participation from ICAO, to prevent a repeat of the tragedy.

Tony Tyler, director general and CEO, IATA, said: “In a world where our every move seems to be tracked, there is disbelief that an aircraft could simply disappear and that the flight data and cockpit voice recorders could be so difficult to recover…We cannot let another aircraft simply vanish.”

The task force will examine all of the options available for tracking commercial aircraft against the parameters of implementation, investment, time and complexity to achieve the desired coverage, with conclusions to be reported by December.

Besides calling on the industry to seriously consider real-time tracking of airlines, Ahmad Jauhari Yahya, MAS group CEO, also wanted weaknesses in aircraft emergency equipment, such as black boxes and locator transmitters, to be rectified.

Additional reporting from Lee Pei Qi, Xinyi Liang-Pholsena, Mimi Hudoyo, Prudence Lui and Rosa Ocampo

This article was first published in TTG Asia, June 13, 2014 issue, on page 3. To read more, please view our digital edition or click here to subscribe.