There have never been as many flight options for business travellers as there are today. There are more flights, with more airlines, offering a greater choice of service and standards than ever before. What's more, there's a much greater price differential, from flights that cost practically nothing (though taxes still cost), to ones that cost into five figures.
We're often asked at Business Travellerwhich is the best airline, but the answer is,
it depends: on who you are, where you are and, most importantly, how you prioritise the triumvirate of comfort, speed and price. What we continue to try to do is give you unbiased reporting of new developments for business travellers, and our opinions of the pros and cons of travelling with different carriers. We tend to concentrate on certain routes ? London to New York, for instance ? not just because it's a popular route, but also because if you are budget-conscious but still want comfort, or you don't happen to live in the south east, then simply by connecting through a European hub you can get a very competitive price on what is a lucrative route for airlines. In the last 12 months we have tested out new business and premium economy products on this route from BA, Cathay Pacific, Air France, as well as from Tap Air Portugal and KLM.
In this issue are reviews of Qantas (Sydney-London), Lufthansa (Los Angeles-London), Continental (Manchester-New York and New York-London), KLM (London-New York) and Singapore Airlines (Singapore-New York); we hope you'll find them valuable.
Continental Airlines
Economy class Manchester-New York
Business classNew York-London
Manchester-New York Newark
First impressions:I arrived at Terminal 2 at Manchester Airport at 8am for my 10am flight to Newark. A short queue moved smoothly and after what I was told was a routine, random bag search, I headed towards Gate 24. Continental Airlines flies one daily flight from Manchester to Newark International.
Boarding:Boarding started 50 minutes before the scheduled departure and Business First passengers were called first, followed quite swiftly by economy passengers.
The seat: On the Boeing 757-200, the seat configuration in economy is 3-3, and seats have a width of 43.7cm, pitch of 78.7cm and recline of 12.7cm. The seat was comfortable but as a fairly broad passenger, I was constantly aware of my elbows knocking the passenger next to me and my knees banging against the seat in front once it was reclined. Each seat has a personal video screen with several movies and a comedy channel available, but I found the selection to be poor.
The flight: A meal was served about 90 minutes into the flight, with a choice of chicken or steak for the main course. I regretted choosing the chicken, which
was disappointingly bland. Despite the rather cramped conditions, I was able to sleep for a couple of hours. A turkey and cheese baguette was offered as a snack, two hours before landing but although I was hungry I hadn't been inspired by the food on board, so I declined.
The service was very good throughout; flight attendants were helpful, polite and courteous, offering drinks regularly and quickly clearing away any rubbish. I found the cabin cold, though, and when I asked one of the attendants whether the temperature could be raised, I was told it was set at the required level so I put on my coat. I noticed other passengers reaching for jumpers and blankets during the flight.
Arrival: The flight arrived on time at Terminal C at Newark at 12.30pm (lunchtime), but I was held up at immigration where I was asked to sit in a cubicle for 45 minutes, questioned and then allowed to go. Unsurprisingly, my bags were waiting at baggage reclaim by the time I was released.
Verdict: The service was excellent and the flight reasonably comfortable, but the food could do with a lot of improvement.
Prices: Manchester to New York in economy class costs from £318.
New York-London Gatwick
The difference of flying Business First is immediately obvious, with a chauffeur service to the airport. I had arranged a pick-up time and place in the UK, and confirmed my booking in the US, but when the "SkyCar" arrived on time I was a little surprised that the driver wasn't aware where I was travelling to and with which airline.
First impressions: I arrived in Terminal C at Newark International at 4.50pm for my 6.40pm flight to Gatwick. There was no queue at check-in (six desks were open) and the longest queue I had to face was 25 minutes for the security bag check. I was given directions by the check-in clerk to the Presidents Club lounge closest to my gate.
The lounge has two showers, lockers, wifi access and plenty of computer terminals, as well as a bar and cold snacks such as cheese, biscuits, fruit and nuts. This lounge is shared with Northwest, though I later learned that Continental has three other dedicated lounges.
Boarding: A gate change was announced in the lounge and Business First was called first for boarding at 6pm. The process was smooth and fast and once everyone was onboard my coat was taken and the vanity packs and dinner menus were handed out. In the pack were the usual eye mask, toothpaste and so
on ? plus a packet of Tic Tacs.
Seat: Seats were configured 2-2-2 with a pitch of 140cm, a width of 50.8cm and 35.6cm of recline. I found the seat very comfortable and easy to use, with one button to control everything and a shoulder-level reading light. A pullout TV screen in the armrest showed a good choice of films (much better than in economy), though being on a loop often means missing the start of a good film.
Flight: A meal was served approximately 90 minutes into the flight, and offered salad starters and mains of New York stirrup steak with oven roasted red peppers and sweet potato, breast of duck with garlic mash and spinach, or seared salmon. I went for the steak, which was nice and tender, and requested the executive meal where everything is served at once. Strangely, though I asked for a beer I was served champagne, which was then swiftly topped up without my asking.
The meal was enjoyable while not being memorable. I asked not to be woken for breakfast, which was served an hour and a half before arrival, because I wanted to maximise my sleep time. Despite the gentle snoring of the man next to me (there are some things the airline can't control!) I slept well. As I am a heavy sleeper I wasn't too disturbed by breakfast being served around me, but it may have bothered lighter sleepers ? especially as the cabin staff have to lean across aisle passengers to serve those in the window seats.
Arrival: We touched down 40 minutes early, but because of weather conditions and an emergency on another flight, we were held on the tarmac for an hour. Once through to baggage reclaim, I collected one of my priority-tagged bags but had to wait 10 minutes for the second bag, which came out with the economy baggage. Before leaving I took the opportunity to freshen up in the Business First arrivals lounge, which is small but comfortable enough, and offers showers, drinks and snacks.
Verdict: A very good flight, with a comfortable seat, much improved food and better entertainment than economy.
Prices:A Gatwick to New York return in business class costs £2,174. Contact www.continental.com or 01293 776464.
Tahir Iqbal
KLMbusiness class London-Amsterdam-New York
Heathrow-Schiphol
For any flight to the US via a European hub, it's the initial short-haul flight that needs to be efficient and on time. When I arrived at Heathrow Terminal 4 on a Monday morning, the queues were short in economy and non-existent at the two open business class counters for KLM. Service was friendly and efficient (staff even offered to put out a tannoy call for my colleague), my bags were checked through to JFK, and fast-track immigration was only yards away.
KLM has three daily direct flights to JFK from Schiphol at 11am, 2.15pm and 7.25pm. At present, the new 777 with the updated economy and business class product is available only on the 2.15pm flight, although that is set to change in the next few months.
To connect with these three flights there are dozens of departures to Schiphol from the 14 regional airports in the UK that KLM flies from, but if you are aiming to make the 2.15pm flight (KL0643) from Schiphol, the 9.55am (KL1008) flight from Heathrow is a good choice since it allows time for delays and is a 767 rather than one of KLM's 737 fleet. The flight acts as a feeder flight for the service down to Accra in Ghana and as such has the full (though old) business class product, rather than the Europe Select now offered by KLM on European short-haul flights (Base, Economy and Select). It may be a short flight, but it allows you to stretch out and perhaps catch up on some sleep after an early start.
We landed at 12.20pm after making up the time ? thanks, I suspect, to some judicious schedule padding to allow for frequent luggage problems. As you would expect at KLM's home airport, there are several lounges to choose from, though as I was departing from Terminal F, the recommended Crown Lounge was 52.
The lounge has plenty of refreshments, work areas, and wifi access (at a price:E6 for 30 minutes or E10 for 24 hours).
Schiphol-JFK
Boarding:This was disappointingly chaotic. There were no boarding announcements in the lounge, so 25 minutes before the departure time I went down to Gate F5 to find a long queue snaking through discarded trolleys. There was a sign for a priority queue, but no one was able to access it around the rows of chairs. Once through to the boarding lounge, more than 300 people waited, half of us occupying every available seat, the other half queuing down a central aisle. When the flight was called, by seat numbers (children, then business class first), it was difficult to get to the front of the line, which meant general frustration for everyone.
The seat:KLM began introducing the Boeing 777-200ER aircraft to its fleet in October 2003, gradually replacing the 10 Boeing 747-300 and two of its MD-11 aircraft, which serve US and Canadian destinations as well as Beijing, Delhi, Nairobi and Cape Town. The new planes are spacious, with large overhead compartments and an interactive audio- and video-on-demand system in both World Business Class and Economy Class. In business, the 35 sleeper seats are in a 2-3-2 configuration (with 292 economy class seats in 3-3-3, this makes a total of 327) and recline to 170 degrees. They have a 152.4cm pitch and 50.8cm width and have an electronic power socket (110 volts) for laptops and satellite telephones. My seat was easy to use and comfortable, and although I didn't want to sleep on this daytime flight, many around me caught a couple of hours without any problems.
The flight:There was a 45-minute delay because of a problem with the cargo doors, but then we were off. Service was excellent throughout the flight: an amenity kit was handed out after take-off, the entertainment choice was good and the food was delicious. Main course choices were coq au vin, beef with shallot sauce or "catch of the day": flounder with truffle sauce. The wine choice was also well judged and was offered on a regular basis.
Arrival: We made up some time and arrived only 15 minutes late. The fact that there was no queue at immigration in the still very new-looking Terminal 4 compensated for the delay.
Verdict and prices: Other than the boarding experience at Schiphol, this was an excellent choice for an affordable business class ticket. With flights from 14 UK airports to Amsterdam, prices are competitive within KLM itself (0870 5074074, www.klm.com), charging from £1,685 for business class departures out of Heathrow, London City, Bristol, Birmingham, Norwich, Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.
Tom Otley
For more airline reviews see the November edition of Business Traveller magazine.
