First class in aviation

First class is a travel class on some passenger airliners intended to be more luxurious than business class, premium economy, and economy class. On a passenger jetliner, first class usually refers to a limited number (rarely more than 20) of seats or cabins toward the front of the aircraft which have more space, comfort, service, and privacy. In general, first class is the highest class offered, although some airlines have branded their new products as above first class. Propeller airliners often had first class in the rear, away from the noise of the rotating propeller, while first class on jet aircraft is normally positioned near the front of the aircraft, normally in front of the business class section, or on the top deck for aircraft such as the Boeing 747 and Airbus A380.

Origin
As in many examples of airlines, the terms originally used in passenger ships, also referring to the best rooms. Also in the world railroad, it was divided with first class aviation, second class aviation, third class aviation.

In aviation, this name was given when the passenger aircraft became full-fledged since the 1920’s, the number of passenger aircrafts increased, and the in-flight rooms were classified. Basically, it provides seats with a wider footprint area and offers more substantial services.

With the introduction of modern large-sized equipment such as Douglas DC-4B and Bristol Britannia from around the 1950s, the number of passengers was over 30 people. Along with this, the provision of multiple seat classes for aircraft represented by first class has got into full swing.

Also, in the era when the single class was offered as in the 1940s, services and meals of the same level as the current business class would be available for short distances, if the distance were long, then the air fare would be very high then Coupled with nearly the same level of service as the current first class was offered.

Service

Overview
First-class seats vary from large reclining seats with more legroom and width than other classes to suites with a fully reclining seat, workstation and TV surrounded by privacy dividers. International first-class seats usually have between 147–239 cm (58–94 inches) of seat pitch and between 48–89 cm (19–35 inches) of width while domestic flights may have between 86–173 cm (34–68 inches) of pitch and between 46–56 cm (18–22 inches) in width. In fact this means there is less discomfort for taller people. Some airlines have first-class seats which allow passengers to let one guest sit for a short while face-to-face with the occupant of the cabin.

First-class passengers usually have at least one lavatory for their exclusive use, with more than one on larger planes. Business- and economy-class passengers are not normally permitted in the first-class cabin. Normally AVOD (audiovisual on demand) entertainment is offered, although sometimes normal films, television programs and interactive games are provided on medium-large seat-back or armrest-mounted flat panel monitors. Especially for long-haul and high-yielding routes on top airlines, a first-class seat may have facilities akin to a five-star hotel, such as a mini-bar.

Since the 1990s, a trend developed in which many airlines eliminated first class sections in favour of an upgraded business class. Newer business class seating is increasing adding features previously exclusive to first class such as convertible lie-flat seats, narrowing the amenities gap to an extent that first class is redundant. Furthermore, with the late 2000s recession, airlines have removed or not installed first class seating in their aircraft, as first class seats are usually double the price of business class but can take up more than twice the room, leaving business class the most expensive seats on such planes. However some, such as Garuda Indonesia, have opted to reintroduce first class seating sections with new aircraft.

Transition
Previously, a special lounge was set up in the aircraft, while the seat itself was just as large as an economy class and added a footrest. As the times went down, the reclining angle of the seat was deeper, the occupied space was enlarged and the seat pitch was expanded. In 1996, Full Flat Seat, in which All Nippon Airways and Air France operations are completely parallel to the floor surface, was introduced, and soon the seat of solo arrangement without adjoining was introduced by British Airways. In recent years, the introduction of single-room type seats equipped with partitions and doors to the ceiling is proceeding as well.

In recent years, on the back of intensified competition and renewal of technology, frequent competition on the main line has been updated to new seats, which has been changed to new seats in almost 5 to 10 years.

In recent years, due to improvements in both hardware and software services due to business class competition and a decrease in first class customers due to client company’s travel cost reduction, improvement of business class service and simultaneous abolition of first class , The number of airlines that reduce the setting route is increasing. Some airlines do not set first class from the beginning, as Virgin Atlantic Airlines claims to “provide business class with service contents that is similar to first class.”

For passengers with high profitability that frequently use business class and economy class ordinary fares, some airlines offer first class seats as benefits for mileage service.

For international or domestic flights within the region
Many airlines offer short-distance international and domestic high-class rooms in the area under the name “First Class”, but because of the short flight time, the size of the seat and the service contents are medium to long-distance international business class In many cases it is about the same degree.

As an example, Virgin America of the Virgin Atlantic Airlines also has a first class on the domestic domestic line (not set up on the parent company’s long-distance international flights), and free-range in-flight meals and books with a width of more than 130 cm Leather seats, free checked baggage, etc. The value of this seat interval is close to that of the medium distance line of the parent company’s business class “Upper Class”.

Even in European countries, even in local short-range international and domestic routes, advanced rooms are often referred to as “business class” rather than “first class”. In addition, in this case, the seat of “business class” has a wider seating gap compared with that of the economy class, and furthermore, it seals the middle seat of the three row seats, so that it is used as a two-row seat, etc. Most of the cases are limited to simple differences using functions.

In Japan, “domestic first class” which Japan Airlines introduces to four routes in Japan (Tokyo / Haneda – Osaka / Itami line, Sapporo / New Chitose line, Fukuoka line, Okinawa / Naha line) is Japan Airlines’ It is the top class in 3 domestic class classes. Private counter and exclusive security inspection place, premium weight limit of airport lounge and checked baggage, in-flight meal tied up with famous restaurants and restaurants, as well as a maximum of about 130 cm in domestic flight of Japanese airline Equipped with real leather seats. Large-sized seats with similar concepts are also introduced in “Grand Class” where recruitment has started in JR since 2011. Both of them are superior to conventional upper class seats (such as super seat and green cars) on domestic flights, but they are also close to business class seats for medium and short distances as well as US domestic flights as well as international flights. In the former super seat, the seat reservation code may be “F”, even in the three-class system introduced by the former Nihon Air System until the merger, the super seat is treated as the highest grade room It was.

Many companies do not install Personal TV on short-haul routes.

Fare · Customers
It is mainly set as an international passenger plane, basically 300,000 – 1 million yen round trip to Japan – Southeast Asia, about 1 million – about 2.8 million yen round trip to Europe, northern Africa or North America, in South America and South Africa In the round trip, from 1.2 million yen to 3.8 million yen, from several times to 20 times the economy class, 2 times to 5 times the business class will be charged a fare.

Most of the customers in Japan are emperors and empress other than royalty, cabinet members, parliamentarians, executives of major companies, corporate executives, religious leaders, celebrities, professional athletes, and if they are Western countries Celebrities that are called “jetties” and possess private machines and company machines are mainly.

Basic service
On the ground
Premium for mileage points
Free pick-up from airport to hotel etc.
Many airlines offer free transfers by hire between the airport and the city center.
Advance seat assignment
Use of dedicated check-in counter
Use of a dedicated immigration office or a preferential customs lane
Preferential treatment of check-in counter procedure time deadline
Weight restriction relaxation of checked baggage
A tag that can receive checked baggage with priority on arrival
Use of exclusive airport lounge for departure and arrival airports
As a rule most of the cases inside the airport lounge are free of food and drink. There is also a case to prepare a terminal class building for first class. Lufthansa First Class Dedicated Terminal Building, Qatar Airlines Premium Terminal, etc.
Free of charge for business center and bathroom in private lounge.
Some airlines offer massage services free of charge like Thai international airlines and Emirates airlines
Highest priority boarding in the plane and highest priority descent in the destination
Pickup by cart to gate at arrival
A wide variety of services are prepared by airlines, but many airlines offer services to enhance or shorten the waiting time in the airport.

In-flight
Because it also has preferential treatment aspects for customers using business classes, there are many cases that provide individuals with even higher quality of business class service.

A special compartment provided in the front part of the fuselage
A dedicated reclining seat with a pitch of 150-210 cm and horizontal (full flat) with respect to the floor. Etihad Airways Airbus A 380’s “Residence” has a separate bed in addition to the seat.
Dedicated carpet is also used under the floor.
Layout of duvet and bedding sheets to reduce unevenness of the seat, nightgown
A specially selected amenity set of famous cosmetic brands
Personal TV with a size of 15 – 23 inches, movies and music out of internal programs can be advanced or rewound at any time
Services by specialized trained flight attendants (fewer passenger personnel per flight attendant)
In-flight meals that you can choose by a la carte. Offering liquor such as fine wine and champagne. In some airlines there are also cases where you can request in advance what you like from a dedicated menu with dozens of lineups.
In-flight meals often invite cooks as well as cooks of luxury hotels as supervision.
On domestic flights such as Japan and the United States, alcoholic beverages such as in-flight meals and champagne, which are not offered at regular seats and intermediate classes, are provided free of charge.
Dedicated in-flight toilet. Emirates Aviation and Etihad Airways’ A380 aircraft has a dedicated shower booth in the dedicated in-flight toilet.
Sheet pitch, an example of a monitor
China International Airlines First Class seat (all routes) 150 cm / monitor 9 inch
United United Airlines ‘United First Suites’ seat (long distance route) is 192 cm / monitor 19 inch
Qatar Airlines ‘First Class’ seat (long distance route) is 200 cm / monitor 15 inches
Singapore Airlines ‘Singapore Airlines Suite’ seat (long distance route, Airbus A 380 aircraft) is 205 cm / monitor 23 inch
Swiss International Airlines ‘First Class’ seat (long distance route) is 211 cm / monitor 19 inch
Japan Airlines “JAL Suite” seat (long distance route), 211 cm / monitor 19 inch
In the first class such as Japan Airlines, Qatar Airways, Air France etc., there is a partition of about the height of the chest between the seat and the aisle, and it is called “solo specification”. In addition, the first class of some airlines such as Emirates Airbus A340-500, B777, A380, Singapore Airlines A380 and Etihad Airlines, has a door between the seat and the aisle There is a partition of about height and it is a space close to a private room.

Suites

Domestic First Class

In North America
On most flights within or between the United States (including Alaska but not Hawaii), Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean – what is normally regarded as regional business class or premium economy in the rest of the world is branded as “domestic first class” by US airlines. The service is generally a step below long haul international business class. US territories in the Western Pacific (Guam and the CNMI) and sometimes Hawaii are considered international for service purposes and generally feature long haul business class.

However, domestic first class does have two very different meanings on certain transcontinental routes between New York City and California. Delta Airlines, American Airlines, United Airlines, and JetBlue operate a special service on flights between John F. Kennedy International Airport and San Francisco International Airport or Los Angeles International Airport known as “Delta Transcontinental Service,” “American flagship service”, “United p.s.” (p.s. stands for premium service), and “Mint,” respectively, with Delta and United using specially configured Boeing 757-200s and American and JetBlue using Airbus A321s. In the cases of American and JetBlue, first class is actually a three-cabin first class which is different from two-cabin first class, both in comfort and price (such as lie flat seats in first class, for example). In these cases, domestic business class is generally slightly higher than a two-cabin domestic first class ticket. The three-cabin first class is more of a true first class rather than a rebranded business class. On JetBlue however, first class is only offered on transcontinental flights, consisting of mini suites or lie-flat seats.

US discount carriers (such as Southwest Airlines and Spirit Airlines) do not have first class cabins, instead opting for an all economy layout, sometimes with a few select rows with extra legroom (such as bulkhead and emergency row seats) available for a fee.

In Europe
First class service was formerly available on intra-European flights on airlines such as British Airways, Lufthansa and Swissair. First class seats were typically configured in a 4-abreast configuration, similar to current North American domestic first class seats, rather than the 6-abreast configuration used for economy and latterly business class services.

During the 1980s European first class was largely phased out in favour of 6-abreast seating throughout the aircraft, with variable numbers of seats allocated to business class (the business class cabin often being marked with a moveable divider). This allowed greater flexibility for the airlines, allowing them to allocate differing amounts of premium seating depending on the route. Turkish Airlines are one of the few European airlines still offering 4-abreast seating in their premium intra-Europe cabins, but they’re sold as business class seats rather than first class. Same situation is in Russia onboard Aeroflot – Russian Airlines intra-Europe flights.

Additional benefits
On the ground, first-class passengers usually have special check-in and security zones at the airport. Some airlines operate private first-class terminals and/or offer international first class passengers complimentary limousine rides to the airport. While it is typical that these passengers have lounge access, some airlines have separate lounges for first and business where the former may have more luxurious amenities. These passengers can often board the aircraft before other passengers, sometimes through their own jetbridge.

Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks are complimentary and gourmet meals are usually served with a choice of wine, dessert, and aperitifs. Often these meals have been designed by leading chefs and are served on white linen table cloths and with real cutlery.

Pricing
Historically, first-class air travel has been very expensive. First-class long-haul fares regularly exceed $10,000[which?] per person round trip, as opposed to $4,000–5,000 international business class tickets and $1,000–2,000 economy class tickets. With the emergence of frequent flyer programmes however, passengers have been able to upgrade their business- or economy-class tickets through membership in elite frequent-flyer programs and through the policies of some airlines that allow business and economy-class passengers to purchase last-minute upgrades on a space-available basis. Some airlines also offer upgrading to first class as a bonus to their employees.

Operators
This is list of airlines with First Class for international flights only.

Asia
Air China – Forbidden Pavilion First Class (aboard all Boeing 747 (-400 & -8) and some Boeing 777-300ER aircraft)
Air India – Maharaja Class (aboard all Boeing 747-400 & Boeing 777 (-200LR & -300ER) aircraft)
All Nippon Airways – First Class (aboard all Airbus A380-800 & Boeing 777-300ER aircraft)
Asiana Airlines – First Suite Class (aboard all Airbus A380-800 aircraft); First Class (aboard all Boeing 747-400 aircraft)
Cathay Dragon – First class (aboard some Airbus A330-300 aircraft)
Cathay Pacific – First Class (aboard some Boeing 777-300ER aircraft)
China Eastern Airlines – First Class (aboard all Airbus A350-900 & Boeing 777-300ER aircraft)
China Southern Airlines – First Class (aboard all Airbus A380-800, Boeing 777-300ER & Boeing 787-8 and some Airbus A330 (-200 & -300) aircraft)
Garuda Indonesia – First Class (aboard some Boeing 777-300ER aircraft)
Japan Airlines – JAL SUITE (aboard all Boeing 777-300ER aircraft)
Jet Airways – First Class (aboard all Boeing 777-300ER aircraft)
Korean Air – Kosmo Suite (aboard all Airbus A380-800, Boeing 747-8 & Boeing 777 (-200ER & -300ER) aircraft); Kosmo Sleeper (aboard all Airbus A330 (-200 & -300), Boeing 747-400, Boeing 777-300 & Boeing 787-9 aircraft)
Malaysia Airlines – First Class (aboard all Airbus A350-900 & Airbus A380-800 aircraft)
Shanghai Airlines – First Class (aboard all Boeing 787-9 aircraft)
Singapore Airlines – Suites Class (aboard all Airbus A380-800 aircraft); First Class (aboard all Boeing 777 (-300 & -300ER) aircraft)
Thai Airways – Royal First Class (aboard all Airbus A380-800 & Boeing 747-400 aircraft)
XiamenAir – First Class (aboard all Boeing 787-8 aircraft)

Europe
Air France – La Première Class (aboard all Airbus A380-800 and some Boeing 777-300ER aircraft)
British Airways – First Class (aboard all Airbus A380-800, Boeing 747-400, Boeing 777-200, Boeing 777-300ER & Boeing 787-9 and some Boeing 777-200ER aircraft)
Lufthansa – First Class (aboard all Airbus A340-600, Airbus A380-800 & Boeing 747-8 and some Airbus A330-300 aircraft)
Swiss International Air Lines – SWISS First Class (aboard all Airbus A330-300, Airbus A340-300 & Boeing 777-300ER aircraft)

Middle East
El Al – First Class (aboard all Boeing 747-400 & Boeing 777-200ER aircraft)
Emirates – First Class (enclosed suite) (aboard some Boeing 777-300ER); First Class (private suite) (aboard some Airbus A380-800 & Boeing 777 (-200LR & -300ER) aircraft); First Class (Skycruiser) (aboard all Boeing 777-300 aircraft)
Etihad Airways – Diamond First Class (aboard all Airbus A330-300 & some Boeing 777-300ER aircraft); First Apartment and The Residence (aboard all Airbus A380-800 aircraft); First Suite (aboard some Boeing 787-9 aircraft)
Kuwait Airways – First Class (aboard all Airbus A330-200, Boeing 747-400 & Boeing 777-300ER aircraft)
Oman Air – First Class (aboard some Airbus A330-300 & Boeing 787-9 aircraft)
Qatar Airways – First Class (aboard all Airbus A380-800 and some Airbus A330 (-200 & -300) aircraft)
Saudia – First Class (aboard some Boeing 777-300ER aircraft)

North America
American Airlines – Flagship First (aboard all Boeing 777-300ER)

Oceania
Qantas – First Class (aboard all Airbus A380-800 and some Boeing 747-400 aircraft)

Africa
EgyptAir – First Class (aboard all Boeing 777-200ER aircraft)
TAAG Angola Airlines – First Class (aboard all Boeing 777 (-200ER & -300ER) aircraft)

Defunct
Several airlines abandoned their First Class cabins for various reasons over the past decades:

Air New Zealand – Dedicated First Class cabin was previously available on Boeing 747-400 aircraft, but was withdrawn 2006–2007 with the introduction of Premium Economy and flat-bed suites in Business Class. “Business Premier” is now the highest class of service.
China Airlines – Dedicated First Class was previously available on Boeing 747-400, with the introduction of Premium Economy and Premium Business Class on its Boeing 777-300ER. “Premium Business Class” is now the highest class of service.
LAN Airlines – Dedicated first class cabin comprising a single row of five seats offered on Boeing 767 and Airbus 340 aircraft until late 2009.
Philippine Airlines – Dedicated first class or the “Maharlika Class” cabins was withdrawn in mid- 2000’s. During the second half of 2006, PAL announced a cabin reconfiguration project for its Boeing 747-400 and Airbus A340-300 aircraft. The airline spent US$85.7 million to remove all first class seats and increase the size of its business and economy seats, leading to the aforementioned new seats; as well as add personal screens with audio and video on-demand (AVOD) across both cabin classes.
South African Airways – Dedicated first class cabin was withdrawn in 2001, but First Class could still be seen on some of the older 747 aircraft until they were retired in 2007. Until 1997, First Class was known as “Blue Diamond Class”.
Transaero – Imperial Class (aboard some 737 and all Boeing 747 and 777 aircraft).
Turkish Airlines – First Class suites were previously available on long haul 777 aircraft. Progressively removed from September 2011 following the introduction of Comfort Class, the carrier’s premium economy product.
US Airways – International First Class consisted of six flatbed suites in the first row on the Airbus A330-300. International First Class was eliminated as a separate class of service in 2002, although the seats remained until the A330-300 fleet was refurbished any Envoy passenger could reserve an “Envoy Sleeper” seat in the first row for a small fee at booking, or for free at check-in if seats were available – ground service, on-board service, catering and entertainment were identical to Envoy.

Source from Wikipedia