Dubai: Qatar Airways, which markets itself as a luxury carrier, is the latest airline to announce it will introduce a bedroom product on-board its aircraft.
“We will have a double bed with only a business class fare,” said Akbar Al Baker, the airline’s chief executive, on Wednesday.
Etihad Airways announced its bedroom product in May last year with the maiden flight taking place last month. Emirates has announced plans for a bedroom product too but has so far remained tight lipped on details.
“We will do it but provide it at a cheaper cost,” Al Baker said, speaking at a webcasted press conference in Doha unveiling the airline’s first Airbus A350.
Etihad’s ‘The Residence,’ which features exclusively on its Airbus A380s, costs $20,000 one-way from Abu Dhabi to London.
Al Baker suggested the bedroom business fare product will replace the carrier’s ‘super business class,’ which he said will be obsolete from 2016.
“We are developing a new seat that will have propriety rights,” he said.
“This will be a product that is unrivalled in our industry and when you introduce that product … I really don’t think you need a first class.”
Qatar Airway’s operates a two-class product (economy and business) across its fleet except for its Airbus A380’s which also have first class.
Al Baker said the bedroom product will “raise the bar” for its “friends,” Emirates and Etihad.
“To roll out a bedroom, Residence-like product in a large business class cabin, you would be looking at a step change in aircraft interiors and space utilisation,” said Will Horton, senior analyst at CAPA- Centre for Aviation, by email.
“Many airlines believe the current top-tier business class products can only have incremental changes in the medium-term. We’ll have to see if Qatar can deliver on a new approach, or if perhaps this was good humour and a play on competitor Etihad,” he added.
Al Baker also confirmed the A350 will be placed on services to New York, “secondary cities in Europe where at the moment we are operating the 787s.”
“And of course to the Subcontinent and to the Far East because this aircraft will eventually replace all our Airbus A330s,” he added.
The launch route is Doha-Frankfurt, Germany on January 15.
