American Airlines (AA) has chosen its Stansted (STN) ” New York (JFK) route to introduce a much improved business class on its London ” New York services, including for the first time by a US carrier, flat bed J (business) class seats. The airline will begin a daily two-class Boeing 767 service on Monday 29 October to its New York hub.
Speaking to ABTN at Monday”s (20 August) oneworld gathering in Budapest, AA director multi-national sales, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Athar Khan, noted that the movement of London”s financial district, The City, eastward into the docklands meant that executives were finding homes in the Thames estuary area and Essex with Stansted a very convenient option.
”We want to offer choices to these customers,” he said, in what was really a reference to business class only carriers Eos and Maxjet, already established at Stansted. ”Since we announced our Stansted - New York service we have had a lot of interest from City-based business travellers for the option that American offers them to begin their journey from Stansted but arrive back in LHR (or vice versa). Our clients of course also benefit from Kennedy being a major hub for American, serving some 40 destinations across the Americas and the Caribbean.”
The airline has begun use of a new $1.3bn (”653m) terminal at JFK (Terminal 9) which features a new US Customs and Immigration facility that can handle 1,600 customers per hour, and a new 11,200sq ft (3,414sq m) Admirals Club and first class Flagship Lounge in the international concourse.
AA will be operating a Boeing 767-300ER on the route, configured with 30 passengers in business class (2+2+2) and 191 economy (2+3+2). From 29 October, AA will offer a single daily non-stop flight departing STN at 10:15 for the eight-hour flight, arriving at JFK at 13:15 (all times local). A second daily service will be introduced next April.
J class customers will benefit from the little used STN Fast Track, and it is likely that AA”s check-in area will be at the quieter, western end, of the single terminal building. The airline says that an executive lounge facility will be offered.
AA will offer a return flight which leaves JFK Terminal 9 at 19:45 arriving at 08:00.
Whilst the Stansted Express is something of a misnomer, nicknamed ”Stansted slow”, those passengers needing to be in central London should easily be in town by 09:00.
Excluding code shares, but including the limited services of Air India, Eos, Kuwait Airlines, Maxjet, Silverjet and Zoom, from the start of winter there will be 34 flights each way between the four London airports and the two New York operations. Over 8,000 seats are available on average each day between London and New York, according to the OAG database.
The new AA business class is currently being launched on all international Boeing 767 services with fleet completion by the end of the year. A recent road show introduced the product to selected current clients in London and Manchester as well as some of the airline”s continental gateways.
Key feature of the new cabin is a lie-flat seat by Recaro which includes a three-position memory setting. When set as a flat bed the seat can go straight back to the original position by the push of a button, be set as recline, or in an alternative arrangement.
Most inventive is a double table, allowing for plenty of eating and working space and there is a personal video-on-demand and audio system that can be mounted on the tray or seat back. The cushion itself is cloth rather than leather, which makes for a much more comfortable feel.
AA has also confirmed it will begin serving Heathrow Airport (LHR) from both Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) and Raleigh/Durham, NC (RDU), effective 29 March 2008. Under the new bilateral arrangements it will move its sole Gatwick (LGW) ” RDU daily departure and one of its two daily LGW ” DFW to LHR.