Airlines Putting Some Class Back Into the Joys of Flying First-Class

A friend asked me recently to name my favorite domestic airline if I were to fly first class. I couldn’t. More often than not, I told him sadly, first class just isn’t first class anymore on U.S. airlines.

In the years since deregulation began, first-class service and amenities on domestic flights have been declining. And, flying up front--even if you can afford to pay the 30% to 225% fare premium for the privilege--may not be worth it.

In many cases the planes are dirty, the food quality has declined and the seats don’t seem as comfortable.

Whatever happened to truly first-class domestic air travel? Does anyone remember flights that offered caviar, food cooked to order and spacious lounges?

Victim of Fare Wars

They are, alas, only memories. As airlines attempted to fill their planes, fare wars targeted discount passengers (87% of all airline passengers last year flew on discount tickets), and first class was largely ignored.

“With deregulation, a lot of airlines tended to de-emphasize their first-class sections and service,” said Adam Aron, Western Airlines’ vice president of marketing programs. “There was a significant lessened quality of the first-class travel experience. First-class cabins became smaller, leg room decreased, meals and amenities were reduced.”

In some cases, first-class sections were reduced, and upstairs first-class lounges on 747s were converted to coach or business-class seating.

But now, some airlines are re-embracing the concept of excellent first-class service.

Western has upgraded its meal service. Instead of serving Johnnie Walker Red Label Scotch, Western now serves Chivas Regal. Even the mustard used on some flights has been changed--it’s now imported.

In October, the airline installed first-class sections on all its 737 aircraft, previously all-coach planes. Western also took a hard look at its other jets, and began a refurbishment program. In February, new interiors were installed, featuring navy-blue leather seats in first class on all of Western’s 727s and DC-10s.

Now the airline claims it is carrying 50% more passengers in first class this year than it did for the same period in 1985.

However, one reason for the increase is that Western, like many other airlines, often gives away seats in first class in the form of upgrades through its frequent-flyer program. Nationwide, only 41% of all first-class passengers paid full fare in 1985.

Upgrade Stickers

Western has one of the more liberal first-class redemption programs. For 10,000 miles accumulated in it, passengers are given five first-class upgrade stickers.

Delta offers members of its frequent-flyer programs upgrades to first class for $15 to $45. There’s a catch: Passengers must first pay the undiscounted coach fare.

Some airlines have made substantial cuts in first-class fares to attract passengers. Continental’s first-class fares have been significantly lower than its competitors, and, in some markets, lower than standard undiscounted coach fares. In the Denver-Los Angeles market, Continental’s first-class fares were as low as United’s coach fares. United has matched Continental’s first-class fares on that route.

Jet America sells first-class seats between Long Beach and Chicago for only $289. The fare People Express charges for a first-class ticket between Newark and Los Angeles is less than half the first-class fare charged by American and United.

Some airlines are introducing first-class service on short flights. Eight months ago Aloha announced that it would offer first-class service on its inter-island flights in Hawaii. The flights are short, and a first-class ticket costs $20 above the regular coach fare.

What does first class mean on a 40-minute flight? Pre-boarding, complimentary cocktails and an in-flight gift. What it doesn’t mean is a bigger seat or more leg room.

“Still, we think it’s been very successful,” said William Henderson, Aloha’s marketing vice president. “We weren’t sure it would work at first, but we’ve discovered that there is a definite need for upscale travel throughout the islands.”

Flowers on Meal Trays

Republic, which generally flies shorter hops, also began first-class service this year. Meal service has been upgraded and passengers get flowers on their trays as well as hot towels before and after each meal. Republic has also priced its first-class service well below its competition.

“With deregulation,” said David Palmer, Alaska Airlines’ assistant vice president of marketing, “the disparity between first-class and coach prices became huge. A lot of airlines started giving away their first-class seats, offering free upgrades and promotions. We took the opposite approach. We didn’t want first class to become a zoo.”

Nevertheless, Alaska has restructured its first-class fares to attract more passengers up front.

For example, a year ago the San Francisco to Seattle first-class fare was nearly 60% more than it is today.

“We still treat our first class as a premium service,” said Palmer. “But one of our recurring fears is that we don’t want it to become an extension of the coach section. So far, that fear has successfully maintained the proper separation of classes.”

U.S. Air has no such fear, because, since 1984, it has had only one class of service. In 1978 the airline introduced first-class service on 14 aircraft. Six years later it said goodby to first class.

“Our primary focus is on short to medium-range trips,” spokeswoman Nancy Vaughan said. “We found ourselves turning down passengers in coach because we had a first-class section. And, eliminating first class hasn’t hurt us at all. Our frequent fliers don’t want upgrades to first class. They want free trips.”

But the long-haul airlines think otherwise when it comes to their front-cabin service. “We think first-class service should not be airplane to airport but should actually begin before you get to the airport,” said Laurence Price, route-planning manager for British Caledonian Airways. “That’s why we feature door-to-door limousine service for all of our first- and business-class passengers traveling between the United States and England.”

Pan American has gone a step further. Like other airlines, Pan Am has embarked on a substantial refurbishment program for its first-class sections, installing all-leather, sheepskin-lined first-class seats, and upgrading its menus. And, like some of its competitors, for Pan Am’s first- and business-class passengers arriving or departing JFK Airport, the airline offers free helicopter service to and from Manhattan.

The Whole Nine Yards

Pan Am offers a check-in procedure for first- and business-class passengers: Whether you arrive at the airport by helicopter or conventional taxi, you are taken to a discreet section of the passenger terminal, where a skycap takes your luggage and a Pan Am representative individually processes your travel documents (tickets, passport, et al.).

You wait for your plane in a private lounge, and when your flight is called, you are driven to the gate via golf cart.

“Our premier service and our commitment to it remains strong,” spokesman James Arey said. “Our first-class and business-class passengers pay for these services and we want to make sure they get them.”

Still, don’t run (or helicopter) out to the airport expecting pounds of caviar or the return of the upstairs 747 lounges. But slowly but surely, first class may be getting a little better.

Even some international airlines that gave up on first-class a few years a go have put the sections--and the service--back. UTA French Airlines has reintroduced first-class service between Los Angeles and Tahiti, reconfiguring its DC-10 jets to included a 10-seat first-class section on four of its six weekly flights.