For just over a year, the major airlines have been fighting it out with all-business class upstarts like Maxjet, Eos, and L’Avion for trans-Atlantic premium traffic. Most of those seats are going from New York to London. But the Pacific has been conspicuously absent, with the skies still dominated by the big network carriers and their traditional economy/business/first configurations. Now Maxjet wants to fly to China.

Much like their bigger competitors, they filed paperwork with the Department of Transportation in an effort to get one of the very few available slots (see here for some background). Maxjet proposes a route that takes passengers from Los Angeles to Seattle, and then on to Shanghai.

Given that Maxjet is up against every other major US airline for a single flight slot that’s up for grabs, there is no way on earth that the Department of Transportation would give Maxjet the rights to the route. Maxjet’s Boeing 767s can’t carry nearly as many passengers or as much cargo as would be in the “national interest.” But the proposal signals that the company is looking beyond London.

So why hasn’t there been an entrepreneurial company that sells all-business flights to somewhere in Asia? The demand for premium cabins is high on those long trips — and frankly, that’s where you WANT to be in business class. A flight from New York to London isn’t really that long, and most people can manage that in coach. But a long-haul flight from North America to Asia or Australia in coach? Brutal.

I’m no airline economist nor an aerospace engineer, so I don’t have the answer. Perhaps the problem is filling planes that can actually reach Asia from the U.S. without a refueling stop in Alaska. Filling a 747, 777, or A340 with nothing but business class passengers might be tough for a new company, and most smaller planes don’t have the range to make it across the ocean. (Note that Maxjet’s proposed flight leaves from Seattle, not LAX or SFO, which cuts a bit of mileage from the flight.) And some of the Asian carriers (e.g., Singapore and Cathay Pacific in particular) offer a really top-tier business class product, raising the bar for potential competitors.

One alternative might be Oasis Hong Kong Airlines. They aren’t all-business class, but they are selling premium seats at a major discount to their competitors. Oasis promises service from Hong Kong to Oakland, California soon (though their promise of starting service by June went unfulfilled). They are currently flying from Hong Kong to Vancouver and London. A roundtrip business class ticket to fly between Hong Kong and Vancouver runs around US$2800 without any special sales or promotion.

Perhaps China isn’t the right route for Maxjet. But Korea or Japan might make sense. Bring on the trans-Pacific competition.

Summer is coming soon in the northern hemisphere, which means it’s time for the annual business class fare sales. As business travel slows, paid premium traffic slows along with it. So bring on the sales!

Many of these sales aren’t advertised as such. The airlines simply load a lower business class fare into the system, and it’s not necessarily available every day on every flight. These are usually “Z-fares,” i.e., they have a fare code that begins with the letter Z. These come with more restrictions than a typical business class ticket, and will often need to be purchased relatively far in advance — sometimes as far as 60 days.

Bottom line: Before you hit “purchase” on an expensive international coach ticket, check the business class fare.

Beyond the big carriers and their summer discounts, there are a couple other business class offers worth mentioning:

All-business class Silverjet is rolling out its own loyalty program — the “Freequent Flyer Program”, har har. If you join the club and buy a ticket on the airline, you get a redemption code for a free ticket. The promotion ends May 25, 2007.

Oasis International Airlines, the low-cost long-haul London to Hong Kong carrier (that plans to fly to Hong Kong to Oakland later this year) is similarly featuring a buy-one-get-one-free offer on their Hong Kong-London route. Buy one business class ticket for , get a transferable voucher for another business class ticket free. £1595 (~US$3200) including taxes buys you both tickets. Purchase the first ticket by June 15, 2007. The voucher is good through March 2008. (via RoadGladiator)

Related:
- Why are there no Y-UP fares to Europe or Asia?

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Passengers miss flight because a Northwest crew wanted donuts
Since when do pilots call the shots on the ground, too? A flight crew convinced a hotel shuttle bus driver to go for donuts instead of heading to the airport, causing other van riders to miss their flight. Full story via Chris Elliott.

Wisconsin Dells loses its Wonder Spot
Ah, the Dells… The klassic kitschy Chicagoland weekend getaway. It has now lost one of its treasures, the gravity-defying Wonder Spot. While Tommy Bartlett’s Thrill Show remains, the Wonder Spot will be missed.

My bag is happy to see you
A “vibrating bag” was discovered unattended at Chicago O’Hare. (It contained a sleep apnea machine, so wipe that smirk off your face!)

I came for the transportation, I stayed for the haircut
Virgin Atlantic hires more in-flight beauty therapists.

Love at first sting
Two separate flights, two separate incidents of scorpions stinging people on a plane. Flight one: Chicago to Burlington, Vermont. Flight two, Miami to Toronto. Forget Samuel L. Jackson. Bring me Klaus Meine!

Singapore Airlines’ new business class… reviewed!
Remember Singapore Airlines’ major upgrade to its business and first class cabins on selected routes? The Global Traveller has sat in the business class seat, and offers his review. Live vicariously.

Charlie Trotter and United Airlines reunited and it feels so good
This is where the cost savings from eliminating pretzels in coach must have gone. United Airlines is jazzing up the food in business and first class. They’re bringing back uber-chef Charlie Trotter, whom they ditched after 9/11. Bet you a bag of savory snack mix that it’ll still taste like airline food… (Thanks to Mark L.!)

Oasis coming to Oakland
Oasis, the Hong Kong based discount airline, famous for it’s $128 tickets to London, is coming to the United States. They’ll start flights from Hong Kong to Oakland in June, with 4x weekly service to start, moving up to daily service in August. No word yet on the fare.

Avoid the TSA by shipping yourself in a crate?
This isn’t living the first class life, but it’s first class by shipping container standards: The Travelbox, a crate designed for shipping a person. Bonus: It has its own running water supply.

Enterprise Rent-a-Car adds hybrid SUVs in California
Enterprise will rent you one of 160 Saturn VUE Green Line SUVs in the Bay Area, LA, or Sacramento. Yes, only California. What, no other parts of the country care about fuel consumption? Hybrids: good. Hybrid CARS, and not just SUVs, would be even better… It’s a start.

American Airlines spurns Expedia
If you’re looking for American Airlines’ international fares or premium cabin fares on Expedia, you’re out of luck. The airline is apparently having a little spat with the online agency, and yanked its fares from the site. We’ll see how long that lasts…

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Upgraded, eventually: Plane cleanliness on Delta
Investigative journalism at its finest: The NYT reports that planes aren’t cleaned as often as they used to be. What a surprise! Delta was letting as long as 18 months pass — instead of the traditional 30 days — between deep cleanings of its planes. Thankfully, Delta is going back to monthly cleanings. Hooray for the status quo.

Upgraded: Cheap fares between London and Hong Kong
Startup Oasis International Airlines, previously mentioned here, is officially starting service between London and Hong Kong at deep, deep discounts. $130 each way in coach, $850 in business, taxes extra. Great fare.

Upgraded, barely: United.com
United.com, long overdue for an update, is live beta-testing its new site. The changes are incremental, and nothing new for other airlines’ customers, but still mostly positive. Welcome to 1999! Positive changes: award search is better, with a full-month award availability chart, and you can change seats for booked flights. Negatives: You can seemingly only buy UA-coded flights, and the award booking engine still doesn’t cover partner airlines. Yawn.

Downgraded: Lounges at LAX
The couches and cocktail tables have given way for the wrecking ball. Lounges in the Tom Bradley international terminal at LAX were demolished, and all airlines’ customers are being herded into temporary mega-lounges (one for first, one for business). Moo.

Upgraded: Airline snack resources
Looking for more information about the minimal snacks on board flights these days? You’re in luck. CheapFlights has collected the price of ham sandwiches and gin-and-tonics on European airlines. Compare and save. And if you prefer the free bags of peanuts, pretzels, or snack mix, then you’re in luck. Someone has a review site devoted to these little freebies. Viva the internets.
(via Road Gladiator)

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Startup longhaul budget airline Oasis Hong Kong Airlines offers tickets from Hong Kong to London-Gatwick for £75 each way. Ludicrously cheap. The company plans to fly to other discount carriers’ hubs around the world, such as Oakland, CA, and Cologne, Germany. (via Jared Blank)

Spirit Airlines‘ “Ocho Libre” sale, featuring flights for $8 each way, ends tonight. Good luck finding any fares at that price.

“Cheat” your way to airline elite status… by following the airlines’ own rules! Fortune Magazine calls adherence to the rules cheating? Nonetheless, the article provides a decent overview of elite qualification “challenges” on American Airlines, and how you can get your status matched by other airlines. (See also this earlier rant and advice on status matching.)

Finally some good news for Northwest Airlines flyers: More food choices in first class. A new rotation of 16 meal options debuts in August.

United’s p.s. (”premium service”) flights between JFK and LAX or SFO just got a little less premium for passengers in coach. Free hot meals in economy are being cut, effective August 4, with food shifting to the buy-on-board model. At the same time, food at the front of the bus is supposedly improving, with a “new gourmet menu” being phased in. And, on United flights to Hawaii, prepare for nonstop tiki… The airline has rebranded their inflight catering with Trader Vic’s. Not a huge change on this last count: United already serves mai tais on Hawaii flights…

Finally: What do you do when your team is defeated in the World Cup? Go on vacation! Lastminute.com reported a surge in bookings following England’s departure from the tournament. Notably NOT a destination: Portugal, the team that ousted England. Vengeful tourism!