Upgraded: More trans-Atlantic business class
Richard Branson’s Virgin Atlantic is planning to launch all-business class flights across the Atlantic. They’re joining the fray with Maxjet, Eos, Silverjet, L’Avion, not to mention British Airways, Lufthansa, KLM, and Swiss, which each fly (or plan to fly) all-biz flights on particularly lucrative routes. Virgin’s plan involves a wholly new airline, not just flights within the regular schedule. But with all these new business class seats coming online, can business class price-slashing be far off? Supply and demand, after all…

Downgraded: Thai Airways miles
Yet another frequent flyer mileage program loses its value. Star Alliance founding member Thai Airways is hiking the number of miles necessary for award seats. Gary Leff has more.

Upgraded: Competition, luggage allowances
This is something we don’t see in the United States: In an effort to compete with its competitors on service and not just on price, SriLankan Airlines is raising the luggage allowance for flights out of Qatar. Admittedly, that’s a niche market, and they’re not raising the allowance across the board for all flights in the system. But it’s still interesting to see someone trying to differentiate their product, and not just compete on price.

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I don’t know who paid for the ticket on Thai Airways — the Boulder police? The Department of Homeland Security? The U.S. embassy in Thailand? But there may have been method to the madness of putting a suspected killer into the premium cabin:

Some experts called the royal flight treatment a brilliant strategy intended to get the suspect relaxed enough to talk more.
“There is always a reason when the unusual happens,” said Denver attorney Larry Pozner, past president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

Well, it sounds like he didn’t say anything of note.

The news reports are describing the onboard service in excruciating detail, making it into an infomercial of sorts for the Thai airline’s nonstop flight to L.A. Consider the Associated Press description:

Before takeoff, Karr took a glass of champagne from a flight attendant and clinked glasses with Spray, who sipped orange juice. Karr first dined on pate, salad, fried king prawn, steamed rice, broccoli and chocolate cake. He also had a beer — crushing the empty can with his hands — and then had a glass of French chardonnay. [...] He later dined on roast duck with soy sauce and yellow noodles, and for his third meal had pizza, chocolates and a bottle of Evian.

Obviously, the level of detail is meant to enrage the reader, but it’s making me hungry…

(image: AP)