NW-KLM Reconfigure Premium

<B>NW-KLM Reconfigure Premium</B>

By David Jonas

Northwest Airlines, in conjunction with Dutch partner KLM, last week announced it is scrapping its international first class cabins in favor of an updated and expanded, co-branded business class. In doing so, the carrier joins the trend toward improved business class products replacing first class on international routes.

Dubbed World Business Class, the new Northwest-KLM cabin will begin appearing in the long-haul fleets this fall with completion expected in the spring. Northwest said all international first class service will be discontinued Oct. 1 to prepare for the refurbishment.

The new business class product is an update of World Business Class across the Atlantic--both carriers removed first class in the early 1990s--and replaces first class across the Pacific.

"The new cabin is going to be very close to the existing transpacific first class," said Phil Stumpf, manager of national and corporate sales at Northwest Airlines. "When you look at a large network carrier to Asia, you will not be able to provide the consistency of a first class cabin since there isn't a need for it in all markets we serve. But now our business class will be the best."

Stumpf added that the new business class is not competing against the premier suite-type products now crossing the Pacific on a few Asian carriers: "Our network is so large that we need to offer the best product we can on a consistent basis."

Aside from new seats with 60 inches of pitch--up from Northwest's current 48 inches--and 150 degrees of recline, the new cabin includes an updated digital audio entertainment system, new preflight and inflight dining services and a dedicated purser for each transoceanic flight.

"In all our research, we found that people really want more personal space and that was the driver behind this," Stumpf said, noting that there will be necessary reductions of seats on certain aircraft.

Also, new World Club airport lounges will be opened in Chicago O'Hare, Memphis, Minneapolis/St. Paul, San Francisco and the new terminal in Detroit being built for a Dec. 2001 opening.

Continental, Delta, Trans World Airlines and Virgin Atlantic each already offer hybrid first class/business class cabins. British Airways, in the midst of massive refurbishments in all classes, also has left open the possibility of eliminating first class (BTN, Sep. 4).

However, American and United are sticking with their first class products and, in fact, are upgrading many planes to include fully reclinable sleeper seats. US Airways, meanwhile, is rolling out its new international first class on all new long-haul aircraft for transatlantic flights. Foreign carriers, including Swissair and South Africa Airways, also are revamping first class products.

Northwest and KLM, antitrust-immunized partners since 1993, claim to be the only pairing to offer an integrated business class product. The volatile airline alliance environment has prevented other partnerships from developing such commonality and KLM has insisted that ongoing talks with BA regarding a potential merger will not disrupt its bond with Northwest.