A few months ago, we first wrote about Jet Airways plans to nix First Class on their Boeing 777ER fleet. The topic has been under discussion for a very long time, and today, Jet Airways has given the first firm hints about what their future plans as an airline are about First Class and premium cabins as a whole. Jet Airways First Class may finally be going away.
Today’s investor presentation gives us hints about Jet Airways‘ plans going forward. The airline states its intentions to move from 346 seats to 400 seats on the Boeing 77W aeroplanes in the year 2019.
While the airline does not clearly state how this will happen, there are two ways this will clearly go. The airline already operates a 10-abreast cabin in Economy, so there really is no more space in the back of the plane to add more seats. Let’s first have a look at the seat map.
Jet Airways 77W Seat Map
First and foremost, the First Class suites will go away. Jet Airways‘ First Class Suites have been largely empty on most flights, and this leaves a lot of usable space on the plane empty for the carrier. Gone are the days of prestige and in come the days of being rational, so I am glad that Jet Airways finally will make this call (or has already made the call!)
Jet Airways B77W First Class
However, that is not the only way that the airline will make the plane denser. The airline has a second clue in the investor presentation about this. Jet Airways states their intention to put in their flagship Business Class seat on the Boeing 77W fleet in 2019 as well. What is their flagship Business Class you may ask?
Jet Airways B77W Business Class Herringbone
I suspect this is a codeword for the new staggered Business Class Jet Airways launched with the Airbus 333 planes inducted into their fleet in 2012. The new business class is space saving as compared to the herringbone seats which are currently fitted in the aircraft.
Jet Airways Staggered Business Class A333
As a reminder, the airline was able to fit in 34 business class seats in the forward section of the Airbus A330-300 while the Airbus A330-200 only has 18 of the old herringbone business class seats in the forward section.
Bottomline
Jet Airways has given us all a one-year heads-up that they will be making their Boeing 777 planes denser in the premium cabins. So, if you want to fly them on the old herringbone seats or in First Class, you don’t have much longer to plan that ultimate flight.
What do you think of Jet Airways‘ plans for their Boeing 777 Fleet? Good or bad?
Not a good idea. Flew on it on DEL – AMS route and it was full. Business Class Herringbone was a nice configuration esp. on longer routes.
@Ajay – we should poll on a new feature/service for 9W. They should provide a boxing-service at ladder point where
1.passenger is crunched into a seating position compliant with coach class dimensions
2.put,in this position, into a bin
3.on a conveyer and get slotted into your designated seat
Logical in its own way. Jet FC was not miles above Jet business, except for the seat itself. Hopefully, this will lead to better occupancies overall.
Ajay – any idea if this will be nixed also on the India-LHR route? At some point we had discussed that they planned to leave this sector as it did have a decent occupancy with a hige yield even if it was not fully utilised? Further I feel they will use this space to add economy rows otherwise I dont see how they can add 60 seats in to the 777 from their current layout but just reconfiguring business class. Plus we dont know yet what their flagship business class seats are? The A330 came much later – they started long haul international ops with a340 and 777 in 2006.
@Deepak No commentary at the moment about India – LHR route losing it. I’d like to believe that they would harmonise the entire fleet so let go FC on all planes. In the new configuration, I guess we see forward section being Business Class and behind goes economy. Flagship Business Class = Vantage seats they use on their A333 right now. That is my guess. They can’t have the herringbone seats anymore due to the patent by Virgin Atlantic on those.
Nice move. Was long due. None of the Skyteam partners across the Atlantic other than AF have First class. The only destination that could support First class would be LHR. Do you know the mix of Business and Economy class?
Hopefully this serves as a hint to AI as well to get rid of their FC, which is just useful for Political Patronage
Good move of removing First Class. Also I prefer space efficient business class but cost of the ticket should be reasonable too.
Herringbone type business class seat is a impressive product but I never got chance to fly in it. I was planning to fly in 2019 or 2020, hope the seats don’t get removed from Jet during that time.