AIRLINE GIVES CUSTOMERS WHAT THEY WANT
By Adnews Staff
Big comfortable adjustable seats and dinner when they feel like eating. This is what business travellers told Canadian Airlines International they wanted and this is what they are getting. The Calgary-based airline will start phasing in a new business class for international flights on Oct. 16, dubbed Club Empress. Customers will have a choice of six video and eight audio channels, with multilingual programming. Meals will be served when the passengers decide they want to eat. If they want to take an after-dinner snooze, they will do it with larger pillows, thicker blankets and a private cocoon made possible by adjustable wings on the seats, which are bigger than most and can be electronically adjusted for improved leg and lumbar support. "What may make Canadian Airlines' new enhanced business class product unique," says a release, " is the degree to which customers helped steer the project's development." Apart from running surveys and focus groups, Canadian had frequent flyers try out 15 different seats in January. The airline then took the most popular design and added improvements suggested by passengers. Initially the luxury service will be available on flights to Hong Kong, Tokyo, Taipei, Bangkok, Nagoya, London and Honolulu. Eventually it will be on planes going to all 19 of the airline's international destinations. Canadian and its agency, TBWA Chiat/Day, were uavailable yesterday to say what advertising will back the new service.