Pyjamas a weapon in fight for top globetrotters

Dallas

THE world's premium airlines have rushed to make their first and business-class cabins pleasure domes of comfort. Champagne, caviar, celebrity chefs, and seats that recline 180 degrees into beds are now mandatory if you're going to compete for the globe's top trotters.

A less-visible industry trend now accompanies these high-tech thrones, and the battle for supremacy is just as fierce: Yes, the airlines have gone to war over pyjamas.

Passengers riding the premium cabin want to deplane "looking crisp and fresh", says James Bradbury-Boyd, a spokesman for Singapore Airlines, which has made sleepwear an integral part of its in-flight service for at least 20 years. "We are flying many of the world's longest distance and duration flights, and many of those flights are overnight," he said. "It's simply practical in order to help passengers arrive in better shape f…