Airlines mulling over first-class cabins after success of business beds

[LONDON] The word's top airlines are questioning the need for first-class cabins as flat-bed seats cradle corporate customers in once-unimaginable comfort, making the premium on front-row seats harder to justify.

With fully reclining business berths introduced this year by Air France-KLM Group, the corporate cabins of top operators in Europe, Asia and the Middle East now all offer an experience comparable to that available in first-class cabins for almost two decades.

Among carriers that see limited demand for luxury seats are American Airlines, which is removing them from close to 50 jets, Deutsche Lufthansa AG, where one billion euros (S$1.64 billion) is being spent upgrading business class as capacity in first is cut 30 per cent, and even top-end Gulf carrier Qatar Airways Ltd.