BmiBaby737 From United Kingdom, joined Jun 2005, 1635 posts, RR: 10 Posted (3 years 2 months 3 weeks 1 day 22 hours ago) and read 3811 times:
With Austrian flying the Lauda Air Boeing 737-800s, are these being reconfigured with a first class cabin? The aircraft will be used on the LHR route and a charter configuration doesn't sound like it would go down too well.
Viscount724 From Switzerland, joined Oct 2006, 21464 posts, RR: 24 Reply 1, posted (3 years 2 months 3 weeks 1 day 18 hours ago) and read 3584 times:
Quoting BmiBaby737 (Thread starter): With Austrian flying the Lauda Air Boeing 737-800s, are these being reconfigured with a first class cabin? The aircraft will be used on the LHR route and a charter configuration doesn't sound like it would go down too well.
No carriers in Europe offer a first class cabin, and almost all business class products use Y class seats with a curtain divider, and often with the middle seat left unsold. It's been a long time since any major European carriers offered a true F class service within Europe.
LondonCity From United Kingdom, joined Nov 2008, 1196 posts, RR: 0 Reply 2, posted (3 years 2 months 3 weeks 1 day 15 hours ago) and read 3396 times:
Quoting Viscount724 (Reply 1): It's been a long time since any major European carriers offered a true F class service within Europe.
As far as I remember the last two carriers to feature F class within Europe were Lufthansa and Swissair. I believe F class survived until the early 1990s.
acabgd From Serbia, joined Jul 2005, 624 posts, RR: 0 Reply 3, posted (3 years 2 months 3 weeks 1 day 1 hour ago) and read 3059 times:
True, I think SR did have the first class almost all the way up to its demise in, what was it - 2001?
I do remember LH switching to C/J class way before that, but I don't know if they still kept the F class on some of the more important European routes for a while longer. Anyway, I think LondonCity is right, LH and SR were certainly among the last ones to keep the F class within Europe.
With flights usually lasting below 2 hours I really don't see a need for F anyways. Someone might disagree, of course, but there's always the private jet if you want any more comfort (and have money to spend).
LondonCity From United Kingdom, joined Nov 2008, 1196 posts, RR: 0 Reply 4, posted (3 years 2 months 3 weeks 23 hours ago) and read 2937 times:
Quoting acabgd (Reply 3): Someone might disagree, of course, but there's always the private jet if you want any more comfort (and have money to spend).
And the problem with F class on flights within Europe was that the cabin was a fixed size (ie the seats were proper seats and not convertible ones) and that meant there was a lack of flexibility. With today's C class, the convertible seats allow carriers to adjust capacity according to demand.
bmibaby737 From United Kingdom, joined Jun 2005, 1635 posts, RR: 10 Reply 5, posted (3 years 2 months 2 weeks 2 days 12 hours ago) and read 2466 times:
Thank you for the replies to this thread; but can anyone tell me what the Austrian Boeing 738s are now configured as?
Viscount724 From Switzerland, joined Oct 2006, 21464 posts, RR: 24 Reply 6, posted (3 years 2 months 2 weeks 2 days 11 hours ago) and read 2415 times:
Quoting acabgd (Reply 3): True, I think SR did have the first class almost all the way up to its demise in, what was it - 2001?
SR had dropped F class within Europe long before they went bust. SR MD-80s had a 2-2 business class cabin, not F class, in their latter years of SR service (their MD-80s were sold around 1995-96 and replaced by the A320 family.a few years before they ceased operations).
If memory correct the latter MD-80 business class product had 10 rows of those 2-2 seats. It was a good product but it wasn't like their earlier F class. When they offered a true F class cabin it was much smaller.. SR's A319/320/321s were deliivered with a fixed 5-abreast business class cabin (5 or 6 rows). That product didn't last long and was replacedwith convertible seats in about the first 2/3 of the cabin which could be changed from 3-3 Y class to 2-3 business class. Those convertible seats were on the aircraft when LX replaced SR. LX has since replaced those seats with Recaro lightweight seats throughout the cabin at reduced pitch and, like quite a few other European carriers, now leaves the middle seat empty in business class.
JoeCanuck From Canada, joined Dec 2005, 5001 posts, RR: 29 Reply 8, posted (3 years 2 months 2 weeks 2 days 10 hours ago) and read 2370 times:
I wonder when they went to all Y. A few years ago, I used to fly OS regularly between DXB and VIE. They used a 738 and it did have a first class section.
I just checked and it seems they're using a 763 for that route now. That would have been so nice. 6 hours in a 737 can get a bit long even though the seats were just about the most comfortable I've experienced in a 737 and the service was always fantastic.
laca773 From United States of America, joined Nov 2004, 3746 posts, RR: 2 Reply 9, posted (3 years 2 months 2 weeks 2 days 10 hours ago) and read 2361 times:
Quoting kiwiandrew (Reply 7): Quoting bmibaby737 (Reply 5):
Thank you for the replies to this thread; but can anyone tell me what the Austrian Boeing 738s are now configured as
It's also still showing the Lauda Air photo. Perhaps OS has changed the configuration a bit from the high density, vacation, lower yielding configuration to something more inline with the rest of their fleet.
Thomas_Jaeger From Switzerland, joined Apr 2002, 2266 posts, RR: 31 Reply 11, posted (3 years 2 months 2 weeks 1 day 22 hours ago) and read 2107 times:
They have a lower density configuration now and had a moveable cabin divider with a business class section (with emptry middle seats), have flown on one from VIE to DME last week.
Swiss aviation news junkie living all over the place
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