Both Flydubai and Saudia are adding business class seats with “significantly more privacy”, to woo ever-more demanding air passengers. Jenny Southan reports
Ten years after Flydubai launched its first business class product, it has now announced a new arrival of a new seat, which will feature sliding doors (the ultimate business class status symbol, these days) and direct aisle access for all passengers.
Designed by Safran Seats and JPA Design, other features include “thoughtful stowage solutions”, ambient lighting, and Bluetooth connectivity to allow for the use of personal headphones with a 17-inch 4K built-in touchscreen.
The Business Suite, designed exclusively for single-aisle aircraft, is the latest evolution in Flydubai’s business class offering which will see ten suites introduced to a number of the carrier’s newest aircraft before the end of the year.
“Today, we are proud to unveil a new premium product which rivals the business class experience offered by many airlines on wide-body aircraft. We will continue to invest in innovation to enhance the customer experience across our growing fleet.”
The Vantage SOLO suite will be fitted on the airline’s new Airbus A321 XLR aircraft and will provide “significantly more privacy” than previous business class seats, with a privacy shield around the back and an additional door at the aisle. The seats can also be reclined fully into bed mode and there is an 18-inch screen for movies.
The new Airbus A321 XLR aircraft will cover destinations across Europe, the Indian subcontinent and Africa including Milan, Barcelona, Brussels, Rome, the Maldives, and Dakar.
In addition to the launch of VantageSOLO suite, Saudia has announced its new economy class seat, the z400. The seat will feature a 13-inch screen and a generous seat recline.