So, we all know that Japan Airlines has filed for bankruptcy, is de-listing from the Nikkei Stock Exchange, will be selling all 30 Boeing 747s, shedding 30% of their staff and has hired a new CEO who used to be a monk. But what is the impact of all this? And where does a potential deal with Delta Airlines and Skyteam fit in the scheme of things? What happens to Oneworld? I answered these questions and more during my Live interview with CNBC’s Worldwide Exchange today. I’m sharing the 5 min interview video below and would love to hear your thoughts on my take. (Click here if you cannot view the video)

Airlines often showcase their First Class products to set themselves apart, and attract masses’ attention. After all, it provides great brand leverage, as many people aspire to get there one day and fly First. But First Class is either a dying flying style, or has gotten more exclusive than ever before, depending on how one looks at it. With the relentless piling of more luxury and space to the in-demand and lucrative business class, a number of airlines have done away with First Class on many routes. This article hunts the remaining First Class products where the very best is offered to the most privileged. First Class provides the passengers with what is the scarcest, and thus most exclusive, on-board an aircraft – Privacy, Space and Novelty.

Emirates Airlines First Class
First available on its A340-500, Emirates’ suites presented a novel idea of flying – enclosing the passenger with a door to create ultimate privacy. Although the seat is smaller and narrower compared to the newer SIA’s suites, Emirates’ suites are more elaborately furnished and still one of the world’s finest way to fly. Emirates wins my applause in providing showers for First Class passengers on-board their A380. Safety issues aside, I cannot recall how many times I had wanted a shower on a long flight before I settle down to sleep. A novelty with a strong dose of practicality – one of the few things rarely seen from Emirates in these days. Privacy: 9/10, Space: 7/10, Novelty: 9/10

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="420" caption="Singapore Airlines First Class Suites, with immense privacy too"]
Smaller but very tastefully decorated private suites on Emirates

Singapore Airlines First Class Suites
Available only on the A380, the Singapore Airlines Suites are slightly wider and larger than Emirates’, the pioneer to a room-suite seating concept on a major commercial airline. The 35in-wide seat transforms into a 27in by 78in bed. The ultra rich can opt to book one of the two pairs of adjacent suites and transform a pair of suites into a huge room with a double bed. The doors, however, are translucent and do not extend to the ceiling.  Privacy: 8/10, Space: 9/10, Novelty: 9/10

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Airlines faced with a difficult economic environment and near-homogeneous products in-the-air are desperately looking for new ways to woo the customer. And what better way to do this than to show that it has a heart too. Thai AirAsia did just that recently.

AirAsia is offering assistance to facilitate the transportation of aid to cyclone-ravaged Myanmar, including sponsoring flights for aid workers and freeing up cargo space for aid materials, a Bangkok Post article mentions. Even Bangkok Airways has stepped up and offered relief flights from Thailand to Myanmar, former being the primary entry point to the military-governed nation.
AirAsia has demonstrated true personality here by showing that it cares too. This act alone gives a human face to the airline and will be remembered by customers for a long time to come. It is actions like these that makes a company, not just an airline, stand out. It reflects agility on the airline’s part as well. Especially so, if regional giants like Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways are keeping mum.
This is not the first time an airline in the region is playing a pro-active role in relief efforts. In …