Some time back, a reader asked me a question about why first and business class seats with doors are often referred to as ”suites.” By definition, a suite is a succession of something, like two or more rooms forming a larger space. An airplane seat is generally just one space, but might be surrounded by…
Continue reading: Why Are Airplane Seats Called Suites, And Which Airline Started The Trend?
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And, for those 'in the know,' remember: "Don't slam the f-in' door!" --Winnebago Man
I think the idea is that your seat is a separate bedroom with doors (and false sense of privacy, there isn't any) separating you from the rest of the cabin.
Hence, the term suite.
So technically, every other seats without doors can potentially be marketed as "junior suites"?
DeltaOne junior suites on their dreadful 767. Tim's gonna love this fluff.
Suite manta ray of Santa Fe, the reality is the use of language in terms of marketing a product loses value with each passing year. I’m not for over-regulating this kind of thing because context and semantics matter, but companies can get away with calling products pretty much whatever they want now. A 300-room “boutique” hotel offering a “bespoke” experience to every guest… riiiight.
UA described their F product with a flatbed seat as a “suite” in 1999. The FT threads live on to this day! https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/united-mileage-plus-pre-merger/87321-united-first-suite-flying-beds.html
Just marketing gimmick via which they can charge a premium and idiot consumers pay the premium.
It's similar to airlines in the USA using the nomenclature First Class for a domestic product that is comparable to premium economy internationally - if that much. Airlines would not be able to profit as much, if they were to just call it what it is - premium economy.
Jess, you pullin’ a Tim Dunn and gonna pretend your opinions are facts, and everyone else’s opinions are merely wrong?
Not really. It’s significantly more than “ a seat” in many cases such as Air France’s La Premiere.
I've never liked icky sweet stuff , such as Emirates' sweet dates or baklava. Icky stuff to be alone in a "sweet" .
The "sweet" aspect for them was overcharging you for the marketing gimmick .
I swear I remember BA marketing their First Class as suites sometime before Emirates
It may be more than "a seat", but the value prop still isn't worth the $18K that AF charges, IMO.
I flew JAL's First Class in September using one of its partner's points. While Ben has raved about this product, IMO it is so not worth the staggeringly ridiculous cash price of $16,000-$23,000 that it is sometimes priced at. That anyone would pay these for any non-private jet flights confounds me.
There are more than enough people who are willing to pay and it’s also about the ground experience at cdg airport. Since they are adding it to additional aircraft and more destinations it’s clearly lost on you.
They willingly pay that kind of money , not because of "gimmicked".
They pay to keep poor people like you out.
Real suites with real beds can be found on Cunard Line's Queen Mary 2, in regular liner service between New York and Southampton, UK.
Bloggers are complicit in this scam. They will parrot airline PR without correcting it.
It's a doored seat (or seat with a door), not a suite.
Actually you’re not correct Ben. The first reference was the SkySuite which was introduced on Singapore Airlines’ 747-400s in 1998.
To continue with your education, please note the following:
1919, BA (under one of its previous names AT&T) operated the world's first daily scheduled international flight for commercial aviation.
1952, BA (BAOC) operated the word’s first commercial jet airliner.
1976, BA along with Air France are the only two airlines to operate international and transcontinental supersonic commercial flights.
2000, BA introduced the world's first fully lie-flat bed in business class.
Today only SQ, EY and AF can claim to actually market airline suites, those being fitted with a separate bed and a separate seat.
Yes, every single day is a school day folks.