Change is here. Bombardier unveils their new CSeries in Montreal. Photo by Chris Sloan / Airchive.com.

Change is here. Bombardier unveils their new CSeries in Montreal. Photo by Chris Sloan / Airchive.com.

This story was written by Chris Sloan, who operates Airchive.com and is the creator/producer of the TV show Airport 24/7: Miami seen on the Travel Channel (see AirlineReporter.com’s review of the show). This is a two part story, with PART 2 posting tomorrow.

On Thursday March 7, 2013 Bombardier introduced to the world what it and its customers believe is a game changing line of aircraft, the Bombardier CSeries. This ultra fuel efficient, partial-composite / advanced aluminum construction, ducted turbofan line of aircraft, with advanced 787 Dreamliner like cabin and passenger experience features is the first ’œclean sheet design’ regional / short-to-medium haul category in a decade. Even more significantly, it attempts to create a new successful class of aircraft that could one day rival the duopoly of the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 families.

Bombardier is not new to game changing aircraft. 20 years ago, Bombardier Aerospace first changed the game, and indeed created a new category of airliners – the first modern 50 seat ’œRegional Jet’, with the CRJ100/200 series. With the first entry into service of the Canadair Regional Jet CRJ100 and CRJ200 in 1992 and 1996 respectively, Bombardier’s RJs became a phenomenal success for both the manufacturer and their airline customers. Indeed by the time production concluded in 2006, a total of 938 examples of both types were in operation.

BONUS: Flying on a CRJ-900 for 23min to Tucson

In the low fuel price environment and economic high gear era of the 1990s, the CRJs became much sought after by passengers and airlines as replacements for turbo-prop equipment such as the ATR series and ironically, Bombardier’s Dash 8, which would both later undergo a renaissance. In spite of their fairly high cost-per-passenger mile, The CRJs opened up new city pairs, new levels of comfort and smoothness (compared to the turboprops), bought jet service to smaller markets, and took regional airlines such as American eagle, SkyWest, and ASA to new heights. The CRJ’s success spawned their chief Brazilian competitor, Embraer to launch their own competitors in the 37-50 seat category in the form of the ERJ 135/145, launching service in late 1996.

The small regional jet party came to an end in the 2000s as 2 recessions, post 9/11 air traffic collapse, deteriorating airline balance sheets, and most of all sharply escalating fuel prices particularly in 2008 sealed its fate. To put things in perspective, a gallon of jet fuel cost bottomed out a $.30 USD in January, 1999; peaked at $3.89 per gallon in July, 2008; and stands at $3.09 in January 2013. Even adjusted for inflation, this is 7.5X increase. Airlines began to not only reduce flying the first generation 35-50 seat regional jets, but wrote their values down to zero in many cases. They are being grounded en mass. Their former passenger fans have abandoned them, especially in the face of newer larger RJs and the fact that airlines used their RJs on some very long stages as they replaced mainline operations.

The Delta Connection brand through its subsidiaries and partners such as ASA, the former ComAir, and SkyWest, is one of the world’s largest CRJ operators. The CRJ200s are being retired quickly and have now been limited to routes of less then 2 hours in duration or 700 miles. This CRJ-200 is seen at the airline’s home base and hub at Atlanta.  Image from Chris Sloan / Airchive.com.

The Delta Connection brand through its subsidiaries and partners such as ASA, the former ComAir, and SkyWest, is one of the world’s largest CRJ operators. The CRJ200s are being retired quickly and have now been limited to routes of less then 2 hours in duration or 700 miles. This CRJ-200 is seen at the airline’s home base and hub at Atlanta. Image from Chris Sloan / Airchive.com.

As proof of this trend, according to ’œThe Wall Street Journal’ Delta has limited the 50-seaters to trips of a maximum of 2 hours or 700 miles. The few airlines that created branded services based on these expensive to operate regional airliners such as ACA’s Independence Air and ExpressJet’s self-branded service learned the hard way that these small RJs couldn’t compete on a cost-per-passenger basis and they folded their wings. Ironically, the aircraft the smaller RJs replaced such as the Dash 8, Q400, ATR-42, and ATR-72 in turn replaced the RJs.

One study calculated that the use of a 50-seat Regional Jet would break even at 45 (out of 50) passenger seats compared to the Q400’s 35’“36 seats (around 55% breakeven load factor). Most short-haul routes are less than 350 miles, so the time spent on taxiing, takeoff and landing overrides an RJ’s speed advantage. As the Bombardier Q400’s 414 mph cruise speed approaches jet speeds, short-haul airlines can usually replace a regional jet with a Q400 without changing their gate-to-gate schedules. Such was the case as even long-time successful Alaska Air subsidiary Horizon Air was forced to convert its all RJ fleet to an all Q400 fleet. Alternately, some airlines such as Delta upgraded their smaller CRJs to Boeing 717s purchased from Southwest, following the AirTran merger.

DOUBLE BONUS: Flying a Frontier Airlines Bombardier Q400 into Aspen and a Q400 with Porter Airways

Back to happier times when they were flush with cash, healthy backlogs, ambition, demands from airlines for additional capacity, and perhaps even some clairvoyance as noted above, Bombardier and Embraer set their sights on larger designs. This foresight turned out to be correct as the market in the larger category of RJs continues to be healthy even as the smaller RJs precipitously decline. In the last 10 years, passenger traffic on RJs (classified as planes from 30-90 seats) has more than tripled according to the Department of Transportation. RJs are logging longer flights now with some stages close to four hours and the flight distance growing by 50%. According to a recent article in ’œThe Wall Street Journal’, ’œRegional airlines fly 64% of the takeoffs and landings at Chicago’s O’Hare International, 74% at Seattle-Tacoma and 52% at New York’s LaGuardia Airport. Still, the 50-seat jet, which is less fuel-efficient per-seat than bigger regional jets, remains the backbone of regional airline service and 43% of the entire regional airline fleet.’

A CRJ1000NG on the factory floor in Montreal waiting to be delivered to CRJ1000 Garuda Indonesia. Photo by Chris Sloan / Airchive.com.

A CRJ1000NG on the factory floor in Montreal waiting to be delivered to CRJ1000 Garuda Indonesia. Photo by Chris Sloan / Airchive.com.

Bombardier was first to explore the possibility of larger RJs, first considered purchasing the struggling Dutch manufacturer Fokker to gain access to the F-100 line. Then they looked at the BRJX, ’œBombardier Regional Jet eXpansion’ with a similar configuration to the CSeries with 2-3 seating and under-wing engines. Instead Bombardier opted for the conservative route: choosing to stretch, re-engine, and re-wing the CRJ200 into the CRJ700/900 line with maximum seating of 78 and 90 seats respectively. The CRJ700 entered service in 2001 with Brit Air while the CRJ900 entered service in 2003 with Mesa Air. In December 2010 Bombardier began delivering the 90-104 passengers stretched CRJ1000 to launch customers Nostrum and Brit Air.

With over 730 deliveries and orders as of December, 2012 the CRJ 700/900/1000 series is an unqualified success. Not one to be complacent and in response to the E-Jets, Bombardier launched an enhanced CRJ700/900 NextGen series in 2008. The stretch CRJs are capable of being fitted with First Class cabins and Wi-Fi and are a substantial improvement over the initial CRJ100/200s in efficiency and comfort, though the narrow 2-2 cross section remains unchanged. Indeed, this line has been the cash cow for Bombardier Aerospace, taking over for the CRJ200.

BONUS: Flying a United CRJ-700 from Seattle to LAX

Embraer chose to answer with an entirely new design: the E-Jets whose success would eventually spur the CSeries. The E-170 was built to compete with the CRJ700 and the E-175 was built to compete with the CRJ-900. They featured under-wing engines and wider fuselage then their competition. The E-170/175 first entered service respectively in 2004 with LOT and 2005 with Air Canada. With this success under its belt, Embraer leaped frog Bombardier with the stretched, new-winged, and larger engine E-190 and E-195, in essence creating a new class of aircraft. The E-190 and E-195 featured seating up to 114 and 122 passengers respectively. Jet Blue took delivery of its first E-190 in 2004 while FlyBe began the E-195 operations shortly after.

Oh here is my Air Canada E-190 leaving Toronto. You true airline geeks will know that is a lie. This is actually an Air Canada E-190 I caught while in Montreal -- there were no good shots of mine at Toronto.

An Air Canada E-190 seen in Montreal. Photo by David Parker Brown / AirlineReporter.com.

The E-190, in particular, has emerged as the most popular of the E-Jets. The upsized E-Jets upstaged their secondary downsized competitors the Airbus A318, Boeing 737-600, and Boeing 717 (MD-95). These aircraft weren’t very successful and have basically been discontinued. Combined, the E-Jets as of December 2012 have 908 deliveries and 1093 firm orders with the bulk of the market concentrated in the larger E-190/195s. Clearly Embraer had the edge and near monopoly, particularly in the larger class RJs. With momentum shifting to its formidable competitor to the South, Bombardier needed to not only respond, but had to respond big with a game changing design.

DOUBLE BONUS: Review Flying a JetBlue Embraer E-190 and an Air Canada E-190 in Executive Class

Bombardier initially announced the CSeries (then known as the C110 and C130) in March 2005. The new CSeries would be the first RJ to access the next vanguard of aviation technology such as a high percentage of composites and new lightweight lithium aluminum for its wings and fuselage, and very fuel-efficient high-bypass geared turbofan engines under the wing. Looking closer, the majority of the fuselage would be constructed out of a new lighter weight lithium aluminum. The empennage, tail-cone, wing, and horizontal/vertical stabilizers would be constructed of composites.

Bombardier didn’t feel the additional lighter weight full composite fuselage would justify the additional production challenges and costs, especially on a shorter-range jet. In retrospect, this seems like a smart decision. The smaller C110, with up to 125 seats, would compete directly with the E-195, and secondarily with the Boeing 737-600, Airbus A318, and Boeing 717. The C110’s 125 maximum passenger capacity would be comparable to the E-195’s 122 max passenger capacity.

The mock up for the Cseries had different seat pitch for each row and you can see that some have fake entertainment screens as well.

The mock up for the Cseries had different seat pitch for each row and you can see that some have fake entertainment screens as well. Photo by David Parker Brown / AirlineReporter.com.

The CSeries would have a wider 5 abreast cabin width of 10.75 feet compared to 9 feet wide and 4 abreast seating in economy in the E-195, allowing the CSeries to have wider seats and/or aisles. In terms of passenger appeal 80% of seats would be on an aisle or window, but the middle seats would have the potential to be larger and/or have larger arm rests. It would feature larger windows then any other airliner except the 787 Dreamliner measuring 11 X 16 inches. The C110 maximum seating capacity would be slightly less then the A318’s 132 passengers and 737-600s 130 passengers. However, the C110 would be 12 and 13 feet longer respectively then the A318 and 737-600 respectively. The CSeries’ 5 abreast cabin, seating in economy and 10.75 cabin width, would be quite a bit narrower then the 737’s 6 abreast 11 feet, 7 inches cabin and the A318/319/320’s 6 abreast 12 feet, 2 inches cabin.

The 2nd variant, the C130, at 124 feet, 10 inches, would be 9 feet and 10 inches longer then the shorter 115 feet long, C110. The wingspan of both aircraft, however, would both be the same at 115 feet. The stretched C130, with initially up to 135-145 seats would compete with the Boeing 737-700’s 148 maximum seats and Airbus A319’s 142 maximum seats.

However, there hasn’t been significant new interest in aircraft of this size: the 737-700 MAX has no orders at press-time and the Airbus A319 NEO has just a handful due to improved economics with the larger aircraft moving forward. Thus, the CS300 isn’t yet a direct competitor to the A320 / 737 family just yet.

With the larger CSeries meeting and in many cases exceeding its competition, this clearly signaled Bombardier’s intentions to take on the big boys in Seattle and Toulouse, not to mention it’s arch-nemesis in Brazil. It is clearly viewed as a threat however. Airbus is rumored to be selling A320s at prices similar to the CSeries 300 to prevent the nascent Canadian aircraft from encroaching into its market.

Chris’ story on the Bombardier CSeries will conclude on AirlineReporter.com tomorrow.

GET MORE BOMBARDIER CSERIES STUFF:

This story written by…Chris Sloan, Correspondent.Chris has been an airline enthusiast, or #AvGeek, since he was 5 years old. Over the years, he has amassed an extensive collection of aviation memorabilia and photos that he shares on his site, Airchive.com. He is the President and Founder of the TV production and promotion company, 2CMedia.com and Executive Producer and Creator of ’œAirport 24/7’ Travel Channel series.

@Airchive | Airchive.com | Facebook

Photo from Southwest Airlines.

Photo from Southwest Airlines.

A few weeks ago someone sent me the photo above (I apologize, I forget who sent it to me, but thank you) and I had an instant emotional reaction. Classic AMC’s and a Boeing 737-200 all painted in classic Southwest Airlines livery? How can one not love that?

There was no information with the photo, but I knew exactly who to ask: Brian Lusk, Southwest Historian and a legit AvGeek. He was able to give me amazing background information on the story of the cars. Due to this not being a time-sensitive story, I did not get around to posting and feel it is a great tribute to Brian who passed away recently.

There are AvGeeks and then there are AVGEEKS. Brian was no question an amazing AvGeek, airline employee and friend. Without skipping a beat he was always able to give detailed historical information, not only on Southwest, but the airline business as a whole. He will be greatly missed in many circles and it a great loss to the aviation community and the world as a whole.

This has always been one of my favorite photos. Brian is in yellow and my father (in the green) was able to meet him during a media event.

This has always been one of my favorite photos. Brian is in yellow and my father (in the green) was able to meet him during a media event. Also Matt Molnar, another great AvGeek recently lost, is also in the photo.

Anyhow, these special AMC Gemlins and Pacers were used by Southwest sales staff to call on customers in the 1970s. That had to be an amazing site to see.

Want to learn more and see additional photos? Read one of Brian’s stories on Nuts about Southwest: One, Two, Three.

For the record, I feel that Alaska pulls out the red carpet for most passengers.

For the record, I feel that Alaska pulls out the red carpet for most passengers. Heck. This red carpet is for a fish — imagine what they do for people.

I have not really gone on a rant in a while and I think it might be time. My apologies for those of you who might not be rant-fans, but this is happening.

Part of running this website means I get quite a few emails, Tweets and stories on how people had the worst experience ever flying on an airline. I feel it is a duty for me to read every story to see if there is any merit. Out of the hundreds of “horror” stories I have received, a handful (at best) have had any merit. Anyhow, I decided a recent outburst on an airline was a good time to share some thoughts I have on passengers overreacting and customer service in general.

My semi-apologies to @rexfox for being my real-life example on this story. His experience and actions are an amalgamation of hundreds that I have seen, he just gets to be the lucky one that I use. Do I feel bad calling him out? Not really. I mean almost all these angry passengers are asking me to write a story on their issues, to “spread the word of mistreatment.”

Probably not exactly in the way he wanted, but oh well. He publicly ranted on an airline, pulled me into his rant, so it is fair game for me to use. Unfortunately, Alaska Airlines also gets dragged into this mess, but I think this could be any airline.

Okay, let’s start this… I first “met” @rexfox after he replied to a Tweet, where I let my followers know about Alaska Airlines posting their college internships.

NOTE: Some of the language that he uses isn’t the best. I figure most of us are adults here (if you can’t handle it, stop reading please).

twitter1

Okay, this is not that bad. But I had time on my hands and was curious why he would take the time to message the airline and me to let us know about his mistreatment. I went to his Twitter account and next found this.

AS2

Hmm. Not as nice sounding as my Tweet, he seems to be a bit angrier with @theflyingpinto than he was with me. I can promise you that actually being an “asshole” is something that Alaska is NOT looking for in new employees. I can also say, that if you want a legitimate response from an airline, do not use cuss words. I decided to keep reading.

AS3

First off (I had to look this up), but the Kenai seems to still have fish. Secondly, threatening one airline by saying you will fly another is quite overused and doesn’t really work. You know how many times airlines hear, “I will never fly you again?” Don’t get me wrong, an airline should want to try to keep your business, but passengers threaten this all the time, so it makes no impact. My advice is to stick with the problems you experienced and see if the airline can resolve them. If they can’t, show them with your pocket book and actually never fly them again.

BONUS: The five stages passengers go through when flying ultra low-cost carriers

Sometimes throwing out that you are an elite mileage member can be helpful, but others it can backfire. The first thing is do not lie. If you say you are some uber golden child member and the airline looks you up and lied, you hurt your case. Yes, airlines have more invested in those that fly often, but no company wants any of their customers to be treated poorly — so just own your status (no matter if you have none).

They also will know that if you have a bazillion miles with the carrier, you aren’t going to start flying a new airline at the drop of a hat. You have worked way too hard getting those miles just to throw them away. Because of these reasons, I normally suggest keeping your status on the down low — at least for now.

I digress. @rexfox never states he is an elite member of Alaska’s mileage program, but does hint that he has a miles credit card.  I have to give him props (pun intended) for not trying to throw status around.

One of the most amusing parts of his rant is he makes it seem like he is leaving Alaska for American, but only a bit earlier, he threw them under the (air) bus:

AS4

This Tweet is amusing for a few reasons. First off, he just said that he was moving to American, but now is saying to boycott the airline? Also, he went back to April 2012 to make a comment on this Tweet? That is dedication to show off your anger for an airline.

He spent quite a bit of time trying to prove his point. In a matter of less than four hours, @rexfox Tweeted 24 times about being angry at Alaska Airlines. Many of them were just Re-Tweeting  negative stories on the airline.

BONUS RANT: Breaking News: OMG, Flight Delayed One Hour ’“ Thoughts on the Airline Hate Mail I Receive

I guess the point he was proving was that he was angry — quite angry, but I still did not know why. I was starting to think that maybe this guy actually had something that was so horrid to warrant this response. I kept on scrolling… ah, here we go:

AS5

The F-word. Nothing says, “please give me a legitimate customer service response,” like dropping the F-bomb. With my experience in customer service, even if you have a legitimate complaint/request, it is all over when that word starts to be used.

See, even I got distracted about his initial complaint because of his language. Let’s take a look at his actual complaint, which could be legitimate. Do not mind the grammar, that is just since it was on Twitter, let me try to sum it up:

He has flown 3 times around the world (which is 300,000 miles I guess) with this bag and never been hassled before. Then an employee (I am guessing gate agent) in Vegas explained that his bag was too large and even though he requested she measure it, she refused. Did I get that right? I am guessing it resulted in him having to gate check his bag, which normally Alaska will not charge in those situations.

I can see this being frustrating. I have had this happen to me before as well. I also realize that Alaska operates the 737NG with larger overhead bins and the older 737-400 with smaller bins. I know my bag will not fit in the -400, but will on the NG. I am sure most passengers do not realize it and not really sure how well the airline communicates that to passengers.

Even giving @rexfox the benefit of the doubt and Alaska was rude and forced him to check his bag with no explanation, does all that warrant his reaction? (I am also going to take a wild guess that based on his Twitter rant made after he cooled down, he probably did not treat the Alaska employee with much respect).

You had to check your bag? Sucky. Did you still fly half way across the world in less than a day? Yea...

You had to check your bag? Sucky. Did you still fly half way across the world in less than a day? Yea…

Maybe he just needed to rant to feel better. But then why bring in the employee’s name (which I removed, since she was doing her job). With his initial complaint, along with flight and name details, I would be willing to bet he would have received some reply from Alaska. I am sure they want their gate agents to be able to explain that this particular airplane has smaller overhead bins than others that they fly and that is why his bag needs to be checked.

I have found that Alaska is quite responsive to upset customers, but after his rant, no good pubic relations or customer service representative is going to mess with his situation.

The lesson here is simmer down and put things in perspective. Is being told that your bag is too big and forced to check it annoying? Sure. Is it worth getting this angry and spending four hours letting people know how horrible you think an airline is? Probably not. Will Alaska change their bag policy? Doubtful. Will he actually change what airline he ever flies because of this? No. If you have a legitimate complaint, let the airline know (in a calm manner) either via social media or email. I promise you that almost all airlines read every letter and passenger feedback (good or bad) that can change an airline’s policy.

What do you think? Am I being too hard or soft on this guy? What advice do you have for interacting with an airline when you have a complaint? Leave those thoughts in the comments.

This story written by…David Parker Brown, Editor & Founder. David started AirlineReporter.com in the summer of 2008, but has had a passion for aviation since he was a kid. Born and raised in the Seattle area (where he is currently based) has surely had an influence and he couldn’t imagine living anywhere else in the world.@AirlineReporter | Flickr | YouTube
American Airlines Boeing 737 (N803NN) with new livery seen for the first time in Seattle. Image by Brandon Farris.

American Airlines Boeing 737 (N803NN) with new livery seen for the first time in Seattle. Image by Brandon Farris.

I recently had the chance to see up close and personal the New American Airlines scheme when it arrived to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) for the first time, and have to say, pictures do not do it justice. Previously I was quoted on AirlineReporter.com saying that the new design was,’œFugly.” You could say I was not a huge fan.

Seeing it person really makes a huge difference. The logo stands out on the front of the plane and reaches back just before the emergency exit. Then we get to the tail, from a distance it is not the sharpest looking thing in the world but up close American Airlines seems to have hit a home run with it. Though it looks like as one person described, drawn via a crayon, it is artistic looking compared to what has become the dull Red and Blue AA that has graced the tail for far too many years.

I have seen quite a few people say that the design will not stand out among the gray sky. Obviously, SEA is known for its gray sky and during the 737’s visit, it was surely gray, but the tail stood out. I couldn’t imagine what it will look like on a sunny day.

The American flight crew stopped to pose in front of the new American livery. Photo by Brandon Farris.

The American flight crew stopped to pose in front of the new American livery. Photo by Brandon Farris.

Everyone who was at SEA, from passengers flying through, to airport ground agents along with the TSA and FAA all seemed to make their way to the gate that it was parked at to take a sneak peak at the new scheme.

Many people working on the flight for American seemed to take a moment and bask in the new identity and even stopped for pictures. I also have to note that this was the happiest AA crew that I have ever seen and kinda wish more had their chipper personality (maybe this is truly the “new” American?).

Now with the merger coming on to the horizon, I for one, have to say that I cannot wait to see this new scheme on the A330 and think that it’ll be one of the best looking planes out there. Next thing we wanna see though is that tail on an MD-80.

If you have been able to see the new livery in person — has it changed your opinion?

MORE NEW AMERICAN LIVERY PHOTOS AT SEA:
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This story written by…Brandon Farris, Correspondent.

Brandon is an avid aviation geek based in Seattle. He got started in Photography and Reporting back in 2010. He loves to travel where ever he has to to cover the story and try to get the best darn shot possible.

@BrandonsBlog | RightStuffPhotography | Flickr

Since the inception of the loyalty program, hotels and airlines have worked together.  The relationship has always been more that the hotels just providing you points in the airline program if you stay with them. An announcement by Delta Air Lines last month has changed things considerably.

Delta Sky Priority Check In, now for SPG Platinum Elite members. Photo: Delta

Delta Sky Priority Check In, now for SPG Platinum Elite members. Photo: Delta

Delta’s SkyMiles program has elite tiers that offer a great range of benefits to their frequent fliers including complimentary upgrades, priority boarding, check in along with much more. Starwood’s SPG  Preferred Guest (SPG) program has its own elite tiers that offer bonuses like free upgrades, late check-out or complimentary Wi-Fi.   The hotel & airline programs have always been similar that they reward their frequent fliers/guests with all the goodies that you want for being loyal.

As of the 1st of March, Delta & Starwood are coming together to create ’œCrossover Rewards’.

Crossover Rewards allows the Delta & Starwood top tier elite members to get similar benefits.  If you are a Delta SkyMiles Platinum or Diamond Medallion member you will be able to get extra benefits at a Starwood hotel including  late check-out & Free Wi-Fi access.  If you are an SPG Platinum member you get benefits with Delta including a free checked bag, and also priority check in & boarding.  The biggest alignment in the programs is the points earning ability.

A Delta Airlines 747-400 - Photo: Jason Rabinowitz | AirlineReporter.com

A Delta Airlines 747-400 – Photo: Jason Rabinowitz

Normally if you fly, you can only earn points with one airline or program, the same with hotels.  However with Crossover Rewards you get to ’œdouble dip’.  If you fly with Delta and have the SPG status you get bonus starpoints AND Delta miles.  Delta fliers get the same when they stay at a Starwood property.

“Crossover Rewards is another example of Delta’s commitment to making the travel experience more beneficial and enjoyable for our customers,” said Tim Mapes, Delta’s senior vice president of marketing. “For our loyal customers, hotel accommodations are a vital component of the travel experience, which makes this new alliance with an innovative company like Starwood a strategic addition to the SkyMiles program.”

But then the relationship goes one step further.  During enhancements announced by Delta to BusinessElite services on the prime transcontinental market, there was a separate little announcement that seemed to be hidden in the clutter.  As of June 1st Delta will be upgrading its Business Elite bedding product to be based on the Westin Heavenly Bed.

What is the Heavenly Bed?  In 1999 Westin (part of the Starwood Hotel Group) launched the Heavenly Bed range and then a year later became the first hotel company ever to sell that signature line.

“Delta is committed to providing our customers with the best possible sleep experience in the skies and we’re excited to partner with another leader in the travel category, Westin Hotels and Resorts, who shares this goal,” said Joanne Smith, Delta’s senior vice president of in-flight service.  ’œThe new Westin Heavenly In-Flight bedding product is just one of the new amenities Delta is introducing to ensure customers achieve a restful, rejuvenating in-flight experience.”

A Westin Heavenly Bed at the Element Times Square West - Photo: Mal Muir | AirlineReporter.com

A Westin Heavenly Bed at the Element Times Square West – Photo: Mal Muir | AirlineReporter.com

The new Heavenly Bed products will be launched on all BusinessElite international flights, along with the usual long haul transcontinental routes (JFK-LAX, SFO & SEA) & Atlanta to Honolulu. The new inflight product includes a Westin Heavenly Sleeping Pillow & Comforter with ’œextra luxurious loft’ and for flights over 12 hours (those ultra-long haul international flights) will get an extra lumbar pillow as well.

These two announcements bring together a new relationship that could be an industry lead in this area.  Is this a sign of the future?  Are we going to see other hotel chains partner up?  Maybe American & Marriott or perhaps Motel 6 & Spirit.

This story written by…Malcolm Muir, Lead Correspondent.

Mal is an Australian Avgeek now living and working in Seattle. With a passion for aircraft photography, traveling and the fun that combining the two can bring. Insights into the aviation world with a bit of a perspective thanks to working in the travel industry.

@BigMalX | BigMal’s World | Photos