Qantas CEO elaborates on premium offshoot

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said that the airline "is keeping its options open" in regarding to where its premium-focused subsidiary will be based (The Australian Financial Review, 17-Aug-2011). He confirmed both Kuala Lumpur and Singapore are destinations under close consideration. The CEO said the airline will target the corporate segment with levels of luxury similar to those on corporate jets. Mr Joyce confirmed the services "will have a private jet-feel to it," adding "it will be perceived as the best product to Asia there is." The airline will have dedicated crews with comfort and service levels higher that those offer on the A380. Business class on the A320s will offer greater legroom than that on the A380 Skybed, with the economy class to have a greater seat pitch than the A380 economy class. The airline's seat configuration is expected to be about half of the standard 180-seat single-class configuration on A320s. "If we were trying to do this with a Qantas cost base it wouldn't exist," Mr Joyce said. "We can't do this with Australian traffic rights either."