Increasingly rare, 1st class plane travel can cost R$ 80,000

Available on the minority of planes in the global fleet, first class still resists on some companies that fly to Brazil. With ultra-exclusive services, ranging from transportation by car to the door of the aircraft to meals signed by chefs with Michelin stars, the most luxurious class in aviation has tickets that cost from R$ 50 thousand to Europe (round trip), BRL 60,000 for the United States and BRL 80,000 for the Middle East.

Today, however, these tickets are rare in the country. Latam, for example, offered the service when it was still TAM, but discontinued it in 2014. United did the same in 2018. The American opted to improve its executive, to offer a service similar to what it had in first class.

Today, not even Qatar Airways, one of the most luxurious airlines, offers first class to Brazil. The company’s executive, considered the best in the world, also has a superior service for the class. Among the highlights of the company’s executive is the cabin with a door to provide privacy to the passenger.

For the commercial director of Air France-KLM in South America, Steven van Wijk, one of the explanations for the fact that first class is available on few flights is precisely that the executive class has improved a lot in recent years, bringing its service closer to that offered in first class. “Five or 10 years ago, many female executives’ seats didn’t lie 180 degrees. Today, that no longer exists. The executive’s food has also improved a lot. So, there is less need (of first class). But the first one is still a product with a lot of difference”, he says.

The executive claims that market demand also influences the service offer. “Offering first class depends a lot on where and where you fly. For us, Paris is really the main base. It is a city of luxury, business and leisure. We feel that our brand La Première (Air France’s first class name) fits very well on the São Paulo-Paris route.”

The Air France group itself, which also owns the Dutch company KLM, does not offer first class to Amsterdam. According to the executive, Paris has a stronger demand than the Dutch capital, in addition to Air France being a brand seen as more luxurious.

Space

The director of Emirates in Brazil and Argentina, Stephane Perard, points out that the use of space in the cabins is very important in the sector. Therefore, some companies choose not to offer first class and expand the number of seats in executive and tourist.

Starting this month, Emirates will only offer first class on flights between São Paulo and Dubai. Until November, the company offered the service to Rio de Janeiro. Perard claims that the change is due to the fact that there are few planes in the fleet with a configuration that includes first class and there was a decision by the company to reduce capacity between Rio and Dubai.

With the change, Emirates now has 14 “suites” a day flying from Brazil. According to Perard, their occupancy is around 50% – with the majority of customers being Brazilians. “The goal is not to have 100% occupancy, but to offer the product. We want to serve all specific niches.”

Air France only has four first-class seats per flight. Occupancy is just over 50%, according to Wijk. Unlike Perard, Wijk says keeping those seats with customers is relevant for Air France’s Brazilian operation. “Less than 20% of our long-haul fleet has first class. If we don’t have a good occupancy rate, the company may decide to use the plane with first class for another route.”

options

Bathing at an altitude of 10,000 meters is one of the exclusive services offered to Emirates first class customers. On the A380 plane, which flies between São Paulo and Dubai, there are two bathrooms with showers available for the 14 passengers. All you have to do is schedule a bath time with the team of flight attendants. The bathroom floor is heated and cosmetics include perfume from the Italian brand Bulgari.

First class seats are leather and have a small individual minibar. The pillows are made of feathers and, to sleep, the passenger also receives pajamas with a technology that keeps the skin hydrated during the flight. Behind the seat is a small wardrobe with space to hang clothes on hangers.

On the menu, caviar (served with a mother-of-pearl spoon to preserve the flavor), shrimp, scallops and cod. Among the drinks, there are 12 cocktail options, Russian and Polish vodka, 21-year-old whiskey and beer, as well as wines whose bottle can cost thousands of reais.

In Paris, in the Air France VIP lounge, first class customers can have a beauty treatment with products from the French brand Sisley and taste dishes created by chef Alain Ducasse, one of the biggest stars of French gastronomy, who currently has two restaurants with three Michelin stars, three with two stars and two with one.

For the commercial director of Air France-KLM in South America, Steven van Wijk, French cuisine is one of the main differentials of the company’s first class. On flights departing from Paris, the current menu is signed by chef Arnaud Lallement – ​​three Michelin stars.

For Brazil, American Airlines offers a first class with eight seats. Among the advantages for passengers is an exclusive check-in room in cities such as New York and Miami, with streamlined security screening. On the flight, cosmetics from the American luxury brand DS & Durga.

American’s first-class service, however, must be phased out. In a conference call with investors in October, the commercial director, Vasu Raja, stated that “customers are not buying the product”. Currently, the company’s website still offers first-class tickets from São Paulo to Miami for R$60,000 (round trip) and for R$65,000 from São Paulo to New York.