Wealthy Airline Passengers Are Now Paying

Wealthy Airline Passengers Are Now Paying Top Dollar For Privacy Scott Mayerowitz, Associated Press Feb. 27, 2014, 6:25 AM coach online outlet coach online outlet 6,291 coach factory outlet online 4 facebook linkedin twitter email print These photos show, on the left, a first class interior section of a United Airlines 747 plane at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco in 2011, and on the right, the coach interior section of a JetBlue E190 plane at Seatac International Airport in Seattle, in 2008. AP Photo NEW YORK (AP) — On flights from San Francisco to Hong Kong, first-class passengers can enjoy a Mesclun salad with king crab or a grilled USDA prime beef tenderloin, stretch out in a 3-foot-wide seat that converts to a bed and wash it all down with a pre-slumber Krug "Grande Cuvee" Brut Champagne. Yet some of the most cherished new international first-class perks have nothing to do with meals, drinks or seats. Global airlines are increasingly rewarding wealthy fliers with something more intangible: physical distance between them and everyone else. The idea is to provide an exclusive experience — inaccessible, even invisible, to the masses in coach. It's one way that a gap between the world's wealthiest 1 percent and everyone else has widened. Many top-paying international passengers, having put down roughly $15,000 for a ticket, now check-in at secluded facilities and are driven in luxury cars directly to planes. Others can savor the same premier privileges by redeeming 125,000 or more frequent flier miles for a trip of a lifetime. When Emirates Airline opened a new concourse at its home airport in Dubai last year, it made sure to keep coach passengers separate from those in business and first class. The top floor of the building is a lounge for premium passengers with direct boarding to the upstairs of Emirates' fleet of double-decker Airbus A380s. Those in coach wait one story below and board to the lower level or the plane. London's Heathrow Airport took a private suite area designed for the royal family and heads of state and in July opened it to any passenger flying business or first class who's willing to pay an extra $2,500. "First class has become a way for a traveler to have an almost private jet-like experience," says Henry Harteveldt, an airline analyst with Hudson Crossing. Airlines "will do everything but sing a lullaby." The front of the plane has always been plusher than the back. But in recent years airlines have put a greater focus on catering to the most affluent fliers' desire for new levels of privacy. There's a lot of money on the line. At big carriers like American Airlines, about 70 percent of revenue comes from the top 20 percent of its customers. The special treatment now starts at check-in. American and United Airlines have both developed private rooms, located in discrete corners of their terminals in New York, Chicago and elsewhere, that allow for a speedy check-in. Boarding passes in hand, travelers exit through hidden doors leading to the front of security lines. Some foreign airlines have gone further. Lufthansa offers first-class passengers a separate terminal in Frankfurt. There's a restaurant, cigar coach outlet sale lounge and dedicated immigration officers. For those who choose to shower or take a coach outlet store bath, the private restrooms come with their own rubber ducky — an exclusive plastic souvenir for the international jet set. When it's time to board, passengers are driven across the tarmac to their plane in a Mercedes-Benz S-Class or Porsche Cayenne. "That sort of exclusivity plays to the ego of people who are in a position to spend that much money on airline flight," says Tim Winship, publisher of travel advice site FrequentFlier.com. At Heathrow's private suites, designed for up to six people, fliers pass swiftly and privately through their own immigration and security screening. While they're waiting, hors d'oeuvres and Champagne are provided. Steak, sushi or other meals can be delivered from airport restaurants. When it comes time to actually fly, passengers are driven to their plane in a BMW 7 Series sedan and escorted to their seat. U.S. airlines have copied a bit of that touch. United started in July and Delta Air Lines in 2011 driving their top customers who have tight connections at major airports from one gate to another in luxury cars. No need to enter the terminal, let alone fight the crowd on the moving walkway. Want to board first? No problem. Want to be the last one seated, moments before the door closes? Sure. Airlines will even save room for your bags in the overhead bin. International first class has long been distinguished by gourmet meals, wide seats and giant TVs preloaded with hundreds of movies and TV shows. But in recent years, airlines also upgraded their international business class sections, ripping apart cabins to install chairs that convert into lay-flat beds. That left very little to differentiate first class from business class. So some airlines scrapped the ultra-premium cabin. Others have cut the number of first-class seats in half, thereby creating a more intimate experience that commands the higher price. For instance, a roundtrip flight in July between New York and Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific costs $1,600 in coach, $7,600 in business class and $19,000 in first class. Other airlines charge similar price differences among their passenger classes. Besides privacy, that extra cash provides an outsize seat, attentive service and superior wines and liquors. Austrian Airlines, Etihad Airways and Gulf Air are among the carriers to staff planes with their own first-class chefs. Instead of having flight attendants reheating meals cooked on the ground, these chefs prepare the meals at 35,000 feet. Sometimes, that smell wafts back to the rest of the plane. "You know they've got something good up in front of the curtain, and you know you don't have anything close to it," Harteveldt says. "When you fly coach, you are reminded of the fact that you are unimportant as a traveler." In the ultimate show of indulgence, Emirates has offered an onboard shower for first class passengers on its A380s since the plane joined the fleet in 2008. Once back on the ground, that luxury treatment continues. At airports in Paris, London, Istanbul, Bangkok, Sydney and elsewhere, airlines offer their top passengers fast-track cards allowing them to speed past immigration lines. And then, while other passengers wait in lines for buses, taxis or shuttles, chauffeurs in suits meet these fliers ready to — once again — whisk them out of the chaos. __ Scott Mayerowitz can be reached at http://twitter.com/GlobeTrotScott . Copyright (2014) Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, coach outlet online broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. More from Associated Press:Texas Longhorns jump all the way up to No. 11 in latest AP poll after beating Notre DameA college professor has promised to consume only water and sports drinks after the university's president overrode a nearly unanimous decision to grant him tenureCraig Sager is hoping to return to NBA sidelines by November after receiving a rare third bone-marrow transplantDavid Ortiz honored with a corn maze cut in his likenessSwiss fighter plane goes missing in central Swiss Alps More: Airlines First Class Associated Press Wealth Gap

The oldest son of Philadelphia Eagles

Eagles Coach Andy Reid’s coachoutletonline Son Had Steroids at Time of Overdose The oldest son of Philadelphia Eagles coach factory outlet online coach Andy Reid had steroids in his room at the team’s training camp when he overdosed from heroin in August, according to Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli. The steroids weren’t a factor in the death of Garrett Reid, Morganelli said at a news conference today. Reid was found dead in his dorm room on Aug. 5 at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, during Eagles training camp and the county coroner later ruled it a heroin overdose. Morganelli said in a telephone interview that there was no evidence Reid, who was working as a strength and conditioning coach for the Eagles, was supplying steroids to the players. “The players who were interviewed were all very cooperative with the police department, to my knowledge,” the prosecutor said. “He was a body builder himself, from what I was told, and a lot coach factory outlet online of these steroids go in and out of your system quickly, so someone using steroids for that purpose could use a lot of them over a short period of time.” Andy Reid said today in a statement that Morganelli’s report further confirmed his 29-year-old son’s troubles, and that Eagles players were in no way involved. “I am confident that my son’s decisions did not affect our football team in any way,” Reid, 54, said. “I cannot apologize enough for any adverse appearances that my son’s actions may have for an organization and a community that has been coach outlet online nothing but supportive of our family.” Heroin DeathNorthampton County Coroner Zachary coach online outlet Lysek said in an October news conference that Garrett Reid’s body showed signs of persistent heroin use. “Unfortunately Garrett coach factory outlet online Reid did have a battle with drug use,” he said. Morganelli said his office came across the steroids while investigating the source of the heroin Reid used, as well as syringes and 19 vials of unknown liquid found in his gym bag. Morganelli today identified the substances as Testosterone Propionate, Boldenone Undecylenate, Nandrolone Phenyl Propionate and Trembolone Acetate, all anabolic steroids that can be used as muscle builders. Lehigh University police have closed their investigation into Reid’s death after interviews with friends and acquaintances and a review of mobile-phone use prior to his death failed to produce leads on where he obtained the heroin or other drugs, Morganelli said. Andy Reid took a six-week leave from the team in 2007 after the arrest of Garrett and another son, Britt Reid. Garrett Reid was sentenced to 23 months following a guilty plea to charges of recklessly endangering another motorist and driving under the influence after causing a traffic collision. Police found him in possession of heroin and amphetamines after the accident. Britt Reid pleaded guilty to charges including felony possession of a firearm without a license after he was accused of pointing a handgun at another driver in a traffic confrontation on the same day. Britt Reid served 22 months in jail. Before it's here, it's on the Bloomberg Terminal. LEARN MORE