Jet Airways' Boeing 777-300ERs to Feature First-Class Suites

Indian carrier Jet Airways is installing individual private suites in the first-class cabins of the 10 new Boeing 777-300ERs it is using to develop its intercontinental network.

The first-class cabin of each Jet Airways 777-300ER will contain eight suites, four by the windows of the aircraft and four in the middle of the cabin between the two aisles, said Guarang Shetty, the airline's vice president of marketing.

Each suite will have a high partition and a door that can be closed fully to ensure privacy. However, the middle-cabin suites are located in adjacent pairs and the partitions between these paired suites can be lowered to provide a larger area for two people traveling together, Shetty told Aviation.com from Jet Airways' Mumbai headquarters.

Every suite has an 83-inch bed and the total distance between each first-class seat--known by the airline industry as 'seat pitch'--is 90 inches, which Jet Airways claims is the longest offered by any airline.

Each suite also includes a wardrobe, a 23-inch flat-screen television and an eight-point foot massage system, said Shetty. A fold-down table in every suite allows dining and meetings for two.

First-class passengers are given noise-canceling headsets and have access to email, internet and video and audio on demand. The VOD content includes 75 films and passengers can create their own jukebox selections from some 50 stored CDs.

Jet Airways has just received its first 777-300ER--with first-class suites already installed--and will begin Mumbai-London services with the aircraft tomorrow, May 5. Using its new 777s, the airline will begin daily service to Newark's Liberty International Airport via Brussels on Aug. 5, Shetty said.

The airline is also launching service from Mumbai to San Francisco but will fly via Shanghai.

Jet Airways plans to build a mini-hub at Brussels' Zaventem Airport. It is also launching New Delhi-Brussels-Toronto service in August and plans eventually to serve Chicago, New York JFK and possibly Washington Dulles Airport via Brussels too, said Shetty.

Passengers will be able to connect at Brussels to and from the carrier's two Indian destinations and its various North American destinations. They also will be able to book tickets between North America and Brussels, Shetty confirmed.

By February 2008, Jet Airways will have received all 10 777-300ERs it has ordered--the carrier is taking one a month except in June and December--but it holds options on 10 more for future international network growth.

In addition to eight first-class suites, Jet Airways' 777-300ERs will have 30 business-class seats, each folding down into 73-inch flat beds. Each of these 'Premier Class' seats also will have a 44-inch-high privacy screen and a 15-inch TV. Business-class passengers will have their meals served on Rosenthal china.

The 274-seat economy-class cabins of Jet Airways' 777-300ERs will feature a new, ergonomically designed seat, said Shetty. The seat cushion will move forward when the passenger presses the recline button, providing more support. Each economy-class seat also will have a small leg hammock to provide calf support.

Jet Airways' 777-300ER cabins will feature mood lighting that changes depending on the time of day and the time zone through which the aircraft is moving. At night, cabin ceilings will feature a starry effect, while at dawn and dusk the lighting will be gentle, said Shetty.

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