Excel Winter 2005/2006 Schedules

[Steve Wooler]

Hi Folks

Sorry it has taken me so long to comment on recent posts about changes to the Excel service, but it’s taken a little while to get confirmed details.

Yes, I can now confirm that the Premium Economy class has been dropped for winter 2005/2006. It will probably return for the quieter summer months following.

Golden Caribbean tell me that the change is due to higher demand for Excel One seating. The premium economy seats are to be stripped out and replaced by the the larger, more comfortable, Excel One seats, providing a total capacity of 42 first class seats and 214 standard economy. I think that this is probably largely behind the dropping of premium economy - the extra two inches are not quite as worthy of the extra cost I guess.

Incidentally, the ‘new’ aircraft that has been used on the route this year has just returned from being re-configured. All of the standard economy seats now have a 32-inch seat pitch. That is actually an inch more than either BA or Virgin standard economy and very considerably more than the 30” offered when the service first started and for which they got so much stick.

[Paul Tallet]

I sense this is a purely commercial decision.

During my trips the Premium Economy seats were about 50% taken while Excel 1 and Economy were bursting at the seams.

It seems that the punter does not favour it in half measures.

Also ... the Premium Economy seats were smaller than excel 1 and so ... I guess that these seats will be removed from the plane and replaced with the huge luxurious excel 1 seats.

That, in itself, is no small cost/investment ... and consequently, if I were a betting man (which I am not, but I am most certainly a very commercially orientated individual !!) ... I would speculate that Premium Economy will not return.

Regards