Fiji Airways is considering introducing a dedicated premium economy cabin as it looks to strengthen its position in the premium leisure travel market.
According to a report by Executive Traveller, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Paul Scurrah believes premium economy would complement the airline’s brand and premium service offering.
The airline currently offers Bula Space seating on its Airbus A350 aircraft, providing passengers with 34 inches of seat pitch compared with the standard 31 to 32 inches in economy class. While the seats offer extra legroom and priority boarding, they remain an economy-class product.
Scurrah told Executive Traveller that a true premium economy cabin, featuring wider seats, between 38 and 40 inches of legroom, and upgraded meals, would suit Fiji Airways.
“We strongly believe that premium economy would work well for us. It’s just making sure that the execution can be done in a way that succeeds for Fiji Airways, to make sure that we’re able to deliver on that promise,” he said.
The airline is still assessing how such a product could be introduced consistently across its fleet.
Scurrah said Fiji Airways would prefer to offer premium economy on most of its long-haul aircraft, including the Airbus A350s and Airbus A330s, although the Boeing 737 fleet may continue to operate with the existing Bula Space product.
“We want to be certain that it’s going to actually be able to be consistently delivered across our entire fleet, because we know that’s important to our customers,” he said.
While acknowledging some airlines operate different products across different aircraft types, Scurrah said Fiji Airways wanted to minimise those differences and ensure passengers receive a consistent experience wherever possible.
He said the airline would make a final decision once it had completed its evaluation of the operational and commercial requirements.
If approved, Scurrah indicated it would likely take a couple of years before premium economy is rolled out across the airline’s fleet.
