Your seat, sir!

IN THEIR battle to win the hearts, minds - and wallets - of the lucrative corporate market, airlines continually dream up new ways to make business travel more spoiling, or "stress-free" as they like to term it.

Business travel has not only recovered since 9/11, it is flourishing.

British Airways is to invest Pounds 100 million in a revamp of its long-haul business class, Club World, this summer, its first major upgrade in five years. Details are scarce, but expect new seats and state-of-the-art entertainment.

When the new twin-deck A380 comes into service at the end of this year, Airbus says the 15 airlines that will fly its super-size aircraft have plans for sleeper cabins, showers, saunas, gyms, shops, casinos and business centres.

"Customers, particularly those in the premium classes, will enjoy the luxury increased space on this aircraft," said a spokesman for Singapore Airlines, the first to launch an A380 at the end of this year on its Singapore-Sydney-London route. "There will be fewer than 480 seats in a three-class configuration, in an aircraft designed for 555."

Extra space is also the mantra of new business-class-only airline Eos, which began flying daily from Stansted to New York JFK last October.

"With only 48 guests on a plane built for 220, everything changes," they say.

Passengers prepared to pay the Pounds 4,000 return fare can stretch out on a 78in flat bed and enjoy 21sq ft of personal space. Eos has also teamed up with Quintessentially to provide passengers with a 24-hour concierge service to take care of everything from securing a table at the hottest restaurant to meeting passengers at the airport and escorting them straight through security.

One of the great changes in airline travel is the erosion of the dreaded queue. When Heathrow's Terminal five opens in March 2008, BA reckons checkin queues will simply not exist. "Passengers-will check themselves in, either at home or at airport kiosks," says BA's Simon Talling-Smith. "Our plans are about making things very quick, passing all the control to the customer and getting them to security in a matter of minutes." Passengers will be able to check in from a taxi using their mobile phone.

"A barcode in the phone will act as a boarding pass and we will text passengers when flights are delayed or even tell them which gate to go to," he says.

Destined not to be so popular with all travellers is the imminent arrival of mobile-phone usage in flight. "You will definitely see this on short-haul European flights," says Talling-Smith. "But a lot of people are concerned about how annoying it might be and I don't think airlines have worked out a compromise.

"I think it will start off just for texting and accessing the internet," he adds. "For many business travellers, the flight is a welcome bubble of time without intrusion. We might want to protect them."

In-flight broadband on some airlines, including Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines, already means that business travellers no longer have an excuse not to keep in touch with the office. The same technology is now bringing live TV to passengers on selected flights with Singapore Airlines, enabling them to watch live news broadcasts and sport.

But this will seem old hat by 2015, when Nasa and the US Federal Aviation Administration expect to see the launch of Personal Flying Machines. A system of more than 5,000 small airports is in construction. They are connected by virtual "highways in the sky" for the use of a new generation of "air-cars".

You've seen it in the films Blade Runner and I Robot; it won't be long before it's coming to an airport near you.

The height of style: how the spacious new Airbus A380 cabins will look, with your own sitting room in the sky

ON TOP OF THE CLOUDS

British Airways Club World

On the ground: Terrace lounges have oak floors, rugs, an indoor garden, a Molton Brown Travel Spa and a business centre. An arrivals lounge has showers, a clothes valet service and a restaurant.

Onboard: a seat that converts into a six-foot bed, and dishes created by celebrity chefs such as Michel Roux of The Waterside Inn, served on Royal Doulton china.

What's next: a Pounds 100 million investment this summer will include a new in-flight entertainment system and lounge improvements.

BA promises T5 will herald a new level of lounge comfort, with stations to download music to iPods and mini-cinemas.

LHR to JFK: from Pounds 1,977 return.

LHR to HK: from Pounds 2,387 return.

Virgin Atlantic Upper Class

On the ground: Virgin's Clubhouse at Heathrow has a Bumble and Bumble hair salon and a Cowshed spa with a sauna, six steam rooms, a St Tropez tanning booth and a spa pool. Passengers sip complimentary champagne and choose snacks, lunch or dinner from the brasserie menu.

Onboard: seats that convert into beds, a bar, in-flight beauty treatments, food and drink on demand. Ozwald Boateng amenity kits, toothbrush, eyeshield, socks, comb, Rembrandt toothpaste and earplugs.

What's next: The Clubhouse is due for improvements in March. And when Virgin takes delivery of the A380 in spring 2008, Branson has mooted plans for in-flight casinos, private double beds and mini- gyms.

LHR to JFK: from Pounds 2,502 return.

LHR to HK: from Pounds 2,876 return.

Continental Airlines Business First

On the ground: more than 200 concierges provide pre- and post- flight services at 21 airports worldwide, escorting you through the airport and taking care of hotel or restaurant bookings at your destination. Chauffeur-driven service on both sides of the Atlantic for full-fare passengers. Arrivals lounge at Gatwick with showers, valet and work stations.

Onboard: sleeper seats with six feet of sleeping space and privacy hoods.

Five-course gourmet menu and coffee whenever you want it.

What's next: no specific plans at this stage.

LHR to JFK: from Pounds 1,767 return.

Eos

On the ground: flies from Stansted to New York JFK. Departure lounges with wireless access and, on arrival in London, complimentary showers and health-club use at the Radisson SAS Hotel. Concierge service plus luxury chauffeur-driven airport transfers.

Onboard: all-business-class aircraft with 48-seat "suites", each with 21sq ft of space.

Each suite has a second seat for visitors, and reclines to a flat bed with a cashmere blanket and hi-tech pressure-relieving pillow. In-flight gourmet menus.

What's next: A second daily Stansted-to-JFK flight starting in the second quarter of 2006.

Stansted to JFK: from about Pounds 3,870 return.

MAXjet

On the ground: operates Stansted's first business-class lounge, next to its gate with a gym and showers. Similar at JFK.

Onboard: all-business-class Boeing 767s with fully reclining seats.

Four-course meals served on fine china. Passengers get a digEplayer, loaded with 100 hours of entertainment.

What's next: flights from Stansted to Washington Dulles start on 15 March.

Stansted to JFK: from Pounds 854 return.

(c)2006. Associated Newspapers Ltd.. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.