Turkish Airlines unveils new Business Class seating at the U.K.'s Farnborough Airshow on July 24, 2024.Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines both used the Farnborough Airshow, one of the aviation industry's biggest events, to announce changes to its business class cabins.Trade group GBTA projects spending on global business travel will rise 11.1% year-on-year to $1.48 trillion. That would be up from $1.43 trillion in 2019, before the pandemic shut down nearly all work trips.
Qatar Airways displayed its business class upgrade at Farnborough Airshow near London. The most talked-about new feature was the in-flight entertainment monitors that fully swivel to the side, allowing passengers facing sitting in pairs and even groups of four to create a bigger shared space. Rolling out new business class seats across an airline's fleet is usually a lengthy process spanning years, as upgrades are installed in new aircraft and retrofitted onto planes already in service.
Qatar Airways' "Qsuite Next Gen" business class seat, showcased at the Farnborough Air Show on July 22, 2024.Turkish Airways also launched changes to its business class cabin at the air show, adding adjustable doors with privacy panels — a feature that has become standard in recent years in ever more luxurious premium class cabins.