Originally Posted by
channa
You do realize that doing something like this is a 10-15 year commitment (i.e., if they redesigned BF, they would be living with it for 10-15 years).
With that said, it is possible that with CO's reasonably strong product (compared to the previous generation business class products), they're holding out until all carriers make their investments and will be stuck with what they chose, so CO can come out with something unique and blow everyone else away. After all, think about how BF was when it first came out...pretty revolutionary.
But from a strategy perspective, being the last, but a leader, could pay off for years. And if this is indeed what they're doing, remaining quiet about it is the right tactic.
So I'm not convinced CO is not planning something. I have a feeling they are, and are deliberately being quiet until the UA and DL rollouts are well underway.
Agreed about the 10-15 year cycle. And it is certainly not inconceivable that the next generation J class will be something revolutionary (not inconceivable but unlikely based on Larry Kellner's record).
But there is so much more to the airline product than international business class. What about a better economy class with more legroom (as every other U.S. carrier has)? How about really, seriously updating the IT systems? How about creating a new revenue opportunity for CO's considerable and increasingly dissatisfied elite passengers, something akin to E+?
It's interesting to note the rigidity and narrowness of Larry Kellner's business model. Any enhancement a la E+ is automatically seen as nothing more than a loss of revenue (fewer seats = fewer revenue opportunities). The fact is, if CO really wants to do something revolutionary, the next product is enhanced premium economy, where the additional space and amenities are directly tied to additional revenue.
There is absolutely no reason to believe, given the current levels of demand and supply, that such a product would represent anything but lots of additional revenue.