SAS, which abolished first class in 1989, introduced a new service, EuroSleeper.
The first two rows in business class have been fitted with 12 sleeper seats with 50-inch pitch for which you pay a premium of $300 one way. "There was no real demand for first class in our major markets," says John Herbert, director of corporate affairs at SAS in Stockholm. "We've lost a few first-class travelers to BA, Lufthansa, Swissair and so on.
Then a year ago we started the EuroSleeper. And we've sold about 15,000 so far, an average of four a flight. Rough surveys show that about 30 percent of that 15,000 are first-class passengers who have returned from competitors. Even with the $300 premium you are still paying roughly 40 percent under the published first-class fare."