Aircraft configuration
Aircraft carry passengers paying different fare structures in separate parts of the aircraft. British Airways, for example, still offer first-class service, in addition to business class (Club World) and economy (World Traveller); some airlines now offer only two levels of service but others have added a fourth, for example, ‘economy plus’. This style of service provides a standard seat with extra legroom and economy class products and services. Many short-haul charter airlines only offer an economy-class service. As passengers in different sections of the aircraft may receive different types of food on different-sized trays using different types of cutlery and crockery, the sections of the aircraft are often separated from each other. This may be simply by the use of a curtain, but often a galley structure, form part of this differentiating barrier. The mix of different customers (business class and tourist class) will vary considerably according to the time of day and destination. Some flights, for example those from London to Lagos, have a very high demand for business-class seating. To facilitate this, some changes of seating arrangements can be achieved within a few hours. Some airlines will simply fold down each alternate seat in a row of economy-class seating to give the business-class passengers more space. From a flight catering standpoint this may simply mean that more business-class meals have to be stored in and served from the rear galley area of the aircraft, with the necessary changes in trolley requirements being carried out by the contracted flight caterer.