Continental sets Shanghai start; United adds new business seats

In the latest transpacific developments for business travelers:

*Singapore Airlines, which launched all-business-class A340-500 service from Newark last spring, has kicked off its second all-business-class route – Los Angeles to Singapore. The 100-seat all-business aircraft replaces two-class service on the non-stop LAX-SIN route three days a week (Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays); all non-stops on the route should be using the reconfigured aircraft by the end of September. Seats are 30 inches wide and the planes have an upgraded Krisworld entertainment system with 1,000 on-demand options.

*While some airlines have asked the government for permission to delay the start of newly awarded route rights to China, Continental Airlines said it plans to begin operating its new non-stop Newark-Shanghai route on March 25, 2009. The daily flight will originate in Cleveland, using a two-class 777-200. IN the fall of 2009, Continental said, the BusinessFirst cabin will be upgraded with its recently-announced lie-flat seats. Continental already flies non-stop from Newark to Beijing and Hong Kong.

*United Airlines, which has been installing new lie-flat seats in its international business class cabins, as well as upgraded first class cabins, has introduced those features on its first transpacific route. The first reconfigured 747 is being used mainly on flights between San Francisco, Hong Kong and Singapore, United said.