The trend these days among a number of air carriers is to raise business class to a level that competitors call first class. Start-up airline Riyadh Air plans to follow that game plan with its initial fleet of Boeing 787-9 airliners, scheduled to start operations by the end of 2025. Unlike other cash-starved start-ups, Riyadh Air will have the backing of Saudi Arabia‘s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), which means extremely deep pockets to create a first-class experience at business-class rates. “We want to bring back grace, beauty, and charm,” Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas tells Robb Report. “We want a modern-day version of TWA or Pan Am at their height in the 1960s, like Leonardo DiCaprio in Catch Me if You Can, but with a modernistic twist.” The executive team has taken a pedantic interest in meticulously crafting the image of the airline, from liveries that..
