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LONDON, England (CNN) -- In a bid to retain and attract business travelers, many airlines are refining their services including beds, bars and business centers.
Based on feedback from passengers, airlines are realizing that comfort matters and that upgrading the services they provide are essential.
For some airlines the upgrades are a move to recover corporate travelers lost to budget airlines; for others it is a way to differentiate their brand in a fiercely competitive environment.
The likes of Singapore Airlines, British Airways, Emirates, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Qatar Airlines, Cathay Pacific are leading the way, but other airlines are stepping up to the comfort race.
In a recent survey by Skytrax market research, Kenya Airways was listed fourth just behind British Airways as an airline offering a flat bed.
"At present only South Africa Airlines, Virgin and British Airways offer a true flat bed," says Peter Miller from Skytrax.
South Africa Airlines has just finished upgrading its business class services to compete with the likes of British Airways and Virgin by introducing flatbeds.
British Airways continues to deck out its fleet with flatbeds. It has just finished installing them for the airline's London, Gatwick-based long-haul fleet.
The airline has also installed a new departure lounge at Gatwick for business travelers. This contains a business center, wine, juice and coffee bar, as well as a library.
The problem for U.S. airlines is that they are under-investing in their in-flight offering. Therefore it lags behind some European rivals -- for example many have no business class beds.
As a result, these airlines are competing aggressively on price, as well as filling the market with extra capacity. This is creating opportunity for travelers who are not loyal to a European carrier.
However, Delta Air Lines is now considering offering Internet services in-flight. For some business travelers this has become an important tool.
Though other airlines already offer this service including Lufthansa, Japan Airlines, Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) and El Al.
Network service fees vary from $10 to $30.
Despina Afentouli contributed to this report for CNN
