First Class Is Shrinking but Here’s Why It Remains Important
Photo Credit: A Singapore Airlines first class seat is pictured. Business class has become a bigger focus for airlines, but first class still fills a need for some travelers. Singapore Airlines
Skift Take
First class is becoming more rarified as carriers emphasize dense business class configurations. But the most exclusive product does still play a role for well-heeled customers and the marketing departments of top carriers.
Colin Nagy, head of strategy at Fred & Farid, a global advertising agency, writes this opinion column for Skift on hospitality, innovation, and business travel. “On Experience” dissects customer-centric experiences and innovation across hospitality, aviation, and beyond.
First class cabins might be soon becoming an even more rarified luxury item.
Eager to monetize the front of the plane, carriers are opting to put in more dense business class seat configurations, focusing on improving that product in a hope that customers (or those paying the bills) don’t care about the difference.
The trend line runs through the industry: United recently launched its new business class product, Polaris, and is phasing out first; Qatar only runs first on a few Airbus A380 routes; Qantas is running only business, premium economy, and economy on its new Boeing 787 Dreamliners and airlines like Cathay Pacific are phasing out the service on their new order of Airbus A350 planes.
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