Coach Passengers Can Get Premium Amenities — For a Price
Photo Credit: Air France sells a meal created by Jean Imbert, a celebrity chef. Many airlines are adding premium-style amenities for coach travelers. Air France
Skift Take
Even if they buy first class pajamas, an upgraded meal, and an amenity kit, coach passengers still won't feel like they're in a premium cabin. But at least some airlines are giving travelers the chance to buy up to a better experience. It's cheaper than an upgrade.
For some status-conscious, instagraming travelers, airline-branded pajamas are among the most potent status symbols of a jet-setting life.
Sure, they're often gaudy, with airline logos — such as the Qantas flying kangaroo — printed on them. And they're sometimes scratchy, which shouldn't come as a surprise because by one insider's estimate, pajamas cost airlines no more than $10 per set, and usually far less.
But they're not easy to get. Not every airline offers them, and many, including Lufthansa, Singapore Air and Cathay Pacific, hand them only to first class passengers. Passengers strutting around in ill-fitting airline-branded pajamas may look ridiculous, but they can feel confident knowing they're wearing an outfit few ever will own.
At least one airline, however, is turning pajamas into a revenue producer. Late last year, Etihad began selling economy class passengers the same style of Christian Lacroix-branded sleep suits available free in its "First Class Apartments
