We’ve seen a trend whereby an increasing number of airlines are offering what I like to call a “business class plus” product, which is a special seating option within the business class cabin. While business class has come a long way in general, these seats can take your experience to the next level.
I’d like to take a closer look at that in this post. Which airlines are offering this, why, and how much extra do these seats cost?
In this post:
In recent years, we’ve increasingly seen airlines introduce premium products within business class. Really this is just another example of airlines trying to create additional revenue streams.
The logic for these business class plus products is pretty straightforward. In most business class configurations nowadays, seats utilize the space to the side of the seat in front, to minimize each seat’s overall pitch. That’s why we often see business class seats with small footwells, since that’s what’s needed to make the seats economical.
In the first row of the cabin, though, space can’t be utilized as efficiently, since there’s no seat in front where you can place a footwell. Historically airlines haven’t done much to differentiate the first row, perhaps aside from a marginally larger footwell. However, that’s a trend that has changed.
Airlines have increasingly been making the first row of business class more spacious, and selling those seats at an extra cost. In some cases, airlines also differentiate the soft product, while in other cases they don’t.
Airlines offering “business class plus” products
With the above out of the way, let me share some of the airlines offering business class plus products. As I go over each product, I’ll talk about:
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on One Mile at a Time.
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