Searches for first and business class doubled in a year while the rest of travel was stagnant. The premium gap keeps widening, and airlines are leaning in.

Doubling premium-cabin demand (or at least curiosity) while economy grows at a normal pace is not the same interest we saw coming out of COVID. On explanation is simply more travelers, and that is reflective of trades we have seen where consumers swap material goods for experiences.
This reflects with what I see on the agency side. The questions our staff fields are rarely about the cheapest way across the Atlantic and more about which business class product is worth the premium, not why they should switch from Premium Economy. Client demand data and the client conversations point the same direction.
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on Live and Let's Fly.