Is First Class Dying Or Just Being Relabeled?

Bells have tolled for the end of first class for a while, but are they right? Oman Air announced a new business class suite to replace its first class cabin. The airline’s CEO cited softening demand for first class as a reason for the change. Several airlines have switched from offering three classes to two: business and economy.

Some have kept three classes, replacing first class with business and introducing a premium economy cabin. Others, like Swiss International Air Lines , still offer a first class suite with a narrow cabin footprint.?I always have trouble when people say first class is dead. It’s not, really. But it has been rebranded. When I started working on aircraft cabins in the early 90s, the first class seat consisted of a reclining chair, similar to what you find in domestic first class in the US today and in many premium economy cabins worldwide.

Even when 法航 and British Airways revolutionized first class flying by introducing lay-flat seats in 2000, they were nothing as luxurious as the Delta One business class suites introduced by Delta Air Lines in 2016. Since then, the competition to build a better suite (in both business and first) has advanced rapidly.?Whether it’s marketed as a business class or first class is inconsequential. The reality is that the suite is a premium product.

The essential factor for airlines is to maximize the revenue potential of their limited cabin real estate, whatever they decide to call it.?What do you think is behind the first class to business class trend? Are more people just shy of holding first class tickets?

Is first class dying or just being relabeled?

By Marisa Garcia | Journalist (Simple Flying)