Why airlines are doing away with first-class

Despite offering the highest profit margins, it is disappearing in favor of business class, also driven by VIP private jets.

Description: This article explores the reasons why airlines are increasingly doing away with first class, including the economic crisis, the ongoing war, the pandemic, and the rise of private jets.

Keywords: first class, airlines, doing away with, economic crisis, ongoing war, pandemic, Qatar Airways, American Airlines, premium economy, business class, VIP private jets, jet-set, Hollywood stars, heirs of enormous fortunes, TWA, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Pan Am, low-cost airlines, Boeing 787, Airbus A350, A380, Jumbo Jet 747, glamor of air travel.

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It will be the economic crisis, the ongoing war, and the long-lasting effect of the pandemic. In any case, it is the beginning of the end of an era.?

Qatar Airways, the company of the state of the same name among the wealthiest countries in the world thanks above all to oil, has announced that?it will no longer offer first-class service?on its?intercontinental flights starting in 2024?and will replace the extra-luxury suites with standard business class seats.

Qatar Airways is certainly not the only one:?American Airlines also?announced a similar move a few months ago, and slowly,?many airlines?around the world that offer long-haul services are calling into question?the four-class model: one?economy?for the "belly" of the plane a?premium economy, born as an effect of the 2008 crisis, for all managers which cannot justify a "luxury" business ticket. And then the high-level couple.?

(The Americans used to call it "coach class," echoing the uncomfortable stagecoach journeys of the Old West.)

On the one hand, the traditional?business class, which, as the name indicates, is aimed at?business travelers with all the comforts of a supposedly short journey and requires top executives to be rested to perform as soon as they get off the plane.?

On the other hand, for the rich, the jet-setters, the Hollywood stars, the heirs of enormous fortunes,?first class.?

Our former national airline Alitalia?called it Magnifica.?

In Paris, on the other hand, Air France calls it?La Première, and it has decided to relaunch it next year with new layouts.

Most of the airlines, on the other hand, are abandoning?the extra-luxury service, with reserved cabins, real lounges, dedicated on-board staff, dedicated bathrooms, and maximum comfort both on the ground while waiting and on board because since after the pandemic, people have not liked?it more.

Although "first" is the service that?offers by far the highest profit margins, it is used less and less. Instead, those looking for a super-exclusive travel experience turn?to VIP private jet rental services, with?ultra-luxury fittings,?the convenience of a?flight plan with tailor-made routes and times, a reserved terminal, and total privacy.?

This happens even if a first-class seat in a line company can cost as much as the down payment on a small house, even if it generally?starts at around 15,000 euros.

History

The history of the first class is relatively recent. While pre-World War II flights essentially offered one type, then slowly diversified into two,?TWA airline launched a "luxury" service in 1955?on its new?Super Constellation?aircraft. On jetliners, it was the first class that defined the concept of the jet-set: the favorite place for?rock stars of the sixties and seventies, Hollywood actors, the heirs of fabulous economic empires.

Since the 1980s, Asian companies (Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific of Hong Kong ) have been the first to enhance the luxury services of their aircraft to compete with the large European luxury companies (such as?Air France, British Airways, Lufthansa, Swiss, and our Alitalia?and from the United States, starting with?Pan Am, the American queen of glamor when it comes to air transport.

Finally, since the end of the 1990s, the former has become the distinctive offer of the very rich?airlines of the Middle East, starting with?Emirates,?Etihad Airways,?Qatar, and others. But the market has changed over the years: with?the legal unification of the skies?of the geographical macro-regions, first in North America, then in Europe, and now in Southeast Asia, low-cost airlines were born (the first being the American?Southwest?), the way of traveling has changed profoundly.?

Between one economic crisis and another,?after low-cost companies like Ryanair and EasyJet, a new airline lever has also arrived thanks to aircraft,?such as the Boeing 787 and the Airbus A350, capable of serving long point-to-point routes with mainly economy class configurations and meager operating costs per passenger. Suddenly,?economy class is back to generating economic value?for airlines.

Proof of this change of direction to the contrary is the decision by Airbus to end production of the?colossal four-engine double-decker A380?and by Boeing to put an end to the fifty-year career of the other sizeable four-engine aircraft with one and a half decks:?the Jumbo Jet 747. They cost too much,?are relatively inconvenient, and cannot operate from small airports like their more recent competitors, following?the old national airlines' hub-and-spoke scheme.

In the end, those who want to travel wrapped up in luxury by spending a small fortune will be able to continue to do so, but?less and less on airliners.?

And a piece of the glamor of air travel of the past, when you dressed?as if you were going to a party and not as if you were going to the gym, is going away forever.

rever.