United Airlines had already phased out longhaul first class in the mid-2010s and Delta did the same several years prior .
Vasu Raju , CCO at American Airlines , explained at the time that customer bookings had dwindled dramatically .
Turkish Airlines and Qatar Airways are among scores of other carriers to have ditched the service .
Gap narrowing between business and first class To get to the bottom of the decline of firstclass international travel , it ’ s pretty much impossible to look past the extraordinary evolution of airlines ’ other premium offerings . BA ’ s game-changing introduction of lieflat seating in business class at the turn of the century was a sign of things to come and , while a few differences remain , the modern-day business class offering resembles something similar to our traditional idea of first class .
“ From an economic perspective , first-class travel hasn ’ t been profitable for many airlines ,
even before COVID-19 ,” says Philipp Bensel , Partner and Global Aviation Lead at Kearney .
“ From a product perspective , business class has become more competitive . Flat , comfortable beds have been one of the main features of first class travel , especially for executives , but this has become standard in modern business class , accompanied by improved food and service .”
Regardless of the individual ’ s wealth , one has to wonder why anyone would pay thousands of dollars more to sit in first class , or the equivalent , when they can expect to be treated like royalty in business .
David Huttner , who has three decades of airline industry experience behind him and now serves as Commercial Aviation Lead at PA Consulting , agrees , pointing out that the gap between classes is narrowing .
“ High-quality , flat-bed business products have become more ubiquitous among longhaul carriers , resulting in a differential product quality that may not be as stark as it was before ,” adds Huttner , who previously worked
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