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Scottish Sun
09-05-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Airlines are scrapping economy seats to fit more ‘expensive' passengers onboard and it's bad news for your cheap flights
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) AIRLINES are scrapping some of their economy seats to make room - for more expensive ones on their planes. Air France's new La Premiere cabin recently launched onboard, but costs $11,000 (£8,288.87) to travel between Paris and New York, America. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Air France is spending million on fitting out it's planes Credit: Air France 4 This includes the 38-square-foot La Premiere cabin Credit: Air France Yet, there are passengers that are willing to pay this. The La Premiere cabin is part of Air Frances $550million (£414.4million) investment to upgrade existing planes and lounges and push to attract higher spending travellers. But they aren't the only airline doing this, reports the WSJ. Airlines across the planet are racing to build the most exclusive and high-end cabins available on the market, for passengers who are willing to pay the top dollar. This includes upgrading soft amenities, such as caviar and champagne, teaming up with designers to provide custom pajamas and partnering with Michelin star chefs to upgrade menu offerings. The push is partially as a result of business passengers not returning to pre-COVID levels and therefore airlines are looking for ways to increase their profits. This is because economy seats are there to subsidise the cost of flying, whereas premier seats and cabins are there to make the airline money. Essentially, airlines can charge more for business and first class seats, making them more profitable. But all of this depends on the amount of money regular leisure passengers are willing to spend. For example, a regular economy seat can cost under $1,000 (£753.53), for a return flight between Paris and New York. Qantas reveal Project Sunrise A350 This then doubles to $2,000 (£1,507.07) for a premium economy seat. But the jump to a La Premiere cabin, for instance, goes up to $11,000 (£8,288.87). Cabins are more private and do have more space - La Premiere cabins span 38-square-foot and have five windows each. In comparison some Emirates first-class cabins span 40-square-feet and some Singapore Airlines cabins sprawl across 50-square-feet. For the ultimate luxury and space, Etihad even has a 125-square-foot residence. Yet despite this, it remains unclear whether leisure passengers spending more money on these seats will actually last. 4 Many airlines are looking to upgrade their more premium offerings Credit: Air France With the waitlist for planes and components being long, airlines have to commit to seat layout far in advance. This means airlines need to work out demand for more expensive seats. This may include looking at specific routes, to see whether people spend more money on one route over another and consequently there is higher demand for more premium seats. Then airlines can assess whether to get rid of economy seats to make room for more premium seats. If the number of economy seats were reduced, it could cause them to become more expensive as demand may also increase for these seats. Airbus also recently revealed potentially the poshest plane seat in the world. Plus, The Sun tried out British Airways' new First Class seat.
The Sun
09-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Airlines are scrapping economy seats to fit more ‘expensive' passengers onboard and it's bad news for your cheap flights
AIRLINES are scrapping some of their economy seats to make room - for more expensive ones on their planes. Air France's new La Premiere cabin recently launched onboard, but costs $11,000 (£8,288.87) to travel between Paris and New York, America. 4 Yet, there are passengers that are willing to pay this. The La Premiere cabin is part of Air Frances $550million (£414.4million) investment to upgrade existing planes and lounges and push to attract higher spending travellers. But they aren't the only airline doing this, reports the WSJ. Airlines across the planet are racing to build the most exclusive and high-end cabins available on the market, for passengers who are willing to pay the top dollar. This includes upgrading soft amenities, such as caviar and champagne, teaming up with designers to provide custom pajamas and partnering with Michelin star chefs to upgrade menu offerings. The push is partially as a result of business passengers not returning to pre-COVID levels and therefore airlines are looking for ways to increase their profits. This is because economy seats are there to subsidise the cost of flying, whereas premier seats and cabins are there to make the airline money. Essentially, airlines can charge more for business and first class seats, making them more profitable. But all of this depends on the amount of money regular leisure passengers are willing to spend. For example, a regular economy seat can cost under $1,000 (£753.53), for a return flight between Paris and New York. Qantas reveal Project Sunrise A350 This then doubles to $2,000 (£1,507.07) for a premium economy seat. But the jump to a La Premiere cabin, for instance, goes up to $11,000 (£8,288.87). Cabins are more private and do have more space - La Premiere cabins span 38-square-foot and have five windows each. In comparison some Emirates first-class cabins span 40-square-feet and some Singapore Airlines cabins sprawl across 50-square-feet. For the ultimate luxury and space, Etihad even has a 125-square-foot residence. Yet despite this, it remains unclear whether leisure passengers spending more money on these seats will actually last. 4 With the waitlist for planes and components being long, airlines have to commit to seat layout far in advance. This means airlines need to work out demand for more expensive seats. This may include looking at specific routes, to see whether people spend more money on one route over another and consequently there is higher demand for more premium seats. Then airlines can assess whether to get rid of economy seats to make room for more premium seats. If the number of economy seats were reduced, it could cause them to become more expensive as demand may also increase for these seats. Airbus also recently revealed potentially the poshest plane seat in the world. Plus, The Sun tried out British Airways' new First Class seat. 4
The Irish Sun
09-05-2025
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Airlines are scrapping economy seats to fit more ‘expensive' passengers onboard and it's bad news for your cheap flights
AIRLINES are scrapping some of their economy seats to make room - for more expensive ones on their planes. Air France 's new La Premiere cabin recently launched onboard, but costs $11,000 (£8,288.87) to travel between Paris and New York, America. Advertisement 4 Air France is spending million on fitting out it's planes Credit: Air France 4 This includes the 38-square-foot La Premiere cabin Credit: Air France Yet, there are passengers that are willing to pay this. The La Premiere cabin is part of Air Frances $550million (£414.4million) investment to upgrade existing planes and lounges and push to attract higher spending travellers. But they aren't the only airline doing this, reports the Airlines across the planet are racing to build the most exclusive and high-end cabins available on the market, for passengers who are willing to pay the top dollar. Advertisement Read more on flights This includes upgrading soft amenities, such as caviar and champagne, teaming up with designers to provide custom pajamas and partnering with Michelin star chefs to upgrade menu offerings. The push is partially as a result of business passengers not returning to pre-COVID levels and therefore airlines are looking for ways to increase their profits. This is because economy seats are there to subsidise the cost of flying, whereas premier seats and cabins are there to make the airline money. Essentially, airlines can charge more for business and Advertisement Most read in News Travel But all of this depends on the amount of money regular leisure passengers are willing to spend. For example, a regular economy seat can cost under $1,000 (£753.53), for a return flight between Qantas reveal Project Sunrise A350 This then doubles to $2,000 (£1,507.07) for a But the jump to a La Premiere cabin, for instance, goes up to $11,000 (£8,288.87). Advertisement Cabins are more private and do have more space - La Premiere cabins span 38-square-foot and have five windows each. In comparison some For the ultimate luxury and space, Yet despite this, it remains unclear whether leisure passengers spending more money on these seats will actually last. Advertisement 4 Many airlines are looking to upgrade their more premium offerings Credit: Air France With the waitlist for planes and components being long, airlines have to commit to seat layout far in advance. This means This may include looking at specific routes, to see whether people spend more money on one route over another and consequently there is higher demand for more premium seats. Advertisement Then airlines can assess whether to get rid of economy seats to make room for more premium seats. If the number of economy seats were reduced, it could cause them to become more expensive as demand may also increase for these seats. Airbus also recently Plus, Advertisement 4 This could mean less economy seats Credit: Getty
The Independent
18-03-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Air France reveals new first-class suite to lure premium customers
Air France has revealed a new first-class suite as it expands efforts to lure wealthy travellers. Air France chief executive Ben Smith said the new investment aimed to place the company at the top of the European league in airline luxury, signalling a battle with British Airways and Lufthansa. "A large percentage of the customers are flying for business reasons ... Many of them have the choice of a private jet or flying in first class," Smith said in an interview. "What is new for us over the last few years is a marked increase in the number of luxury customers that are flying for leisure purposes." The air travel industry is locked in a battle for high fare-paying customers as it recovers from the pandemic but is split over the value of investing in first class, with many carriers focusing on steady improvements in business-class seating. Air France's latest first-class cabin, laid out in four pairs of grey, red-accented beds and seats on select planes, follows a years-long effort to re-invent a once loss-making product since Smith joined the national carrier in 2018. The Canadian executive has long been a champion of first class even as many rivals retrench to business class. But he said only a handful of airlines had the depth of demand or ability to tap into assets like France as a destination. "A lot of people like to experience France. When they get on the airplane outside France, they want to start their journey from San Jose, Tokyo or Sao Paulo already in France through the environment on the airplane," he said. The launch comes weeks after arch-rival British Airways launched its own new first-class cabin. Lufthansa also offers first class. Neither airline responded to requests for comment. Smith declined to say how much the investment in the new seats would cost, but the airline says its first-class service is already profitable, in part because the price of the ticket has risen in recent years. An average one-way Paris-New York ticket costs around €10,000 in May, according to the Air France website. Tuesday's rollout reflected the airline's efforts to strike a chord with France's broader reputation for luxury, with waiters passing Michelin-starred snacks in the presence of specially invited influencers in a Paris Fashion Week location. Smith insisted, however, that Air France's "La Premiere" brand could stand on its own feet as a luxury product. Partially state-owned Air France has long been synonymous with first class, with its passenger list so powerful that seats were once reputed to be bugged by the country's spy agencies. Now, it must compete with now-common lie-flat seats in business class or increasingly accessible private jets. Much of the cost is wrapped up not just in the seats but in bespoke ground services such as special check-ins or limousines. There is also the hidden cost of creating a sub-fleet of airplanes that can only operate on a handful of routes. "Unless it's rock solid, it can be quite marginal because of the operational complexity, the capital investment and the risk of substituting seats that they could be sure of selling in business class," said aviation consultant John Strickland.
