The flatbed up front is no longer the office worker's private domain. Qantas' regional manager for UK, Europe and Africa, Darsh Chapman, told The Business Travel Magazine that on flights out of London, roughly 70 per cent of business class customers are now leisure travellers — a striking reversal from an era when corporate flyers occupied up to 90 per cent of the cabin.
How did the suits lose their seat? Partly because companies are cutting back. With video calls replacing some international meetings, and transatlantic business fares costing about double the economy price, finance departments are baulking. Meanwhile, holidaymakers have got savvy: miles redemptions, loyalty schemes, price-tracking tools, mixed-cabin itineraries, promo windows and even seat auctions all offer routes into the premium cabin without paying the full walk-up fare. Add in booming luxury and cruise markets — anyone dropping $20,000 on an Antarctic trip is unlikely to suffer economy to Ushuaia — and the mix changes fast. A study by travel management company Perk even found 73 per cent of executives now bring family or friends (and 7 per cent, pets) on work trips.
The category itself is a relic of another age. Japan Airlines, KLM, Pan Am and British Airways experimented with full-fare premium sections in the 1970s, but Qantas is credited with launching the first dedicated business class cabin in 1979, charging around 15 per cent above economy for a separate cabin and better ground services. Those days of modest premiums are long gone.
There's a catch for everyone, though. Long-time flyers grumble about noisier cabins, lights on all night and children in need of entertainment, while evidence suggests the product itself is being quietly downgraded — thinner amenity kits, cost-engineered meals, and the rise of premium economy blurring the lines between cabins. Airlines aren't abandoning the segment, though: IATA figures show premium traffic generates about a fifth of passenger revenue from only around 7 per cent of passenger miles. British Airways is fitting its 12 refurbished A380s with what it says will be the world's largest business class cabin, taking the whole upper deck, while Qatar Airways remains the benchmark for booth design and tech.
For holidaymakers, the practical takeaway is that business class is more attainable than ever if you're flexible and strategic — points, sales and creative routings can get you a flatbed for a fraction of the headline fare. Just don't expect the champagne-and-china experience of legend to come as standard.
