United CEO Wants More Business Class Seats in Jets Flying Transatlantic
Skift Take
Today, United's rationale makes sense. Premium demand in many markets is robust, and United could probably make more money with more seats to sell. But what happens if business class demand drops at some point?
With demand for transatlantic business class and premium economy rising faster than economy class, United Airlines will shrink coach and add more premium seats on some Boeing 767-300s so it can fly them to key business markets, CEO Oscar Munoz told Skift on Thursday in Los Angeles.
"I won't say exactly where we are headed," Munoz said. "But business-to-business markets are going to be the ones that we are going to fly those airplanes to. New York-London is probably an obvious one. I can't tell you how many people are flying that every day. High [business class] makes all the difference in the world.”
United has been secretive about plans for this premium-heavy sub-fleet, and neither Munoz nor an airline spokesman would confirm the configuration or say how many aircraft will receive it. But
