Skift Take
The premium economy cabin many global airlines are installing isn't much like regular economy. So why do many airlines include "economy" in its name?
I'm beginning to think the airline industry is like fashion: If you wait around enough, old ideas will come back into style.
Today, the example is premium economy. We published a ranking from Bloomberg of the world's eight best products this week, and it strikes me that most look like business class from the 1980s and 1990s. Back then, most long-haul airlines had three classes: first class, business class, and economy class.
We again have three. They're just labeled differently, with business class replacing first, and premium economy replacing business. The cabin is genius, because customers may pay double the coach price for a seat that doesn't take up twice as much room as an economy class chair.
It's little surprise a cabin that's both so popular and profitable is making a comeback. What's more interesting, I think, is its name. Rather than give it a fancy moniker that makes it seem more impressive than it is — remember United Airlines' old Connoisseur Class? — many airlines seem to want to put "economy" in the name.
Perhaps this is because airlines want to encourage passengers to buy up from economy, rather than down from business. Presumably, they have calculated few business travelers accustomed to flat beds will rough it in any version of economy, even if it's roughly equivalent to the b
