Move over, suits: A new type of traveller is taking over business class

Chris Moss

October 26, 2026 — 2:00am

Is it time to rename business class? If you use that section of the plane, or keep a beady eye on who turns left as you head right, you might have noticed that the user of the privileged cabin is changing. Sure, there are a few men and women in suits, refusing drinks while they sleep to prepare for a meeting or crack on with emails and spreadsheets. But they are very likely to be joined today by holidaymakers in comfy garments, families with kids and 20-somethings wielding cutting-edge tech.

At the end of last year, The Business Travel Magazine reported that Qantas regional general manager for the UK, Europe and Africa, Darsh Chapman, claimed that on flights from London, around 70 per cent of customers in business cabins were leisure travellers.

It’s a huge turnaround, as businesspeople once occupied as much as 90 per cent of the spacious seats. Wong Hong, director general of the 18-member Association of Asia Pacific Airlines, says that the suits are losing that edge to leisure travellers who can buy their way out of economy class – though not into first class, when it is still offered.

The notion of a business “class” of passenger belongs to the era of lava lamps and disco. During the pioneering decades of aviation, only the wealthy could afford to fly. Then, during the ’70s, airlines realised that full-fare economy passengers wanted a quieter space and perks. Japan Airlines, KLM, Pan Am and British Airways were among the major firms that sectioned off parts of the main cabin and offered special full-fare upgrades. Qantas is usually credited with coining and launching a dedicated “business class” cabin in 1979, charging fares around 15 per cent higher than economy for a separate cabin and upgraded ground services.

But changes from both the supply and demand sides have altered the clientele. Many companies are reluctant to spend heavily on business class flights amid challenging economic conditions. Tickets in the posh seats cost considerably more than the 15 per cent alluded to above; on transatlantic flights, the cost is more like double that of an economy-class seat.

Given that corporate meetings can take place on any number of digital platforms, there is also less need to send mid-level executives half-way round the world for what might be a single day’s work.

Non-business passengers are making use of a medley of means to access more comfortable seats, especially on medium-to long-haul flights. These include redeeming miles, price tracking, tapping loyalty schemes and bank cards, promotional windows, mixed-cabin itineraries with attractive deals and even seat auctions.

The burgeoning luxury and cruise-travel markets draw customers with deep pockets; if you’re spending $20,000 on an Antarctic cruise, you’re probably not going to fly from Europe or North America to Ushuaia in southern Argentina in a cramped economy seat.

There’s also a new trend of business class passengers taking along a companion. According to a study last year by travel management company Perk, 73 per cent of executives bring family, friends or pets on work trips, with a perhaps surprising 7 per cent taking a pet along for the ride.

No wonder that the flatbeds are increasingly taken up by retirees, younger passengers, parents flying with children and wised-up holidaymakers – not to mention the hordes of influencers who seem to have won over many of the major airlines and national tourist boards.

It’s often said that the work-life balance has tipped the way of non-stop work, with a smartphone functioning as a 24-hour pager. Perhaps what we are seeing is a merging on board. How do you know if the guy in the shorts is on a business trip or not? Is a passenger using TikTok to share photographs of her meal and seat linen actually working, or wasting everyone’s time?

The downside of the democratisation is obvious: noisier co-passengers, lights on, drinks being served all night, children crying. Business-doing passengers complain that the new market segment pushes in at the boarding queue and that 21st-century children who need constant attention can be troublesome.

And as the passenger manifest becomes less exclusive, there’s evidence that business class itself is being downgraded, too. Amenity kits are typically tiny pouches with a toothbrush and cheap eye-mask. Food is engineered to cut costs rather than delight the diner. Regular travellers sometimes observe that Asian carriers are more “traditional” – i.e. deferent – but, generally speaking, business class is being downgraded and the difference between travel classes is being eroded. The steady growth of premium economy is part of this process.

So, is it time to do away with business class altogether – leaving a harder-to-cross chasm between (premium) economy and the lofty delights of first class? For all the changes, it’s unlikely the business class section is due for mothballing just yet. The International Air Transport Association reports that premium traffic accounts for about a fifth of passenger revenue while representing only around 7 per cent of passenger miles.

Airlines are not all agreed on how to develop the smarter seats. British Airways is aiming at offering the world’s largest business class cabin on its 12 refurbished A380s – with business class occupying the entire upper deck. Other airlines are leaning into the latest tech, including entertainment synced to passengers’ carry-on gizmos. Qatar Airways, credited with raising the bar for business booths a decade ago, is still considered a leader when it comes to ergonomics and digital security.

Of course, “business class” has already been rebranded many times. It has been called club, executive, upper, signature and lots of forgettable names incorporating airlines’ or their loyalty schemes’ names, or both schemes’ names. If the customers are no longer only or mainly on business, perhaps “lifestyle” or “leisure” class are more fitting monikers. Or “aspirational”, or “nomad”, or even “celeb”. That is, after all, what everyone wants to be in this “post-work” world we are still being promised.

The Telegraph, UK