Long Haul Premium: Upper Middle Class ─ for the Upper Middle Class was issued today as a 14-page report. It includes the results of a review of 20 leading global network carriers regarding their long haul premium economy cabins. The report describes the trends which support the potential for premium economy to someday deliver more profits than business class:
• Loss of work-related traffic of around 25% since the pandemic. Airlines across the world are eager to find an attractive replacement for this missing revenue.
• The upper middle income market represents 32% of US households. This high spending group of nearly 42 million households has income in excess of $7.6 trillion.
• Major US airlines are growing premium seat capacity by 25% to 75%. Delta alone has added 15,000 seats to its daily schedule since the pandemic.
• Premium Select can offer more potential than business class. Analysis of Delta’s A330 aircraft revealed more revenue potential than business and economy.
