Why Airlines Are Ditching First Class

Why Airlines Are Ditching First Class

Earlier this summer, Qatar Airways grabbed headlines when it announced that it was doing away with first-class seating on long-haul flights. The news was rather unexpected, given that the carrier has built its identity around an ultra-luxe product in the sky; it’s often ranked as one of the best airlines in the world. But the company’s CEO acknowledged that the massive footprint of first-class seating simply doesn’t efficiently maximize revenue.

Most US carriers, for their part, had already abandoned first-class seating over the previous decade. American Airlines is the last domestic provider offering a first class on international flights, and it plans to phase those seats out at some point in 2024. So, what gives? Is first class… dead?

The modern calculus of commercial aviation points to yes, as airline execs seem determined to cram as many passengers on each plane as possible. JetBlue recently retrofit its Airbus A320s, bumping up the total number of seats from 150 to 162. American Airlines followed similar measures shortly thereafter. Don’t even get us started on Spirit, where the combination of paper-thin seat backs and an inability to recline from an impossibly upright position makes passengers feel packed like sardines in a can. And if