Are first-class flights dying? Why airlines are increasingly choosing to replace high-end cabins

18.10.2024 - 03:15 / euronews.com / Saskia ODonoghue

Whether you’re a frequent flyer in first class or it’s a distant dream, the experience may soon be coming to an end worldwide.

Oman Air has announced it’s doing away with first-class cabins once and for all, and instead opening up a new Business Studio cabin.

The move follows similar ones on the likes of Turkish Airlines and Air New Zealand.

Although based in Muscat, Oman Air will run many flights featuring the Business Studio in London, as well as Bangkok.

While the number of airlines getting rid of first class has grown lately, it’s actually been going on since 2000.

That year, as budget airlines cornered the cheaper end of the market, British Airways was the first to add lie-flat beds to its business class cabins. Soon, many rivals followed suit, which quickly devalued first-class offerings.

Since then, perks in business class have got better and that’s meant that the quality gap between first and business class has been narrowing.

While the name of Oman Air’s Business Studio suggests the new cabins might be replacing traditional business class, that’s actually not the case.

They will be in addition to existing business seats, despite being rather more expensive. They are, however, set to be slightly cheaper than first class seats, which could appeal to some looking for a high-end experience on a relative budget.

And it will certainly be luxurious, with each cabin boasting an 82-inch seat pitch, privacy walls as standard, a 23-inch personal screen and free Wi-Fi connectivity, as well as à la carte dining.

“In the eyes of most passengers today, the difference between first and business class is in name only,” Ben Mutzabaugh, senior aviation editor at The Points Guy, told Thrillist.

“Especially on long international flights, most of these cabins have seats that convert into lie-flat beds - some with sliding doors that turn the passengers’ space into a private pod. Whether you call it ‘first’ or ‘business,’ passengers on most big airlines will find these seats pretty posh.”

UK-based Virgin Atlantic recently launched a new Airbus A350 service, with significantly fewer business-class seats than on previous crafts. While it could be assumed that the airline is trying to get more people on each flight, which is how low-cost airlines are able to make a profit, they’ve taken a different approach to keep wealthy passengers happy.

Virgin Atlantic, which calls its first class offering ‘upper class’, has made the most of the smaller amount of business class seats on its A350 by improving its top tier service.

It launched ‘The Booth’, a semi-private space with seating for just two people. Well-heeled passengers can enjoy a wine tasting experience, or a cognac tasting with chocolate pairings, as well as a private