Summary Over the past few years, airlines have accelerated the removal of first class seats, opting to install more business class seats on their aircraft. Overall, there are more than 40% fewer first class annual scheduled seats in 2024 than in 2019. Still, some airlines have decided to reinvest in their first class cabins While first class has always been the peak of luxury onboard aircraft, over the past few years, airlines have begun phasing out their most luxurious travel class, opting to invest in their business class product.
For example, in the US, out of the big three, namely American Airlines , Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines, only the former operates international first class flights outside the country and its territories, opting to deploy business class as the most luxurious option on their respective international routes. According to data from aviation analytics company Cirium , following the pandemic, airlines have removed a lot of annual first class seats. 2019 2024 Change Total yearly seats 5.
7 billion 5.9 billion 3.5% Yearly first class seats 21.
05 million 12.6 million -40.1% Closing the gap One of the reasons why airlines have been phasing out their first class product was that the quality gap between first and business class has narrowed.
With new seats, in-flight entertainment (IFE) technologies, and growing demand for travel, a business class product simply makes more sense. Especially considering that a first class seat was much larger than a busi.