The True Worth of Business Class Travel

The recent Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing of MaxJet re-ignites discussions over the value proposition of business class travel in general and of business-class-only airlines in particular.

Any discussion over value proposition of business class has to be set in the backdrop of its cost. A quick check on a travel website (e.g. Expedia) would show that a business class ticket typically costs around 5x of an economy / coach class one in the case of a multiclass airlines like British Airways, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines or Jet Airways. In case of business-class-only airlines like EOS and Silverjet, the multiple is a more modest 3-3.5x. See table below for details.

Traditionally, airlines have sought to provide better value to their business class travelers by giving them a superior in-flight experience by way of  personal video, 180° flat bed, more attentive service by employing a higher steward-to-passenger ratio in the business class cabin, and so on.

Following 9/11 and the heightened security measures that came in its wake, passengers faced long queues on the ground for check-in and security checks. This made the pre-boarding process quite painful. Airlines seized this opportunity to boost business class value by alleviating much of the pain through dedicated check-ins (e.g. Silverjet’s 30-minute check-in), separate security checking queues (e.g. FastTrack at London Heathrow) and luxurious lounges for business class travelers. As a few airlines (e.g. Emirates, Jet Airways and Singapore Airlines) started offering personal video even in economy class, airlines had to offer even more value to justify their business class ticket prices. Many of them are doing that by offering better post-flight conveniences like separate immigration queues and dedicated baggage handling for business class passengers at their destinations.

Speed and convenience seem to be the common themes for delivering better value for business class travelers.

Of course, some things can never be different – it takes the same 8-9 hours to fly from London to Mumbai (Bombay) regardless of whether you fly economy or business class!

Given that reality, most business class travelers would find enough value-add if only airlines can cook up some anti-jetlag potion exclusively for their business class passengers!!