#FlightPricing #TravelTips #AirlineSeats #ComfortAndCost
So, let’s talk about flight pricing tiers! 🤔 Why is it that when you look for airfare, you find some seats at ridiculous prices—like $350, $450, and then bam, $2,500?! And where’s that sweet spot in between for folks who just want a little extra comfort without breaking the bank?
Here are a few thoughts on this wild pricing game:
- Flexibility is Key: Airlines tend to give a lot of weight to ticket flexibility. You know, the power to change your plans without hefty fees. Some folks value that hugely, hence the price differences.
- Comfort Levels: While airlines have been stepping up their game by introducing “select” or “plus” tiers that offer a smidgen more comfort, jumping to business or first class is where it gets crazy expensive. Why not just create a more budget-friendly comfy option?
- Market Demand: Airlines price their tickets based on supply and demand. It seems they think a basic economy seat or a luxurious seat can capture all customers, leaving that middle ground empty.
Honestly, wouldn’t it make sense to have a middle tier? Like, say, a $700-$800 option that gives you a bit more legroom and comfort without the luxury price tag? đź’ş The current choices often feel like a game of extremes—either you’re cramped in a tiny seat or lounging in a spacious suite.
What’s your take on this? Have you found any hidden gems when it comes to comfortable seating that doesn’t cost a fortune? Share your experiences or any tips you’ve picked up along the way! 🚀
A lot of people are very wealthy but not private jet wealthy and some even may be. First class being 1k versus your 230 coach may seem like a price jumo but to many it’s nothing.
Also alot if corporate employers can write off travel expenses
Different target markets. There are the discount flyers looking for the cheapest deal and then there are business flyers which are looking for more comfort since a lot of them aren’t paying. (Business reimburse, some are just rich though.)
There really isn’t anything in between that is in demand enough to be cost effective for an airline.
I’m gonna take a stab at this with my relatively limited experience with domestic airlines, and extremely limited experience with international airlines.
Simply put, they make more money this way.
The lower price groups are most likely identical or near identical seats, with other bonuses for the slightly more expensive level. Free checked bags, earlier boarding, etc. Then they offer a few super marked up seats that make more money per square inch as compared to the lower price seats, because they know wealthier travelers or business travelers will pay. The rest of the cabin is identical seats made to fit as many people as possible within the accepted margin of comfort of the airline. (American might give a little more legroom than spirit, for example)
International flights on the other hand typically have a wider array of selection, because these flights are likely already mostly occupied by people with some amount of disposable income and business sponsored travelers. But the gaps are still large. For instance, a JAL flight from JFK to Tokyo Haneda offers economy (~$1000), premium economy (~$2750), business (~$8000), and first class (I think around $20k). This is more aligned with what you’re asking about, though obviously at a higher price point. In addition to different demographics on international flights as compared to short range/domestic, there’s also a bit more of a reputation to uphold in terms of comfort. Look at how Emirates markets themselves, for instance. As such carriers like those won’t just try to cram people in. There will still be modest economy seats, but the size of the aircraft allows for some expansion and increased usage of more luxurious seating
There are 2 main tiers of ticket buyers: People that are spending their own money so they are going to shop for the cheapest price. Then there are people that are spending their company’s money, which flexibility or flying business class when appropriate matters more than saving their company’s money.
There isn’t much in between because very few people will spend $700 of their own money on a flight when a $350 seat is available on the same airplane.
I used to work in airline pricing; I don’t exactly have PTSD over it, but there are some scars.
Anyway, glossing over a *ton* of complexity, a lot of these rules are trying to figure out “are you a vacationer who’d only buy a seat if it’s affordable, or are you a business traveler flying on the company’s dime?”. They can’t just ask if you’re willing to pay more- everybody would say no. So they try to attach rules to the cheaper fares that business travelers wouldn’t like. Your vacation won’t get rescheduled to the following week, but a business meeting might. You’d love to stay the weekend, but a business traveler just wants to go home. You plan your vacation months in advance, but a business traveler may only have a few days. Things like that factor into what fares are available.
I’m flying to Ireland soon. The base price for all 4 flights (2 connectors) was $530. That was for random seats, no checked bags. To even be able to pick a seat I had to spend $200 to get main cabin+ (which also gave me one free checked bag).
Then, I picked exit row seats for every flight. For one of the transatlantic flights I was able to get exit row middle seat for free. For the other I had to pay like $100. Seat choices on the domestic connects was like $25-30.
Basically in the end, my $530 turned into over $900. Simply because I am a tall man (6’2) with long femurs.
It does suck. Once I saw a short 5’0 girl complaining about tall guys at a concert and I was like “You lose at concerts, we lose on airplanes”.
However if I see a single empty non-exit row seat somewhere, I’m going to see if they will let me sit in it for a minute. If I fit, at least I know that on that specific plane type, next time I could just keep the base price and save some money.
The comfort+ was wildly more expensive. I think it just had more spacing, I don’t remember. First class? You could buy a new Honda Civic (ok maybe not quite but a really good used one). It’s insane how much that cost. I’ll never know what that is like.
Edit: OK, this is only my second time flying in my life so I got the tiers slightly wrong for Delta. But for ATL – DUB it would cost $4300 to upgrade that one flight alone to “Delta One” with flat seats. Not counting the return trip, or either of the two connecting flights.
So yeah, economy is the main. “Delta One” is the insanely expensive top end seats and believe it or not, looking at the seating selector now, those seats are full. There was a middle option that was like “Comfort+” or something like that. About a $400 upgrade, for more leg room and a few other things. That would be the true middle.
Planes are like custom made. They are very hard to change seat and expensive to operate. Making a middle section often end with discount down to level of cheapest options. So the cost of empty medium seats and the cost of changing it if few people want it and the space it occupies make it a money sink rather than a break even or profit.
I think what you’re asking is “why isn’t there another type of seat that’s somewhere between a coach seat that’s $300 and a business/first class seat that’s $1000”, rather than “why are some coach tickets $100 and some coach tickets $300”. These are two different questions, and there are already a bunch of good answers to the second one.Â
What people will really pay a premium for is more width, not more leg room (beyond a certain point, anyway). The only way to offer that is to remove at least one seat to make the rest wider. A standard row is 6 seats across. If you remove 1 seat and make the other 5 wider, you’ll need to increase the price 20% to make up for it. But you’ll still have a middle seat and nobody wants to pay a premium for that, so you may as well remove it, too. Now each seat has to cost 50% more (4 seats replacing 6 means each seat has 1.5 seats’ worth of width).Â
So now you’ve got a $350 coach seat, a $450 coach-premium seat, and a $675 business seat. As far as a better seat than coach-premium, that’s probably the cheapest you’ll be able to do, based on the physical space limitations of the plane.Â
Historically, often these are going to business travelers who aren’t so sensitive on price or to people who are willing to spend more for luxury. So, airlines start throwing in extras and jacking up the price – full meal service, free drinks, extra luggage allowance, etc – and before you know it you’ve got a $1000 ticket up front or a $350 ticket in the back.Â
Demand for first class space without first class amenities (the hypothetical $675 fare) really skyrocketed during Covid, and airlines have been trying to meet the demand. Reconfiguring airplanes is both very expensive and very slow though, and the willingness of people to pay for a business class seat without the luxury amenities may not be a long term thing. Airlines don’t want to gamble and lose, so we’re seeing the current status quo.Â
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Personal travelers are typically very price-sensitive, leading to intense competition among airlines on popular routes. While some passengers might steer clear of ULCCs like Frontier or Spirit, major carriers like Delta, American, and United often compete by offering similar service levels. When one airline adjusts its pricing, others frequently respond with comparable fare changes.
Currently, basic economy fares come with several limitations: they do not include seat selection, offer fewer miles, and have stricter policies on changes and refunds—if any options are available at all. For United, basic economy passengers are also restricted to a small personal item that must fit under the seat in front of them.
>why isn’t there a whole block of seats for like $700–800 that aren’t super luxurious but pretty damn comfortable and not the insulting, spine-destroying garbage seats of the main cabin?
For domestic flights, the cost of first-class seats can be quite but is within that $7-800 range you mention, each way. On international routes, many airlines offer a premium economy class, which provides a level of comfort similar to domestic first class and sits between standard economy and business class. While premium economy seats offer more space and enhanced comfort, the meal service often remains similar to economy, though it may be served on a plate rather than in a tray.
In reality, what you might describe as a “spine-destroying” seat is generally acceptable for most travelers on major carriers (excluding budget airlines like Spirit and Frontier). While spending say 11 hours in economy might not be enjoyable, it’s a practical choice that gets you to your destination effectively.