PREMIUM Economy class business travel has been growing at a faster rate than other cabin classes – but not at the expense of Business class, according to analysis by Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT) and Travelport.
A study of 1.3 million bookings between 2015 and 2017, using Singapore as the point of origin, showed the number of Premium Economy seats booked for corporate travel increased at an average rate of 157% year on year, while corporate bookings for other classes recorded negative growth over the same period.
“It’s interesting that the increase in Premium Economy bookings seems to have come largely at the expense of Economy class, and not Business class,” said Richard Johnson, director, Asia Pacific, CWT Solutions Group.
“This makes sense, given the trend we’re seeing where companies are looking beyond travel costs and paying more attention to traveller comfort and productivity.”
In 2015, Premium Economy comprised 1.23% of total corporate bookings, growing to 7% by 2017, while Economy class seat share declined from 60.27% in 2015 to 54.46% in 2017.
Source: traveldaily