At the same time, more corporations are cutting back on travel expenses and requiring employees to purchase economy-class seats rather than business-class or first-class tickets.
As a result, airlines are trying to make up the difference by pushing more leisure travel, said Joe Brancatelli, editor of business travel website JoeSentMe. Passengers flying in business-class or first-class sections make up only about 15% of the flight manifest but often provide 50% of the revenue.
The number of passengers traveling on first-class or business-class tickets worldwide fell by nearly 17% in January -- the latest month for which data are available -- compared with a year earlier, according to the International Air Transport Assn.
"Business passengers are trading down to cheaper tickets," the trade group said this week.
In response, airlines have been discounting business-class seats sharply, in some cases down to levels comparable to refundable, unrestricted, economy-class tickets.
Even then there hasn't been enough demand, so some airlines have begun pulling out business-class seats and replacing them with more economy seats.
Jason Womack, an Ojai-based management consultant and a frequent flier, said it was easier than ever for him to upgrade his economy-class tickets and fly in the plane's premium seats, which are wider and have more legroom.
"These days, most of the people I sit next to got upgraded," Womack said, adding that he had noticed more planes taking off with empty premium seats. "This is the year to travel -- if you've got money."
--
peter.pae@latimes.com
