Business class 'born out of inconsistent service'

The rise of business class flights can be attributed to inconsistencies in the quality of service offered by standard economy cabins, according to one expert.

In economy class, it is possible to find some passengers who have paid in the region of £1,500 for a seat, while other travellers who have paid just £300 may also be in the same cabin.

It is this perceived unfairness that one person should pay more for a seat than another and receive the same level of service that has led to more airlines concentrating on their business class offerings, a spokesperson for research firm Ascend said.

"In any big market, like London-New York, you are bound to find particular niche markets of people that will travel at a certain price for a certain kind of service. The business traveller has to travel and is prepared to pay a premium," he commented.

There are now a number of carriers operating in premium-only flights. Silverjet offers business class services to New York and is set to launch another service to Dubai, while Eos Airlines and MAXjet offer flights to a number of destinations in the USA.

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