More flyers 'willing to pay for luxury'

A growing number of British travellers are becoming more open to the idea of paying extra for a luxury service, according to one expert.

A number of claims have recently been made suggesting that demand for long-haul economy tickets is dropping off - but Anna Knowles of Virgin Atlantic said that the airline has not seen such a trend and that capacity in the sector is actually on the up.

However, increasing numbers of holidaymakers are seeing the benefits of shelling out for a better class of service, she noted.

"There is definitely a growing segment of people who are willing to pay for more space and luxury when they are travelling on their leisure trips and who are contributing to the growth in the premium economy sector," Ms Knowles commented.

She added that long-haul flights are now at their cheapest level and can cost less per mile than domestic and short-haul travel.

Earlier this month, Australian carrier Qantas announced that tickets for its new premium economy cabin have now gone on sale.

These seats are available on flights from London to Sydney and Melbourne, among other services.

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