Airline fare extremes
This item appears on page 50 of the June 2014 issue.
Lawrence W. Schonbrun wondered why airlines seem not to offer a moderate price choice between the economy-class fare and, many times that price, a business- or first-class ticket (Feb. ’14, pg. 68).
The airline I use the most, Delta Air Lines, does offer, at a very reasonable fare, an Economy Comfort class, which provides additional legroom.
As for the huge price difference between economy and first class on domestic flights or economy and business class on international flights, there are, of course, considerably fewer seats per square foot in the business- and first-class sections. For example, two rows of three economy seats each (six total) take up roughly the space of two first-class seats.
Of course, that doesn’t completely explain the price difference or why airlines have it set up that way.
Airlines, like any businesses, are going to charge what they can, and there currently is sufficient demand for first/business class from corporate senior executives and the one percent, so the simple answer is ‘Because they can.’
KENT SHAMBLIN
Beaver Bay, MN