Brooke In The Air

Arguably, the most prestigious aircraft flown by one of the most prestigious airlines in the world, the Emirates Airlines’ A380-800 Superjumbo jetliner
*Credit*: Emirates Airlines’ Marketing Dept. Dubai, UAE.

Hello everyone, welcome back to Brooke In The Air! Today I’ll be going over the general concept of Fare Classes in the world of commercial aviation.

The FCs, or “Fare Classes” I’ll be going over today are generally 5 types: 1. Economy, or Basic Economy, 2. Premium Economy, 3. Business class, 4. Domestic First class, 5. True/International First Class.

Basic Economy Fare

**Spirit Airlines**’ Big Front Seat

No perks, no snacks, no service, no drinks. Just a seat.
*Credit*: Spirit Airlines

**Lufthansa Italia** Basic Economy class seats

Featured on all aircraft, photographed here on Lufthansa Italia’s A220 aircraft. Fairly similar in style to Premium Economy.
Most restrictive fare.
*Credit*: Lufthansa Italia, Lufthansa Group AG, Frankfurt am Main, Deutschland.

We are all usually familiar with stripped-down Basic Economy; the most restrictive fare, and the least flexible, usually denoted by a “W” or “Y” on your electronic or paper ticket. They are designed solely and only to get you from point A to point B, with o or very, painfully few amenities. See: Spirit Airlines, Frontier Airlines, SkyWest Airlines, Allegiant Air, or in Europe, RyanAir or EuroWings among others. Major airlines have this class as well but I point out the ULCCs or Ultra Low-Cost Carriers because they provide a stark example or Basic Economy class fare as they have nothing else. And don’t kid yourself about Spirit Airlines’ “Big Front Seat” option; it’s not big, and there’s no real perk. Sure, it’s big compared with their standard seats, but that’s it.

**(Early) Basic Economy** on United’s domestic service. The style and offering have not changed much.

Note the narrow seats with an 18.5” width.
*Credit*: United Airlines Inc. Willis Tower, Chicago, IL USA.

Business Class

Now, we’ll move on to Business Class, as there’s not a whole lot of difference between Basic (“Y”) and Premium Economy (“W”) unless you’re flying transatlantic on Qatar Airlines, Emirates, or Etihad or sometimes Singapore. Business is commonly known on Fare Basis Codes as “J”-class. Regardless, the main differences you’ll experience across virtually all Premium Economy cabins on various airlines are a bit more legroom and MAYBE a bit better meal or WiFi package, depending on flight duration (typically, for a decent or good WiFi package in Premium Economy, your flight needs to be 3-4 hours or longer).

**First class** on Air France’s 777-300ER.
This is an older product of Air France (circa 2016/2017) and should by no means be compared to Air France’s La Premiere suites. As you can see, this First Class seat is comparable to other airlines’ Business class offerings.

*Credit*: Air France, Charles De Gaulle International Airport, Paris, France.

Business class is typically the height of air travel for North American airlines. Many airlines are getting rid of their First Class cabins entirely and retrofitting their aircraft with enhanced business class. For example, United Airlines is heavily marketing their Polaris class cabins with feature enhanced ground service and access to the exclusive Polaris lounge, which exists at just a few airports worldwide; in the US this includes Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Chicago International Airport (ORD), United’s hubs (which includes LAX and ORD), San Francisco International Airport (SFO), George Bush Houston Intercontinental Airport (IAH), Washington-Dulles International Airport (IAD), Denver International Airport (DEN) and United’s New York-area hub, Newark-Liberty International Airport (EWR). Air Canada has gotten rid of their First Class and replaced it with an enhanced Business class, called AC Signature, or Air Canada Signature class, with also includes enhanced ground services, lounge access, and chauffeur service at your gate if you’re connecting in Canada at a major Air Canada hub, such as their main base in Toronto-Pearson International Airport (YYZ) or Vancouver (YVR). American Airlines was the last major North American airline to have a true First Class on its aircraft and it has begun phasing First Class out of its fleet, with an ultimate end-date of 2025. Business class usually features standardized (unless noted / specified otherwise by the airline) priority luggage handing, ground service, and lounge access - United Airlines, for example, does not include lounge access on domestic business / First class flights, but Air Canada does). These seats, on widebody aircraft at least, have fold-down lie-flat seat-beds, a large(r) television screen, deluxe accommodations such as hotel-quality pillows and blankets plus great food, compared to Economy/Premium Economy. Typically, business class is only available on long-haul domestic, or moderate- to long-haul international flights.

**Business Class,** featured here on Cathay Pacific’s 777-300ER widebody

Note the bedding, and the suite-like atmosphere, plus the in-suite meal menu.
*Credit*: Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong.

Domestic First

Next, we have Domestic First Class, which is a stopgap between Business and Premium Economy for domestic travelers. These fare classes are also known as fare basis codes, or just fare bases, usually denoted by the letter “J” on your ticket though technically any letter may be used, again, usually it is ”J” class as on Business class tickets, have enhanced ground services though they are notably less impressive than international air travel, they have a very net positive experience, and is generally the only type of air fare class I fly, because the priority baggage handling, enhanced ticketing, and other passive air travel benefits that lower fare classes either just don’t have, or you have to pay for. Every airline has their own variant of a domestic version of First Class.

An example of American domestic first class. Delta Comfort Plus, marketed as Comfort+, featured here on Delta’s Boeing 737-800.

All domestic First Class in the US are not the same but generally very similar in offerings, styled as a taste of international First Class.
*Credit*: Delta Airlines, Atlanta, GA, USA.

True First Class

**Standard American Airlines**’

Boeing 777-200LR seating plan / layout
*Credit*: American Airlines', Dallas, TX USA.

**Emirates’** International First Class on the Boeing 777-200LR

*Credit*: Emirates Airlines, By https://www.flickr.com/photos/omeyamapyonta/ - https://www.flickr.com/photos/omeyamapyonta/2441958959/ CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4098098

Finally, we have True, or International First Class (some times “J” class, but usually “F” class on fare class ratings), which is the eminent First class and is the First class we’ve all heard of. It is the top tier of air travel, and regarded as the most luxurious level of travel. They are often known as Suites, as First class is marketed as hotel rooms in the sky, with complete ground service. TWA (Transworld Airlines, now defunct obviously and when active, was based and headquartered at New York-John F. Kennedy International Airport {JFK}) actually first introduced First Class travel in 1955 on the Lockheed Super Constellation propeller aircraft. Some airlines even offer complete privacy for their First class suites, such as Qatar Airways, Emirates, Etihad, Singapore Airlines, or even Japan Air Lines, which offer floor-to-ceiling doors and walls for their First class passengers. Ground services include lounge access, chauffeur service, red carpet access, exclusive security and check-in, plus priority baggage handling and other services. Typically, the best First Class suites are on the Middle Eastern airlines such as the aforementioned Qatar, Emirates, and Etihad Airways. Though Singapore Airlines has been consecutively ranked as number one airline in the world for five years running.

**Cathay Pacific’s** First Class on the famous Queen of the Skies’ 747-8i intercontinental

First Class exclusive cabin, separated from Business and Economy class.
*Credit*: Cathay Pacific Holdings, Hong Kong

**Standardized 1-2-1 Seating Arrangement of First Class**

Airbus A350-900XWB (EXtra-Wide Body) with the first class cabin separated from Business class by a curtain.

Etihad Airlines’ **The Residence** suite

Dining Room area of **The Residence exclusively on the A380 Superjumbo jetliner**.
*Credit*: (By Travelarz - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 pl, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57250635 )

With business-class seating moving upmarket, some airlines are reintroducing or modelling their first-class sections as suites. Singapore Airlines now markets the highest class on its A380s as "suites", with the tagline "A class above first." The 2-m (78 inches) bed is separate from the seat and folds out from the back wall, with several other components of the suite lowering to accommodate the mattress. Windows are built into the doors and blinds offer privacy. Suites located in the center can form a double bed after the privacy blinds between them are retracted into the ceiling. Other A380 operators like Emirates also have a suite-like first class with similar amenities but the bed and chair are integrated where a button is pushed to turn the seat into a bed in seconds and vice versa. Etihad Airways introduced a three-room suite called "The Residence" in December 2014 when it added the Airbus A380 to its fleet. The Residence includes its own bedroom with a double bed, dining/living area and fully functional shower. However, The Residence is steadily getting phased out by 2026.

Although First Class (J class) is and has historically been expensive, with the emergence of frequent-flyer programs, passengers have been able to upgrade their business or economy class tickets through membership in elite frequent-flyer programs, code-sharing partnerships, and airline alliances, and of course through the special policies of some airlines that allow business and economy-class passengers to purchase last-minute upgrades on a space-available basis. Some airlines also offer upgrading to first class as a bonus to their employees.

**All Nippon Airlines (ANA)** First Class, marketed as The Suite.

As featured on the Boeing 777-300ER, flagship aircraft.
*Credit*: ANA Holdings’ Marketing, Tokyo, Japan.

**Singapore Airlines**’ elite First Class on the flagship A380 Superjumbo

Providing moisturizing pajamas, a leather reclining chair with upholstering provided by Ferrari and a full-size plush feather bed, not to mention a full dine-on-demand menu, where you can eat whatever you like on the SQ (Singapore Airline abbreviation) menu at anytime by placing your meal order on the Suite’s included tablet.
*Credit*: Singapore Airlines’ marketing department

There is a level of travel that is above First Class, that a traveler has to request exclusively through the airline directly. An example of this is Air France’s La Premier suite and experience which is beyond exclusive and costs an average of $10,000 USD for a one-way trip.

Below are typical fare classes on most airlines:

F - on airlines that have a distinct First Class option separate from Business Class

J - Business class ticket (full)

W - Premium or upgraded Economy

Y - Basic Economy fare

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Blog 29: 4/15/2023: Fare classes Explained