US airlines are redesigning travel around their highest-paying passengers

[Bluetus]

3. I am the same way

Last edited Thu Jul 9, 2026, 06:05 PM - Edit history (1)

I flew nearly 2 million miles as a business traveler. The first half million were really terrible. At some point, I obtained enough status to be able to arrange for business class or first class upgrades. But this was in the context of the airlines working day and night to make their product the most miserable experience possible. By the time I retired, the business class was about the level of comfort and service that used to come to all passengers.

I have probably flown only 10 times in the 20 years since retiring. And while I still have enough points to book first class seats (which are rarely available with points), that really doesn't make me any more likely to fly.

The simple truth is that for a long time, business travelers supported everything else. With the possible exception of Southwest, airlines that run cattle car operations are generally unsuccessful.

I believe what we are seeing here is the COVID effect. COVID greatly accelerated the rate of adoption of telemeetings for most business functions. There is still a lot of business travel, but internal meetings are often done virtually. The economics are overwhelming. Telemeetings are basically free, versus the cost of rental cars, hotels, airfare and the lost time. Although retired, I still have some days with 5 telemeetings for various boards I am on or other activities.

The airlines are never going to get that portion of business travel back. And here's the kicker. At one time, business travel might have seemed glamorous (it never was), and certainly, the person with an airline ticket in their pocket or purse is immediately regarded as an expert. In my career, my job was mainly to play the role of the wise out-of-town expert. If I were doing that today, I would be looking for every excuse to hold my meetings virtually, and that is the big issue for the airlines. They aren't going to win much support from business travelers as terrible as the experience is. So, they are looking for ways to keep that profitable revenue stream alive, simple as that.