Confirming the trend that many airlines have already realised, new data from Skyscanner in its Global Travel Trends Report 2020 shows that 2019 saw a surge in popularity for Premium Economy with bookings on long haul flights growing by 8% year-over-year. While Economy still dominates as most booked cabin class overall, when travellers are taking longer flights, they are willing to stretch their budget for those extra comforts. On shorter flights however, the cabin class gaining the biggest growth in interest was First Class; searches and bookings for First Class cabin tickets rose by 5% year-over-year.
Passengers are also becoming more environmentally aware, using Skyscanner’s Greener Choice label to help them select more sustainable flight options.
Earlier this year, Skyscanner launched a ‘Greener choice’ label for flights across 30 top markets. Greener Choice flights are identified by looking at factors like aircraft model, age, fuel efficiency, flying distance, capacity and cruise time and highlight the flights which emit less CO2 than the average for the route travellers are searching.
‘Greener choice’ labels helped 19% of travellers in the EMEA region – almost one in five people – to find more efficient flights on Skyscanner. In APAC, the number is 16% and 12% in the Americas.
Hugh Aitken, VP Commercial for Skyscanner, commented: “The data indicates there’s a growing number of travellers who believe it’s worth paying more for a luxury experience – whether it’s stretching to Premium Economy for a long-haul flight or even First Class when flying a shorter distance, it’s a positive sign for airlines wanting to upsell customers to higher fare families.”
“We’re incredibly pleased to see our Greener Choice label, which highlights lower emission flights, gaining traction amongst our users. We believe it’s important to empower travellers with the information they need to choose flights that are more eco-friendly wherever possible, so they can continue to explore the world.” concluded Aitken.