As business classes on several airlines continue to upgrade their design, services and amenities, the market for international first class seems to be rapidly shrinking.

Following recent notable business class debuts such as United Polaris and Qatar’s patented QSuite, there is talk that business classes are becoming so innovative and revolutionary they are rendering first-class products obsolete.

As business classes begin to feature products previously used in first classes, customers can now enjoy a more comfortable and convenient flight experience without the first-class price.

While many North American airlines abandoned international first class years ago, several other airlines in the Middle East, Asia and Europe are now following suit. According to Skift, airlines are finding it more practical to install more business-class seats as opposed to a small number of first-class suites.

“With these suites that you see on some luxury carriers, the demand for that is pretty limited,” said Ben Smith, president of passenger airlines, Air Canada. “You look at the value proposition and the cost differential, and the amount of real estate it takes up can hardly be justified. There’s a very small market that sits between business class and a private jet that wants to fly in first class. From the biggest financial centers, perhaps.”

Ten years ago, if a passenger wanted a lie-flat seat, first class was the only option. Now, however, nearly every airline offers a flat bed in business class as well as spacious seats. While these seats may not offer as much room for storage as previous first classes, the sacrifice is small when considering the price difference.

As Skift clarifies, the market for international first class is not gone, it’s simply smaller. Airlines with first class are now serving a smaller group of passengers who see value in a larger seat and personalized service, often from financial hubs such as New York, Tokyo, Los Angeles and London.

“You see a lot of carriers starting to phase out first class because the only difference really between business class and first these days are you get a little bit better food and better wine on board,” said Andrew Yiu, Air Canada’s managing director for product design. “But most of customers are just looking for that lie-flat seat to be able to sleep so they can function when they arrive at their destination.”

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