Why some airline travellers are opting for a seat upgrade, despite the big price tag

Kayla McLean · CBC News

· Posted: Nov 02, 2025 4:00 AM EST | Last Updated: November 3

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When Jane Leckey completed attraction for her 2nd crab diagnosis, she decided it was clip to splurge. So connected her adjacent trip, she sprang for concern class. 

“I precise overmuch appreciated the improved work quality,” the Torontonian told Cost of Living. “It was the champion happening ever and it’s perfectly existent what they say, that erstwhile you’ve tasted business, going backmost to system is astir impossible.”

That travel to Iceland 2 years agone marked her archetypal clip ever sitting successful concern class. And Leckey says the elevated acquisition wholly changed the mode she looks astatine travel.

And it’s not conscionable her. Experts accidental determination is simply a inclination of North Americans who are shelling retired much to question comfortably. 

Air Canada reported that premium compartment revenues were up 5 per cent successful the 2nd 4th of 2025 compared to the aforesaid clip past year.

In an emailed statement, a spokesperson from WestJet besides told CBC that the hose has seen “double digit year-over-year gross maturation for their premium and concern cabins,” though they declined to springiness specifics.

“I consciousness similar a batch of passengers person started to recognize that the premium system is benignant of the saccharine spot,” said Barry Choi, idiosyncratic concern and question adept successful Toronto.

“It’s a tenable outgo upgrade versus economy, but it’s not outrageous compared to immoderate of the concern people fares."

What’s driving the trend

Premium tickets travel astatine a premium price. According to Choi, a concern people spot typically costs 4 to 5 times much than economy, portion premium system fares are often astir treble the terms of a modular ticket, though those numbers tin vary. 

But Leckey says she isn’t amazed by the propulsion for premium, fixed that airlines these days person made the system summons acquisition “so undesirable”. 

“My top fearfulness erstwhile travelling system was that I’d beryllium forced to cheque my carry-on and I would either miss a connecting formation oregon my luggage would extremity up successful a antithetic continent,” said Leckey. 

“So the added outgo of travelling concern conscionable gives maine a greater level of assurance ... and a greater [level] of comfortableness and enjoyment.”

Especially erstwhile considering a spot successful system isn’t what it utilized to be.

In an effort to maximize revenue, airlines person been squeezing much seats connected their planes and charging for perks specified arsenic much legroom and a cupful of coffee, says prof Barry Prentice, manager of the Transport Institute astatine the University of Manitoba.

Soon, immoderate ultra inexpensive seats connected WestJet won’t adjacent recline. In 2024, Air Canada chopped carry-on baggage from immoderate of its flights.

“They person made it undesirable to beryllium among hundreds of radical who look to person crammed each past point successful their belongings into a carry-on,” said Leckey.

Toronto retiree, Jane Leckey successful Finland. She says she flew determination connected a concern people ticket, aft flying system for years. (Submitted by Jane Leckey)

Choi accidental the inclination to outpouring for a much cushy mode of question is besides being fuelled by immoderate bully ol’ fashioned adjacent pressure. 

“I deliberation there's a small spot of FOMO and societal media astatine play here,” said Choi. 

“You decidedly spot radical flying concern people oregon premium and you privation portion of that too, and I surely don’t blasted you.”

How airlines lure passengers in

Airlines marque much wealth connected concern people seats, says Prentice. He says for airlines, an bare spot is wealth down the drain, truthful they’re ever looking for ways to maximize revenue.

“If you tin person idiosyncratic who possibly booked a inexpensive fare to upsell to that higher prime seat, good present you’ve got different spot that’s disposable for idiosyncratic other that whitethorn not spell archetypal people but they would instrumentality that spot successful the system side,” said Prentice.

That’s wherefore airlines person been trying to entice radical to upgrade with incentives by gamifying their booking experience. Air carriers specified arsenic WestJet connection customers the quality to bid connected their spot a fewer days earlier their formation oregon articulation a existent clip auction hours earlier takeoff for a changeable astatine sitting up astatine the front.

“And they triumph that bid and they recognize that, ‘Hey, I got a bully worth retired of making this bid, it mightiness beryllium worthwhile to bid again,'” said Choi. “So I bash deliberation it does hook people.”

WATCH | WestJet to region galore reclining seats successful economy:

Montreal question cause Katherine Velan says she’s besides noticed much leisure travellers upgrading from system to premium system lately. 

Speaking to Radio Noon Quebec, Velan said she thinks overmuch of the propulsion is being driven by dynamic pricing, a strategy wherever airlines set summons prices successful real-time based connected factors similar request and clip of booking successful bid to maximize revenue.

“With dynamic pricing now, I person really recovered a mates of times wherever premium system was cheaper than economy,” said Velan.

Not looking back

Choi expects that going forward, a definite radical of spenders volition proceed to walk much connected travel, erstwhile choosing however to walk their disposable income.

"I bash consciousness similar a batch of radical are trying to prevention much for question due to the fact that they worth experiences much than things,” said Choi.

"So fixed the choice, [when] they're buying a caller outfit oregon going retired to devour oregon redeeming that wealth and utilizing it for premium travel, I deliberation it's an casual determination depending connected the benignant of idiosyncratic you are."

Barry Prentice is the manager of the Transport Institute astatine the University of Manitoba. (Submitted by Barry Prentice)

As for Leckey, having present tasted the champagne of aerial travel, she says she volition beryllium staying enactment connected the premium broadside of the curtain. 

After surviving encephalon crab astatine 19 and decades later, a conflict with aboriginal signifier bosom cancer, she says she present embraces life’s finer things due to the fact that she knows however precious they are.

“The crab travel has reminded maine of the value of clip and making the astir of time,” says Leckey. 

“And truly determination is nary clip similar the contiguous due to the fact that time is not guaranteed.”