‘Basic economy’ airline service squeezing business travellers

As more airlines embrace “basic economy,” many business travellers are feeling the pinch. Many bosses will not spring for business-class tickets, or even economy-plus fare. Their employees are caught between corporate travel managers who want to save money and airlines that want to wring every last dollar from the least expensive seats on the plane. The bind for business travellers may seem an unintended consequence of the airline industry’s race to the bottom in economy class. But travel consultants say it is partly a deliberate strategy by airlines, which are trying to nudge more passengers into paying business-class or economy-plus fares. “The basic economy fares have the added restrictions, which the airlines have created to make them deliberately unattractive to business travellers,” said one airline industry consultant. <br/>