Current patterns of airline travel have changed significantly. The full-service carriers have had to step up for traveller’s high expectations and attract those who have altered their previous habits, now willing to pay more for premium cabins for the very first time.

Whereas the cost-cutting measures seen through all cabins since the skies reopened after the pandemic are still visible here and there, the landscape is shifting. Travellers still have four options when travelling on an airline, the choice only limited by their hip-pockets. Now the airlines, however, have moved the dial, seizing the opportunity to lure a travel-starved public to dig deeper.

Current trends show that the big demand is in the premium cabins, and that is no real surprise. After the dreaded Covid years, travellers are willing to spend more for greater comfort, less passenger interaction, and a luxe experience.

The airlines are quick to jump on providing for such high demand. Economy cabins are beginning to see a reduction in seats. This isn't really allowing for more room back there in "cattle". It has just allowed for more seats in the real growth area - Premium Economy.

I could go on and on about this newest of the classes, but it warrants a separate, lengthy examination. Fact is, PE is that so-called sweet spot between Business and Economy, although, for now, (2024) priced halfway below the former and often over double the latter. There is, in most instances, quite an imbalance for what one gets, depending on the carrier.

Business cabins retain their vast real estate and demand is higher than ever. Most of the major carriers are now investing in brand new soft products and are quick to announce to loyal passengers just how much improved the experience will be.

Recent airline gossip has pointed to the slow demise of First Class. Some carriers have indeed begun to move away from it, but many are retaining the option, seeing the opportunity as the affluent and the newly rich push into the luxury market. If the demand is there, significant investment will go into even grander, ultra-luxe pointy ends, with another major price hike that will make exclusivity even more pronounced.

Indeed, travellers are now far more willing to spend big bucks on travelling in premium cabins, even First, and have a single incredible experience spending top dollar rather than spreading their spend out over many shorter trips in the more economical cabin at the back of the plane. We deserve it, they say! And I cannot argue with that.

It's at this point that I feel it is worth detailing what I have witnessed and experienced from travellers flooding back into the skies these past couple of years.

We are all creatures of habit. This also applies to how we behave when we hit the airport and when we are onboard. Two absent years does little to change those habits. It's like riding a bike. And having sex. You do remember how it all works. For you.

The airlines are to blame, really for creating such division between passengers. Let's face it, in the end, we are all getting onboard and we are all going to get to the same destination. We are all hurtling through the air in a hollow, crowded metal tube. But it is how we get there, what we experience getting there, and how we feel once we get there that is the big difference.

I've always hated the word "class" when referring to levels of human status. The airlines have always used this as an incredibly effective business tool, leaning deeply into our desires to reach for the very best. Could there be any more dramatic difference between the two offerings of Economy Class and First Class? Nope. Chalk and Cheese. Bottom of the barrel versus top of the tree. Make one quite unattainable for most travellers and you create a Holy Grail. The determination to achieve that pinnacle creates deep loyalty to an airline alliance and cunning, clever, and expensive ways to achieve that.

Why do we need to use the word "class" to differentiate the offerings? The very worst example is Virgin Atlantic, naming their Business offering "Upper Class". Appalling. There could not be a worse title to degrade the majority who couldn't (or wouldn't) pay to fly that level.

Just putting it out there, why not call the levels by colours? Similar to what some airlines name their tiers in their status / loyalty programs. So, Economy Class could be Bronze cabin. Business Class could be Silver Cabin and First Class could be Platinum Cabin. Something that relates to prestige but doesn't demean or categorize people by what they can afford.

But of course, the current system isn't going anywhere. It's rooted in tradition and psyche and is a proven financial success and marketing dream. And this is where those habits I mentioned come into play. The staunch travellers who fly in the back, in the middle, or at the pointy end. Creatures of habit, only governed by their hip pockets.

Let's have a little look at the habits in question, all of which were fiercely in play on all of my recent International flights.

The "class" differentiation brings out the worst in humans. There is always a certain snobbery visible at the airport. It begins in the check-in queues, where Business Class passengers’ breeze through the short aisle, passing the four or five rows of Economy passengers, where check-in is notoriously slow and laboured.

There is an immediate sense of us versus them, the Business passengers moving swiftly, some looking down their noses at what they consider the cattle, herded up in rows, polyester pillows around their necks for the hope of sleeping upright, avoiding the bobbing of their heads.

After all, the business passengers paid a lot more money, or have higher status with the airline due to previous expense, right? So why shouldn’t they have that air of superiority and be treated with the respect they deserve. Haven't they earned it, one way or another? Hmmm…

At least the privileged First Class flyers don't have to witness the plebs riding at the back of the plane. With many airlines, they are whisked through an entirely separate, glammed up check in section, fast tracked through immigration and ensconsed in a separate, far posher lounge, prior to boarding the plane first, and then, turning gloriously left, or in the case of the skies biggest bird, the Airbus A380, on a separate level through their own separate air bridge. Bless.

However, it is in at the gate prior to boarding where the heirachy of passengers is most obvious. The vast majority of Economy Class passengers don't have sufficient status to kick back in the airline lounges, so they are always the first to the gate, often arriving well over an hour prior to boarding.

Business Class passengers are in two distinct camps when it comes to boarding. There are those that wait in the lounge, enjoying a final drink, before proceeding to the gate to board leisurely, close to gate close and time of departure, and then there are the others, who want their superiority on full display, who join the masses at the gate before the boarding announcement.

Just watch what happens with this camp next time you are boarding a flight. These passengers proudly queue in the separate lane designated for Premium passengers, dressed up or dressed down in expensive leisurewear, ready for going horizontal. If there is not a separate lane for pointy end passnegers, this camp will push right to the front, past those who arrived at the gate first, and stand their ground, ready to pounce as soon as the microphone fires up and boarding is announced.

And pounce they do. Even amongst their own kind in the same cabin, they fall over themselves to be first onto that plane. If some tyrant from Economy makes the honest mistake of lining up in the wrong lane or pushing past the Business passengers before it's their turn, there are daggers, often harsh words, and deliberate blocking from the wall of the overweight, overindulged, privileged.

The first to board are now always people with reduced mobility, and to the horror of the pointy end peeps, "families with young children". My God - it's the stuff of nightmares for the snobs up front. As these disadvantaged passengers board, the premium passenger’s inch their way ever forward, making the passage through as difficult as possible. I've often seen several airline staff intevene to allow reasonable movement, and even have to hold back their exalted premiums.

Now for the real fun. Onboard. It's true that the worst passenger behaviour is within their own cabin class. It's at this point where the burden of the cattle is no longer present. Heaven. But now, amongst their own kind, it’s dog eat dog, and the game is on.

Firstly, it's extremely rare to see anyone outside of their own company acknowledge anyone else. Rarely a smile. There is the usual ownership displayed for the overhead bins. Don't dare consider placing your bag in 1A if you're in 2C!

My first observances are strongest when passengers have finished all the cuffuffle and have settled into their seats. There are two camps yet again. Those that remove their shoes immediately upon seating, and those that wait until after takeoff. I must admit that, for me, it's this one single scenario that separates the type of passenger.

There appears increasingly to be a third camp here. Those that take their socks off as well as their shoes right upon boarding. I've seen this many times, including my most recent flight. You would think that after having gone through the pandemic, a certain level of hygeiene would be more commonplace. Nope. Not on International flights. All that time at home has made some people slovenly.

Those that begin their flight by undressing in this manner rarely redeem themselves. Once those headphones are on and they're deep into bingeing the endless seasons of "Friends", keep your eyes on them. As now, they are oblivious to where they are. They may as well be home on the couch. Watch in horror as they start picking their toenails. And, if you’re lucky, you may also witness a finger slide up a nostril and dig around up there.

So, this whole "class" business is just rubbish, really. Often those with the least of it are sitting up front. The more that is spent on a fare, whether it be with cash or points, the more demanding, and often rude, the passenger can be.

There does appear to be a difference when you fly First, however. Such an exalted tier does tend to promote far better behaviours. It's for the genuinely wealthy, or the generally lucky.

Business Class has become so common for so many that it is now filled with all walks of life. So, isn't it time for some reconsideration of the class labels? What exactly do they mean?

Economy - it's rarely economical, it's often exorbitant with three levels of fare, dependent on their flexibility.

Business - kind of a ridiculous term. If it were true to its name, it would be for persons on business trips only. This is never the case. Figures this year suggest that the cabin is overflowing with leisure travellers.

First - what exactly does that mean? The only truth in the name is these passengers are first on and first off the plane.

It's ripe for thought what these classes could be renamed. Flexible cabin (for economy), Luxury cabin (for First?) Still a bit pretentious, particularly if the flight doesn't live up to that title, which in some instances they do not.

It's all such a load of rubbish really, isn't it. In pursuit of the best, you often get the worst. You see it on multiple occasions. Just more reason to complain.

But ahh…it's all about the wonder of travel. To me, now and always, the greatest adventure of them all. The one activity that broadens our horizons, unlocks our creativity, keeps us alert and healthy. The world continues to be amazing if you let it. Just don't get trapped into believing all the hype out there. Make your own decisions and be comfortable in your own skin. Experience the joy your way, and where your hip pocket will allow. There is always something good. I promise.