‘No brainer’: Growing trend of Chinese tourists booking business-class flights - South China Morning Post

Ralph JenningsPublished: 9:00pm, 3 Oct 2026Business-class flights, once largely the domain of company reps on paid trips, are becoming more popular among tourists in China who do not mind spending a bit extra for a comfortable ride from start to finish, industry insiders said.Businesspeople once occupied 90 per cent of the spacious seats, but have lost that edge to leisure travellers who can buy their way out of economy class but not into first class, said Wong Hong, director general of the 18-member Association of Asia Pacific Airlines.

Industry-wide data shows the share of Chinese fliers choosing premium economy or above rose from 10 per cent in 2023 to 10.8 per cent last year, and 14.8 per cent on long routes outside East Asia, said Subramania Bhatt, CEO of the marketing and technology firm China Trading Desk.