Business class+? Delta says new premium tickets are coming

Delta Air Lines is studying new types of airplane tickets — this time in the premium cabins at the front of the plane

Delta Air Lines is studying new types of airplane tickets — this time in the premium cabins at the front of the plane.

Airlines spent years slicing up their coach cabins, from extra legroom seats to bare-bones basic economy fares that don’t allow changes or include a seat assignment. Delta was a pioneer in the U.S. when it launched basic economy fares over a decade ago with rivals United Airlines, American Airlines and others following suit.

But now airline executives are turning their focus to their premium cabins, where demand is holding up better this year than in the back of the plane.

“Premium has certainly been where our margins have continued to expand, and so we’re highly focused on continuing to provide improved service to those customers and more segmentation,” Delta President Glen Hauenstein said on an earnings call with analysts on Thursday. “The segmentation that we’ve done in main cabin is kind of the template that we’re going to bring to all of our premium cabins over time because different people have different needs.”

Delta’s revenue from premium seats like business class rose 6% in the first half of the year to $10.6 billion, while main cabin economy ticket revenue dropped 4% to $11.7 billion. The carrier, the most profitable U.S. airline, has said for years that its share of sales from high-end seats and its lucrative loyalty program has been growing.