Chinese tourists increasingly occupy business‑class seats on international flights
Based on · First reported
Sources
- Business‑class seats that were once 90% occupied by business travelers are now being filled increasingly by Chinese tourists, according to a survey of 15,000 Chinese travelers.
- Premium‑economy accounts for 14.8% of seats on long‑haul flights outside East Asia, while 12% of the surveyed Chinese travelers said they flew business class on their last international trip; business‑class fares are 2‑5 times higher than economy, and searches for first‑ and business‑class flights on Trip.com rose 99% in the first half of 2026. On some routes, such as Shanghai–Guangzhou, business class can be only 300 yuan (about 45 USD) more than economy, and on Hong Kong–Shanghai the two cabins can cost the same, with some connecting‑flight business‑class tickets cheaper than direct flights.
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