Corporate travel managers push back against stripped-down business class

For companies like AerSale, which manages hundreds of employees in the skies, these budget-tier premium tickets are a logistical liability. Jackie Carlon, the company’s senior vice president of marketing and communications, argues that the core utility of a business-class fare is not just the seat itself, but the ability to pivot when schedules inevitably collapse.

Paying a premium for flexibility acts as a necessary insurance policy for the firm. While these corporations may not implement blanket bans on the new fare classes, the lack of changeability renders them impractical for the unpredictable nature of executive travel. Airlines are attempting to replicate the unbundling strategies that reshaped coach cabins, yet travel managers remain skeptical that the cost savings justify the loss of essential administrative control.