Tata Group-owned Air India has introduced a new travel policy starting April 1.
Under this rule, the airline’s top management will now travel in economy class instead of business class for work-related trips.
From June 1, this rule will apply to all employees, including CEO Campbell Wilson.
According to a spokesperson from Air India, the airline wants to give priority to customers by keeping business and premium economy seats available for booking instead of reserving them for employees.
Rising Demand for Premium Seats
The demand for business and premium economy seats has increased significantly.
Since Tata took over the airline in January 2022, the demand for these seats has more than doubled.
An airline official stated that employees will now have confirmed economy class seats for work trips.
However, if business or premium economy seats remain vacant, employees may get upgraded just before departure.
Air India Expands Premium Seating
To meet the rising demand, Air India is increasing its premium seating capacity.
After merging with Vistara, the airline now operates 53 A320 aircraft with premium economy seats.
Additionally, it has introduced 14 new A320 Neo aircraft with a three-class layout.
Currently, the airline provides 50,000 premium economy seats per week.
With ongoing upgrades, this number is expected to rise to 65,000 per week by October after completing a retrofit program.
