Travelers looking for an elevated flying experience now have more options than ever as value and low-cost carriers roll out new premium offerings for customers willing to pay higher prices.
"It goes completely against the grain of the classic budget airline model," airline industry analyst and Atmosphere Research Group President Henry H. Harteveldt told USA TODAY.
But he said, "There is a group of their customers who can and will pay more to have extra comfort and some extra frills." He noted Breeze already has first class-style Breeze Ascent seating and Spirit Airlines offered Big Front Seats before the company shuttered. "Just because people may be on a budget doesn't mean that they don't want to be comfortable."
Allegiant Air and Frontier Airlines
will both debut new first class seats next spring.
JetBlue – which is not an ultra-low cost carrier but what Harteveldt calls a value-focused carrier like Southwest – launches its new BlueFirst domestic first class in just a few weeks.
"The money right now in the U.S. airline industry and in many other parts of the world is with the premium traveler," he said. "And airlines have realized that if they price their premium products intelligently, they can encourage a lot of people who might have just booked coach tickets to trade up to either an extra legroom seat, a premium economy where that's offered, or business or first class cabin."
Here's what travelers can expect from the new first class offerings and what they mean for folks flying coach.
BlueFirst on JetBlue
JetBlue offered a peek at their new BlueFirst domestic first class seats during a media preview at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport on Nov. 11. The airline already offers Mint business class on international flights.
The new seats feature five inches of recline, up to seven extra inches of legroom, and 13.3-inch seatback screens with Bluetooth connectivity. The screens also offer in-seat ordering capabilities for meals, snacks and drinks, including customizable cocktails using the system's "Mixologist Mode."
BlueFirst passengers will also get Group 1 boarding, dedicated overhead bin space and priority perks for check in, baggage and where available, expedited security screening.
“We designed BlueFirst to deliver a more accessible first-class experience that combines the thoughtful hospitality and service customers expect from JetBlue with exceptional value and comfort,” the airline's CEO Joanna Geraghty said in a news release.
BlueFirst will debut on Dec. 8 Initially, it will be available on flights between Boston Logan International Airport to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, then flights between Fort Lauderdale and New York’s LaGuardia Airport before eventually expanding.
First Class on Frontier
Reservations for Frontier's new First Class opened on Nov. 10, for travel beginning March 5.
The airline has designed a completely reconfigured the front of its aircraft for these seats, which will take up the first two rows of every plane. There will be two First Class seats on each side of the aisle – no middle seats. These will be the widest seats onboard and have the most legroom with 37-inches of pitch.
Additional Premium seating will be available just behind First Class in rows three through eight. At least one of those rows will be categorized UpFront Plus, where the middle seat is left empty, but all five Premium rows will have 34 inches of pitch.
First Class and Premium seats will also have in-seat, USB-C power.
"We’re transforming what customers can expect when they fly Frontier,” the airline's Chief Marketing Officer Bobby Schroeter said in a news release. Even as the airlines rolls out higher-end additions, he said, "We’re continuing to deliver the great value our customers count on, combining more comfort and choice with Frontier’s low fares.”
The airline's full fleet is expected to have First Class seats installed by March 5. Frontier's previously announced high-speed Starlink Wi-Fi installation will also begin next year.
Allegiant First
Allegiant will debut its new Allegiant First seats on select flights starting next spring.
Like Frontier, these will have a two-by-two configuration at the front of the aircraft. Allegiant says these seats will offer a five-inch recline, an adjustable headrest, calf rests, and extra legroom with a 37-inch pitch.
Additional perks include one carry-on bag and one checked bag, and priority check-in and boarding.
The airline notes the new class will complement, not replace Allegiant Extra, which also offers extra legroom priority status and reserved overhead bin space.
Allegiant merged with Sun Country earlier in 2026.
"As we bring together two highly complementary leisure airlines, we see significant opportunity to expand complimentary and premium offerings in a way that strengthens the customer experience and supports the long-term growth of the combined company," Allegiant's Chief Commercial Officer Drew Wells said in a news release.. "Travelers are increasingly looking for more comfort, more personalization and more flexibility, and these new offerings are a meaningful step forward in delivering that."
What does this mean for travelers?
"For someone who is a moderate to infrequent traveler and not really vested in an airline loyalty program, if they see a first-class-style seat available on Frontier or Allegiant, and it's substantially less expensive than what's available on another carrier, they might move over," Harteveldt said. "From the standpoint of the traveler, you're getting more choices and more options."
But that can come at a cost for travelers not interested in premium seating.
"Real estate in an aircraft cabin is finite, so when you add first class seats, you are removing economy class seats," he said. "It will be more difficult for travelers who want the absolute lowest price to find seats at those fares, because I expect there will simply be fewer of them."
Contributing: Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Budget airlines are adding first class. But there's a catch
