• Wall Street Journal--paid subscription required, Monday, July 17, 2006 1:02 PM

To increase business-class traffic by providing the most comfortable flying experience, American Airlines is launching a seat that reclines almost--but not quite--flat. While other carriers, such as British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, already have fully flat seats to mimic a bed-like experience on overnight international flights, American chose the lesser alternative to save room for a lucrative row of business-class seats. This breed of traveler--whose tab can reach almost $10,000 for some trips--is "the big airlines' revenue bread and butter," according to The Wall Street Journal. That's why American is spending $87 million on the new seats alone; United is working on adding a "new type" of business-class seat next year.

Read the whole story at Wall Street Journal--paid subscription required »