When I was first traveling for work, the first class cabin was mostly upgrades. And that meant it was frequent business travelers, who skewed middle aged and male. Younger passengers seemed out of place, and women felt out of place, and since they didn’t seem like the usual type flight attendants would seem to treat them differently, too.

Things are different today. First class fares have come down a lot, there are plenty of upsells to leisure travelers, and as little as 13% of first class seats may be going to upgrades (Delta, but other airlines are catching up to them). The demographics of who is sitting up front have changed, but there are still remnants of the past.

According to a YouGov survey,

• First-class fliers are still more likely to be male and have higher incomes (≥200% of the median income).

• They skew somewhat more likely to be from the West, especially California, than Midwest or Northeast. They’re also more likely to be married with children (correlates with older and higher income, though also higher expense).

• Gay men also have a modest propensity to buy first class (twice as high as heterosexuals), but this does not hold for lesbian or bisexual passengers.

• Somewhat strangely, first class passengers are likely to identify as eco-conscious (which correlates with high income) and also greater than average likelihood of being climate-skeptical (they’re flying on planes! and taking up more space on planes!).

• More frequent travelers are more likely to buy first class, with 22% traveling four or more times per year versus 14% of other fliers. They plan trips somewhat further in advance, but are also more likely to use travel agents (21% vs. 9%) or book by phone (23% vs. 12%), which probably is a function of being an older, higher-income demographic.

First class flyers, defined as those buying a first class ticket at least once in the last year, are more motivated by temperature and activities at their destination than cost – not surprising since they’re less motivated by cost in choice of airfare. They do less sightseeing and outdoor activities then coach passenger (again, older).

They also prefer carriers that have first class, while avoiding ones that don’t. Strictly coach flyers tend to prefer Delta or Southwest. Presumably lack of preference for carriers like Alaska is a function of their limited reach (not an option for most) rather than a view of their relative product. The greatest preference is expressed for airlines who serve the greatest number of passengers.

Also unsurprisingly, first class flyers visit California and Hawaii, while Florida more of a coach destination.

(HT: Flyertalk blog)