British Airways is creating what it claims to be the “largest” business class cabin in the world, and is removing dozens of economy class seats in the process. This is the latest example of airlines betting on the future needs of high-spending passengers.

These changes are part of British Airways' large-scale transformation of its fleet and ground services, which includes the lounges at its London Heathrow hub.

The specific changes are as follows:

• British Airways will equip its Airbus A380 – the world's largest airliner – with a super-large business class section that can accommodate 106 passengers, an increase from the current 97 business class seats.
• First-class cabins will also be updated, and will include 12 suites, which is fewer than the 14 in the current A380 configuration.
• The number of seats in the premium economy class will increase from 55 to 84.
• Standard economy class will be reduced from 303 seats to 215 seats.

For many years, airlines have invested years of time and hundreds of millions of dollars to expand their higher-priced seating options in order to meet the demand for more spacious seats and passengers' preferences for more luxurious travel.

These more expensive seats can bring a premium. Even for the extra legroom on transatlantic flights, the one-way surcharge can exceed $200; the surcharge for upgrading to premium economy class after purchase can exceed $1,000.

If you choose directly when booking, these prices may be even higher. Top-tier seats on longer flights usually cost $5,000, or even over $10,000.