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Glite Dictionary
economy class

economy class

3 2.0
The cheapest seats on a plane, train, or ship with basic services
  • noun
  • /ɪˈkɒnəmi klæs/
translation icon : clase económica
  • The airline offers complimentary snacks and drinks in economy class, but seating is more cramped.
  • an economy class seat
  • an economy class passenger
  • economy class airfare

Under the pretense that it is a free choice to opt for the uncomfortable economy class.

Examples

  • Taking 25% off this fare brings this fare down to only $696 for economy class.

    Blog text (10)

  • Many travelers prefer economy class for short flights due to its lower cost.

  • An economy class ticket to Europe is much cheaper than that amount.

    Blog text (30)

  • To compare purchasing miles for an economy class ticket...

    Blog text (30)

  • Also, since I typically redeem for economy class seats, this seems anything but worth it for me.

    Blog text (30)

  • In the background, attendants hustle toward the economy class cabin.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • An economy class ticket to Europe from the US goes for 60,000 miles, which will require you to purchase 40,000 miles and cost you $1,217.50.

    Blog text (30)

  • "It's debatable whether economy-class passengers will notice a marginally wider seat," he says.

    Blog text (10)

  • For the next few decades, airline passengers in economy class would hand over a few dollars in order to rent headphones for the express purpose of accessing the soundtrack for the film.

    Academic text (2016)

  • We decided to save money by flying in economy class instead of business class.

Synonyms

third class
vseconomy class
  • Archaic
5 3.9

The cheapest part of a ship or train with basic seats and little comfort

is least expensive while still offering basic amenities and services
second class
vseconomy class
4 3.2

Cheaper seats or rooms on transport with fewer services than first class

is the lowest cost option rather than only lower than the top class
econ
vseconomy class
  • Informal
6.1

The low-cost seating section on a plane

is the neutral formal label used for the same seating
tourist class
vseconomy class
  • Archaic
3.2

The cheapest seats and rooms on planes, trains, and ships with few extras

is focused on basic amenities and services rather than comfort
cabin class
vseconomy class
3.1

A cheaper travel class on a ship, train, or plane than first class

is the least expensive option offering basic amenities rather than higher privileges
cattle class
vseconomy class
  • Offensive
6.0

The cheapest, most crowded seats on an airplane with little space

is the least expensive option without the strong negative crowding implication

Antonyms

first class
53 3.4

The most comfortable and expensive seats on a plane, train, or ship

How Comfortable

first class
35 3.7
economy class
3 2.0

Surface Forms

economy class singular
economy classes plural

Morphology

economy + class

The meaning 'the least expensive category of seating' is directly derivable from combining 'economy' (economical/low-cost) with 'class' (a category of service), yielding an economical category of seating. This compositional pattern is cross-linguistically common (e.g., French classe économique, Spanish clase turista) and follows standard noun-noun/attributive use, so a B1 learner who knows the parts would likely infer the meaning.

Etymology

The term economy class may come from old ships and trains where people sat in different classes for different prices, and economy meant simple, low-cost travel. So economy class now means the 'cheapest' seating with only basic services.