Originally Posted by
LyingFlat
Whilst there's probably little peer-reviewed research, I can say with very very high level of confidence that many large companies have policies that allow for F/J/PE travel. A lot of it comes down to whether travel is billable or not, the seniority of the traveller, flight duration, origin/desitination of the trip, and trip purpose.
Also, there are a lot of high earning SMEs where the owner(s) travel business/first because why not? They've worked hard all their life and have built their business to the point where flying in the pointy end is a non-starter. I personally know several owner-operated SMEs where the owner travels up the front.
+100 for all this. And anecdotally, based on travellers I chat with plus my own travel habits as a former tech journalist when tech companies fly media to events,
plenty of company travel policies stipulate business class, although there are several instances where on international flights under 8 hours, premium economy will be decreed instead of business.