At first glance, the answer here seems extremely obvious. It is certainly easy to argue that airlines make money from economy seats, as the vast majority of passengers will be seated there. However, airline economics are rarely that simple. An economy seat can be profitable, barely break even, or help support a flight that really earns its margin elsewhere, depending on the route, aircraft, load factor, fuel price, and how much ancillary revenue the airline can extract from bags, seat assignments, loyalty partnerships, and onboard sales. Economy seats are known for generating the largest individual block of overall ticket revenue by cabin, even though premium economy and business class contribute disproportionately higher yields on a per-passenger basis.