Posted: 6/17/2010 1:44:47 PM EDT
|
I know it's supposedly much more luxurious and comfortable, but is it really worth an almost 6x increase in ticket price? I just checked airfare to Norway (thanks to another thread) and its $790 for coach, $3,000 for business class, and $5,000 for first class. All prices are roundtrip.
Do they give free happy endings or something? $2,500 a flight is a lot of bones to drop 
|
|
IMO business class is the sweet spot. You get to lie down flat in a pod, the food is great and you get to use the arrival lounge in most major airports. With first class you get a more upscale lounge, bigger pod and nicer food but it ain't worth the premium.
PS British Airways offers free Johnny Walker Blue in the LHR first class lounge. |
|
I once took a flight in business class from SFO to TPE and back on United Airlines.
The seat was comfortable, the food came on plates and not MRE packs, and the stewardess, while still pushing 50, wasn't scowling at me like they did in coach... So, while business class makes air travel actually a fun experience, I'm not sure it's worth 4x the price... |
|
You get a shit ton more room, much better seats, and better food. Usually get on-demand entertainment systems, too.
I've flown to Europe first class, business class, and coach. The difference between first and business is usually pretty small (mostly just service), I personally wouldn't pay for it, and many airlines don't bother with having a first class section on many flights. The difference between coach and business is HUGE. In business class on most airlines, your seat reclines completely flat into a bed, versus having your knees bang against the seat in front of you in coach. That alone is worth it, I think, and the food and entertainment improvements are just a bonus. |
|
Space and quieter in some aspects. On a very long flight it can be worth it - to me anyway. You normally don't see a lot of kids in first class etc...you normally sit next to people who fly often and aren't on a once in a lifetime ride the plane somewhere and freak out etc.... |
|
Quoted: The fact that people are willing to pay for it. Period. Yyyyyyup. If the price structure was, say 800/1000/1200, the FC and BC would be completely full, every flight, with numb-nuts tourists. The steep price for premium-class travel is there only as a measure of exclusivity. |
|
Quoted:
I know it's supposedly much more luxurious and comfortable, but is it really worth an almost 6x increase in ticket price? I just checked airfare to Norway (thanks to another thread) and its $790 for coach, $3,000 for business class, and $5,000 for first class. All prices are roundtrip. Do they give free happy endings or something? $2,500 a flight is a lot of bones to drop When I fly from SF to Africa, India or china you bet your ass it is worth it. At 6'4 it is worth it. Most people who fly 1st class are using miles to get there. I pay for the ticket make 10% the rest of the time I have so many miles I am in the top tier for United and the star Alliance. I get access to the red carpet club, first class lounges etc. and those are a god send when you travel long distance and as often as I do. would I pay 1st class for a flt from here to Chicago no but I'll let them upgrade me. |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
Space. You're paying for real estate. To me it would almost be worth spending the 3k on business class just so I could be far away from the screaming children  Yeah I forgot about that. here is another thing when going international or even cross country. A few times i have re routed en route to China to Tokyo etc. They land a lady escorts me to a table they set up they give me first class accommodations at a nearby hotel first class food etc. And I get priority back to my destination as soon as weather clears. So none of that interviewing me in the terminal sleeping on a chair waiting for a flight to have room for me. The passengers in coach fight to get through a line of all the other passengers often end up staying in the terminal and lots of other hassles while I get to fuck off in Tokyo on their dime. |
|
Quoted:
You get a shit ton more room, much better seats, and better food. Usually get on-demand entertainment systems, too. I've flown to Europe first class, business class, and coach. The difference between first and business is usually pretty small (mostly just service), I personally wouldn't pay for it, and many airlines don't bother with having a first class section on many flights. The difference between coach and business is HUGE. In business class on most airlines, your seat reclines completely flat into a bed, versus having your knees bang against the seat in front of you in coach. That alone is worth it, I think, and the food and entertainment improvements are just a bonus. I flew out of Lagos once to France. I was one of 4 people in first class. A couple an old black woman and some sketchy looking english dude. It was on Lufthansa the stewardesses spent 16 hours flirting with me and giving me food and booze. wasn't a bad flight |
|
I doubt you find many people that have flown first class on long international flights that regret it. Reminds me of the Sienfield episode where he got bumped up to first class and spent the flight relaxing and flirting with the supermodel and Elaine got squeezed in between two fat people - one was asleep and leaning on her and the other was eating cheeseburgers out of his coat. |
|
Many of the folks you see there are getting upgrades and didn't pay the full ticket price.
I'm not a big guy and I don't really mind flying coach as long as the other folks in my row aren't total hogs but for a flight over 5 hours there is absolutely NO comparison to flying in business or first (particularly if it's a premium foreign airline like BA, Lufthansa, etc). When I flew for business the company was paying a premium ticket price anyway so it was easier for me to get upgrades. Now.....with my own money "no", it wouldn't be worth it to me if I were taking the family on vacation but flying First Class in new British Airways 777 for 11 hours is something a fella could REALLY get used to. Damn that was nice. If you have the means I highly recommend it! 
If you want to treat yourself (and it's worth it to you) split the difference and go with business class on a long haul flight, the only caution I have is that it makes it very difficult to sit in the back of the bus next time! lol |
its already been said, but after you have dealt with noisy screaming children...parents that dont care, carts hitting your elbows and sitting next to fat people for more than 8 hours at a time, you will really learn to appreciate the benefits. I personally don't like flying for 10 hours after dealing with all the aforementioned BS then getting no sleep and having to go immediately to a meeting upon landing. 
|
That long of a distance if I can swing First I'll take it..I save my miles for upgrades on the longer flights. Once you do it you don't want to go coach. I had my first opportunity to fly first class two months after 9/11––––SPOILED me 
First class stewardesses––-BLESS their hearts!! 
|
|
Quoted: Why not spend $2400 and buy 3 seats together instead? If you get lucky on a flight and they have the three column seating, and the flight isn't fully booked, you can put up the arm rests and lay flat. I did it on a flight from NY to Rome that was 1/3 full. But my flight from Athens to NY was stuffed.  |
| I got to fly first class on the upper deck of a 747 to the Philippines a few years back, it was the best plane ride of my life. The seats were the size of oversize recliners and would fold back flat so you could sleep. There was a large t.v. screen that would fold out and you had about 200 different movies you could watch. The food was good and they set out a all sorts of snacks and fruit to snack on between meals. Alcohol was also free. I had taken a bump and also got a $750 voucher. |
|
Quoted: Why not spend $2400 and buy 3 seats together instead? Thats what I was just thinking, hell, even 2 seats, window & the one next to it, would allow you to get pretty comfy. When I flew to fance in 2004 the whole row I was in was empty, I just laid across 4 seats and slept. It was great! |
IF you have ever flown 777 first class its worth it...although i dont pay a whole lot for it since i fly standby  . On the 777 they give you the bose noise cancellation headphones, snacks whenever you want, a little pod thing that lays down all the way flat, own entertainment and of course the food and drinks. I'm 6'2 not a chance in hell i would fly coach international i can barely stand to fly 3-4hrs domestic the seats are so cramped and the lack of legroom is barely tolerable. IF you can afford or got a hook up do it its worth it.
|
|
First class sleeper across the Pacific - woke up refreshed in Honolulu.
Tourist class. When I got to Nice, France, I had to go to bed for three days. Same time, same distance. Or on a bump on a flight from SF to Bangkok - went business class with my 7 year old and landed at midnight - no problem. If it had been tourist class, . . . . . |
|
Generally the people in First know how to fly without bugging the ever-living shit out of their seatmates....unlike most of the snot-nosed brat bearing, fat sliding underneath the armrest, mouth-breathing fart machines with over-burdened Ipods and Gameboys blasting the little bit of grey matter they have between their ears.
Try that scene out on a 15 hour run to Australia. Yea....first class is definitely worth every penny. |
|
On my flight out to Vegas two weeks ago Delta was offering upgrades to first class for $150, but I wasn't able to take advantge of this because my fare class wasn't professional enough.    How can 1 seat in live cargo be allowed up upgrade to another see in live cargo can't? I just don't get it. |
|
Quoted:
IMO business class is the sweet spot. You get to lie down flat in a pod, the food is great and you get to use the arrival lounge in most major airports. With first class you get a more upscale lounge, bigger pod and nicer food but it ain't worth the premium. PS British Airways offers free Johnny Walker Blue in the LHR first class lounge. Hmmmm...... I'd have to drink a few bottles in the lounge to make up the difference. I have flown business class a few times on the company dime and twice on my own. At 6'5" I can tell you that coach is a miserable experience for me. Anything longer than five hours is worth the increase. A 10-14 hour flight wedged sideways between two smelly ham beasts will leave me in a foul mood for the rest of the week. |
|
My dad flies FC almost every flight (all domestic though) but has never paid for a FC ticket, and according to him only a fraction of the people up there ever do. the airlines upgrade frequent fliers based on total miles accumulated to FC. Flying FC in any other way is throwing money away IMO, even for an 8 hour flight home from HI my comfort is not worth several times the price... I will just suck it up and use teh money to make another trip as well.
being a Jr has its benefits though, I have flown FC a couple times due to airline mistakes, and i sure as hell won't correct them. I was also bumped up to first coming out of o'hare after boot camp on delta which was pretty cool of them. -Mike ETA: one other thing, I didn't pay for a plane ticket for almost 2 years by just being a little flexible and volunteering to get bumped before they asked for volunteers and on at least one occasion they actually got me home faster than I would have on my normal flight in addition to a voucher. This was easy as a single guy when headed home on leave and it saved me a lot of money as a junior enlisted guy without a lot of cash. I only got delayed over 3 hours once (that time was 5hrs) but for a $400 voucher it was worth it considering I made/make way less than $100/hr on a military salary |