Who flies Business or first class

Transportation, Travel and Trips
41
I would have thought that this post is a great way to round up some potential clients with cash but these days i am very cynical....

Nevertheless, for short haul - economy. Long haul -premium economy. Fantastic value. Fraction of the biz class ticket and tons of space.

What exactly is first class? I have only seen business on planes in all of my lfe. If you get a flat seat anyway, what else do you get in first on top of that? An escort?

42
Business Class doesnt have perfectly flat seats in my experience. First classs does. But it might be different on each airline? Business class is 1/3 the price of First Class.

43
Yes you do get an escort to your seat when you board. You get a lot less cabin announcements, you can eat when you decide rather than when everyone else eats, generally you are at the front of the aircraft so as far away from the engines as you can get so the general noise level is less and you the cabin crew to passenger ration is a lot smaller.

44
Lay flat seats and business vs. first class depends on the airline. As far as I remember, US Air doesn't have first class, only business and economy. Business = single pods with TVs, electrical & data outlets and lay flat seats.

45
How long until you forgave you husband?

46
I was lucky to get bumped up to Business (AMS - EWR) and it was incredible. I am a tall guy so coach isn't super comfortable, but I have always taken it for financial reasons. Everything about business class was really nice, but having the power outlets was really a game changer. In coach I can barely type (even with my 13" macbook air everything is at a bizarre angle) and in any case the battery is dead in about 2-3 hours. With an outlet and a bit of space in front of me, I could get in nearly a full workday with the laptop in a normal position.

47
i'm the opposite. i love flying esp. long haul. i'm not so tall, so i don't mind flying economy and i have no problems sleeping on the plane.

as i don't have a TV at home, it is a nice treat for me to watch films on the plane.

i guess business class is a nice luxury, with a flat bed and much better food (but i must admit, i do love airplane food anyhow! ).

48
sexier air-hostesses and complimentary at seat blowjobs.

49
On all direct flights from Milwaukee to Abu Dhabi the Pointer-Sisters serenade you to sleep if youre sitting in First Class.....

50
That's an expensive blowjob....

But how sad is your life that you need to fly somewhere to catch up on the latest entertainment and eat well? Cheaper to buy a TV and go out for a meal?

51
i find TV to be a waste of time and so don't indulge in it in normal daily life. the only exceptions are if i am flying long haul, or if i am working out at the gym and can watch TV at the same time.

52
I dont own a TV either. Waste of grey-matter-cells.... Its the reason people think they are smarter than they are "I saw it on CSI"... "I saw it on MTV".....

53
TVs have obviously come a long way since you last saw one. Nowadays you can change the channels and even turn them on and off!

Or are you one of those pretenders who sits in front of his laptop all evening watching video clips and BBC documentaries?

Wikipedia is the main reason people think they are smarter than they are, anyway

54
If we are paying its economy. The wife flies a lot for business (business class) and I used to (economy with cash, business sometimes with miles), so for overnight flights if we have been given the opportunity to upgrade with miles or a reasonable fee (couple hundred francs) and that means we get a bed we will do it.

Short haul, who cares.

Have flown first class on miles as first was cheaper than business class (wtf couldn't believe it when I saw it). The only difference was instead of having someone next to you all passengers were further away. Business class or first are a real treat when you are on a long flight and expected to sleep.

Ive been on the company private jet once. The CEO was going Atlanta - NY - Germany and gave a handful of us a ride back to NY from Atlanta. Not as comfortable as business class tbh but I guess it depends how you kit the thing out. The rest of the company flying commercial got snowed in in Atlanta in February (Atlanta selected as meeting destination to avoid snow) so were lucky in more ways than one.

The thought of paying a business class ticket back to Oz for 3 people makes me puke.

The thought of flying economy back to Oz makes me puke.

It'll be economy though.

If you have a concept where I can pay economy price and fly business I am a customer.

55
Someone told me once that when first class is sold out (on say a 737 size plane) the flight is essentially paid for and the coach seats are profit. Is that really true? I find that hard to believe with the costs of fuel.

I've only flown first once domestic US flight, I was on a pass from a family member who worked for the airline and they upgraded us. I was in my early 20s and loved getting the free drinks! And upon arriving at our destination (SF) it was fogged in so we had to circle the airport for 1+ hour before landing--Drink cart came back out! My friend and I were so excited! Ahhh remembering my crazy youth! Not sure I'd pay for it now, I'm quite short and coach is not really a problem for me.

I also have no TV! Love to hear about more people who don't either!

56
I can't imagine that, but it depends how you define "cost of the flight". If you mean the pilots and cabin crew wages and the cost of the pretzels, yes. If you mean the share of the cost of the plane and the fuel, I doubt it. If you mean all of the costs of the airline, the CEO salary, marketing etc, no way. Most airlines either make a loss or squeak by on a pretty small profit margin.

The long haul Swiss A340s have only 8 first class seats (vs around 50 business class and 160 economy seats) so the ticket prices for first class would need to be 20x economy for that to work (leaving tomorrow from ZRH to JFK, you'd pay CHF1400 for Eco, CHF7000 for Business and CHF14000 for first). So you can see why they put so much effort into the Business Class cabin, with introducing flat seats - as they are making 70% more revenue from that cabin than they are from Economy for not a huge amount more cost.

(By the way, there used to be - maybe still is - a branch of Swiss called PrivateAir which operates business only flights to the US in refurbished 737s - just the whole plane kitted out in business class. Pretty neat, but missing the essential element of envy as you sip your pre-flight champers as the proles trudge past to the back )

57
After being upgraded to Business and being able to lie completely flat on both sectors between Sydney and Heathrow, I vowed to never fly back home again any other way.

Which means, on my salary, I have never been home again...

58
are you flying out of the Netherlands as well or just booking it? Please share your source Never thought of ponying up for business for the family, but I am a cheapskate. And with 3 kids along, we probably wouldn't be allowed. You know, business class is anti-kids, right

59
Fly business for business (long haul only), and on private trips, it depends:

1) Is it worth it? Singapore airlines, Cathay Pacific, Swiss, yes. A lot of other airlines... nope! I thought even Swiss was not worth it before the latest generation seats. I also avoid Emirates who are inconsistent. You see the pictures and the ads, you get all excited, and bam! You get an older plane with the old business class seats...

2) If I had the extra money, the splurging while we're there takes priority, i.e., better hotels, better rental car, better restaurants, shopping, etc.

Btw, Singapore airlines is having a sale right now - Asia for under Fr.4000 and Oz for under Fr.6000, Business Class return from Zurich...

60
"no kids class" i see a business right there!