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I regularly fly Economy/Economy Plus.. On Occasion I will fly International Flatbed Business Class. What brought this up, though, was a discussion with some family members about the justification of Business Class.
Most people when I tell them that I fly Business Class usually respond with some sort of negative feedback such as "waste of money".
Personally, I don't generally buy a Business Class ticket for a flight shorter than 7 hours or 3,200 miles.. (Although, if it's a short nightflight that crosses numerous timezones such as JFK-LHR, then I would purchase Business Class to get sleep)
As a traveller, do you justify spending the money on Business Class and if so, is there a cut off point at which you buy a Business Class ticket?
I regularly fly Economy/Economy Plus.. On Occasion I will fly International Flatbed Business Class. What brought this up, though, was a discussion with some family members about the justification of Business Class.
Most people when I tell them that I fly Business Class usually respond with some sort of negative feedback such as "waste of money".
Personally, I don't generally buy a Business Class ticket for a flight shorter than 7 hours or 3,200 miles.. (Although, if it's a short nightflight that crosses numerous timezones such as JFK-LHR, then I would purchase Business Class to get sleep)
As a traveller, do you justify spending the money on Business Class and if so, is there a cut off point at which you buy a Business Class ticket?
I travel with a budget in mind so it's either not in my budget or worth it to me to pay double or triple the airfare. At most I buy seats with a big of extra legroom, usually $50-70 per person, per direction. I'd rather save that money for activities/accommodations on the ground.
What about places that 10-15 hours away? I couldn't imagine sitting in a bolt upright economy seat for that duration of time and not coming out with a bad back.
I regularly fly Economy/Economy Plus.. On Occasion I will fly International Flatbed Business Class. What brought this up, though, was a discussion with some family members about the justification of Business Class.
Most people when I tell them that I fly Business Class usually respond with some sort of negative feedback such as "waste of money".
Personally, I don't generally buy a Business Class ticket for a flight shorter than 7 hours or 3,200 miles.. (Although, if it's a short nightflight that crosses numerous timezones such as JFK-LHR, then I would purchase Business Class to get sleep)
As a traveller, do you justify spending the money on Business Class and if so, is there a cut off point at which you buy a Business Class ticket?
I fly BC or FC when my employer is paying. Maybe when I make more, but until then, I can fly coach.
What about places that 10-15 hours away? I couldn't imagine sitting in a bolt upright economy seat for that duration of time and not coming out with a bad back.
We recently went 14 hours to CDG and then another 13 to CPT and with 2 teens, we were fine. The entertainment options kept me engraved the entire 24 hours. In fact no one complained as to the flight or coach.
We recently went 14 hours to CDG and then another 13 to CPT and with 2 teens, we were fine. The entertainment options kept me engraved the entire 24 hours. In fact no one complained as to the flight or coach.
When I traveled for work, our policy was anything over 10 hours. Because we all flew a lot, many of us would use miles for upgrades....I'm looking at you flight to Munich at 9:51.
Policy aside, I think the justification breaks down to a couple points:
1. If I fly coach, will it jeopardize the very point of the trip? I have a hard time sleeping in coach for very long, or anything very restful. While I could pull an all-nighter in college, now it leaves me stupid for two days. If I'm expected to get off the plane and be in a meeting 3 hours later, it's justified to put me someplace where I can sleep for a long flight. It also gets me on/off the plane faster if deadlines are tight.
2. It's easier to get up and move around in the higher class seats. If you sit for too long on an airplane, you can do some damage to yourself. At the same time, you don't want to be the guy that keeps waking up his seat mates that are trying to sleep very often. I recall a salesman that needed to go to China after having a stroke a couple months prior. Boss was going on a tirade about cutting costs, and we got HR to confront him and say if he's needed in China, then we have to make a health accommodation. I liken the middle coach seat to holding a yoga pose for 8 hours...
3. If I'm flying coach, forget me doing work on the laptop. The guy in front reclines and there just isn't room left for me to type and look at the screen without hunching over for hours. If you're expecting some productivity on the flight, I'm flying a higher class.
4. How expensive is finding a new employee? If you keep flying me coach around the world, I'm going to grow just tired of doing it after awhile if it's always on the cheap.
5. Related to 4 but the opposite. It can be a perk. If I want to travel someplace my wife doesn't like, saying I'll spring for the first class tickets sometimes does the trick.
With all of the US carriers having shrunk the size of coach tickets in order to get more seats, and the day of not having to fly next to someone approaching a myth like story, it's become an issue. Add on to it the transport to/from the airport. The warm welcome from TSA. The known mess it will be if something (like weather in Kansas) screws up your flight. Flying sucks now, if you want someone to do it a lot, you'll need to give them a comfortable seat.
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