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I totally don't get how people waste their money on things like that. You spend hundreds of dollars to sit a tiny bit more comfortable for a few hours? Wtf?
Lots of people fly overnight flights places… it makes a pretty big difference to overall comfort to have your own space and something that turns into a bed.
I’m going to guess there’s a lot of things in your life where you spend more money for something that is better, more comfortable or more convenient.
But the value of money is relative. Spending another $2,000 to sit in business class feels unthinkable when you make $50k/year. When you’re making $500k/year it doesn’t seem like such a big deal.
Also, lots of people get a lot of frequent flier miles from working jobs with travel, so the actual cost might have been lower.
My ex-wife is American and we'd fly to the US (I'm in the UK) once a year when we were together to go see family.
We'd usually fly premium economy for the extra luggage allowance and slightly nicer seating.
When her father passed away the trip over tete had 1st class at only a modest increase from premium, I'm guessing due to a desire to fill the seat at short notice.
Given the situation I decided to get the upgrade, and it was absolutely worth it.
100% the go to move. I do business class on the overnight and premium economy on the day flight on the way home (if it’s a lot cheaper, anyway).
If it’s <100/flying hour from economy that’s my threshold for “worth it”.
That's it. I can sometimes get that on flights from Denver to EWR (or close enough), and it's always worth it. Plus, I try to drink the money back in beer and wine.
The overnight ones are those that I deem worth it. A night spent in confort and living the day after with some restful sleep behind is totally worth it, if it's an occasional thing.
Me and my wife always fly business if the flight is more than an hour, I think it's totally worth it.
For one thing, im a big dude, the difference in comfort is more than slight when you're 6'4". Business vs economy is the difference between arriving at my destination ready to start the vacation or sore, tired, and grumpy.
We only fly maybe once or twice a year, so spending the extra cash on business means we can enjoy our limited vacation time from start to finish, instead of spending the first and last portions miserable
You may as well say you don't understand why people waste money on hotels and restaurants on vacations when there are hostels and fast food available. The point of a vacation is to enjoy your self - and so if you can afford them, luxuries arent a waste at all
The capitalist trap. Live a miserable life and spend what money you have to make it a little more comfortable.
Who said their life was miserable?
Yeah, they need a break because life rocks!
lmfao you're clearly the one who's life is miserable
Yes I live under capitalism.
We live a very comfortable and happy life actually, nice protection though
Cool, maybe you can afford to send somebody else on vacation, or are you satisfied having fulfillment while single mothers and disabled people live in squalor?
Talk about your nonsequitor lol
I'm not rich, I just make enough to give myself and my family a comfortable happy life - in absolutely no way am I diminishing or dismissing the hardships of others who - through no fault of their own, wound up less fortunate. Don't take your frustration at the system out on regular people like me.
be mad at the people flying around in private jets, not the people who can swing an extra $400 once or twice a year to upgrade to business class lol
I'm not mad at all. I'm just pointing out the hypocrisy in defending the system that exploits all of us just because YOU are comfortable.
When did I defend the system?
This whole thread has been about buying comfort until you started saying, "Nuh uh!"
This whole thread was about the pros and cons of upgrading to business class until you started making it a socioeconomic debate about the evils of capitalism lol
Like jumping into a thread about the best way to cook a cheeseburger and preaching about how meat is murder and veganism is the only moral diet
If you want to talk about the many downsides of capitalism, I'm all for it, but you can't be surprised that people aren't taking you too seriously when you're trying to do it in a thread about upgrading to comfy seats lol
Exposing yourself to all suffering everywhere, all the time, is an easy way to never be happy.
I'm a hospice nurse. My average workday would leave you shook.
Coach = like riding the bus
Business = like staying at a hotel
Except your hotel is $250/hour.
I am telling you if I had the money I would do it every single time.
I hate every single minute of flying in the shitty normal seats, any improvement I would pay it.
Well I already do for the extra space, first rows seats and so on....I haven't but sometimes I have been tempted to buy the seat next to me as well.... but it would require to put somebody else details I guess and they probably with my luck simply fill the seat anyway if the passenger doesn't appear.
On most airlines you can book the adjacent seat - technically for people with musical instruments like cellos or for “passengers of size”, most will let you keep the seat. If the plane is full and they’re trying to get a friend on board they might try to take it away. Tell them you’re worried about covid.
On United, I believe you book the ticket under the name ExtraSeat Lastname.
If you’re traveling with a cello, Cello Lastname works on a lot of airlines.
More complicated for international flights, but domestic is fine.
As someone who flies a lot as part of my job, I mostly use airline miles to upgrade my seat to business class. On a few occasions I cover the upgrade myself if the price is reasonable.
Why? Because as a somewhat tall guy, when I have a 10 hour flight a coach seat makes me ache for days. And if it's an overnight flight, a business class seat actually enables me to sleep.
On business trips that only last a couple of days, the project managers sometimes approves business class tickets, so that we're actually fit for work when arriving.
Any flights longer than 5-6 hours is usually when I begin to consider upgrading. Because then I have a chance to actually get some rest onboard instead of just sitting there, waiting.
EDIT: Business class comes with lounge access, and for some that's also a plus, but my frequent flier level already gives me lounge access all over the world, even when flying riffraff-class. Plus business class also comes with extra luggage allowance, but I have that by default too.
I did it last spring. I was against the upgrade. The lady said I couldn't understand until I tried it, and (to my mild embarrassment) paid for our upgrade as a gift. This was SFO-MAD, on Swiss, open-jaw, returning from Zurich almost a month later. The round-trip upgrade was less than $2000 over premium economy.
It was 100% worth it.
The price, on a trip that long, wasn't really noticable. The value was. What you get for the money is about the same as you would pay to eat lunch, dinner and breakfast at a nice restaurant (we don't drink, but drinks included), along with a night at an expensive hotel.
This is exactly what we received.
We arrived early, had a three-course meal at the (stunning) lounge, we were served fancy soda as soon as we boarded, we were treated kindly and attentively for 12 hours, We were served two more very attractive meals (on ceramic plates with real cutlery) we slept comfortably in the lay-flat seats, and arrived refreshed and very happy.
Added to that basic summary are uncountable little details, like good soap and facial refreshing spray in the bathroom, little swiss chocolates, etc., that made the experience far more memorable and enjoyable.
I'm not set on flying that way from now on. However, I do now consider it to be a reasonable, attractive indulgence, rather than an obvious waste of money.
Felt the same way .. until I was upgraded one day now I look for business class sales. I'm a prudent snob now? 😁
I had a phase where a few well timed personal flights on top of business flights I was still doing at the time where my frequent flyer program had big bonuses after covid got me into the gold tier and I did a few business class flights and kept access to the lounge for a couple of years.
It was definitely super nice and a really big difference, but yeah now that I'm flying less I've lapsed out of the gold tier and don't think I'll ever try to go for it again, it's just not worth it financially and I want to reduce my flying to the minimum necessary anyway.
Oh you know me, I don't judge, but yes, and scratch the prudent.
Business class is generally not hundreds of dollars more expensive.