Flying economy

[hyperblue]

Isonblade said:

On long haul always go for a seat in the centre row of the aircraft, 8 times out of 10 have all 3/4 seats to myself, far more comfy than one buiness class seat.

It's not though, is it.

[Isonblade]

For me it is, arm rests up, seat belts out way almost like a single bed, I get uncomfortable in a buiness class seat with fixed sides, recline yes but I prefer to be on one side rather than reclined but trapped on my back in one position, works for me but it's not compulsory.

[WhereamI]

hyperblue said:

It's not though, is it.

No it isn't, nor does it carry the other benefits of business class.

This debate is a bit pointless, I travel business but mainly I'm travelling for business and need the ability to arrive in decent shape at the end of a long haul flight. But when travelling on holiday we also go business, because we can afford to. It really does come down to that, if a few thousand is significant to you then it's not worth it, if its relatively small change then it is.

The simple fact is that it's all down to how much money you have, the more you have the less significant these costs are and the more likely you are to go for it.

[Matt..]

If its anything over a few hours I need to be in seats with extra legroom (usually exit row). I also cannot fly with a lot of airlines due to their poor seating. Being tall makes booking flights very complicated when limited to only economy.

[blueheron]

We try to fly business long haul if we can. Never paid full price, always saved up the BA miles (Avios now) and used the miles for upgrade option. So you pay Economy Plus prices and get the Business service. Which is more than just the seat I may add!

BA you get the lounge access before and after your flight (free food, drink, booze (inc champagne), internet, somewhere quiet and comfortable to park yourself before a flight. Also we book ourselves into the BA Elemis spa for a free treatment. Usually means being beaten up by the massage chair (hard setting yes please thank you!) and having a relaxing facial. Plus some little travel freebies.

Then on the plane itself you've got charging sockets and of course the whole menu thing. Being able to choose your meal from a decent selection is lovely and always good quality for airline food. It's nice having the club kitchen too for raiding when you fancy a snack (World Traveller Plus this is not for you, get your paws off and go back behind the curtain )

Oh, and the flat bed is great

That said, the best economy service i've had was flying JetBlue from LA to NYC.

[Dr Jekyll]

blueheron said:

We try to fly business long haul if we can. Never paid full price, always saved up the BA miles (Avios now) and used the miles for upgrade option. So you pay Economy Plus prices and get the Business service. Which is more than just the seat I may add!

The other option with BA is to book the trip from another European country but travelling via London. It means you have to travel to Schipol or wherever beforehand, then to London then your final destination. But you can end up travelling in club or first for much less than the same long haul seat from London would cost if you booked direct from London.

A friend went first class to New York from Istanbul via LHR, for significantly less than the same LHR-JFK flight would have cost in Club.

[Mattt]

I probably made 50 flights last year, a mix of short, medium & long haul - and I flew Economy for all but 3 (ultra long haul with work).

I find that the service & IFE in say Emirates economy is pretty good really, and Business doesn't justify the premium for me personally - especially as I get into the lounges/fast lane security/expedited boarding etc anyway with FF status.

[SimonMaidenhead]

Would normally fly economy, but for my next trip to the Philippines I've splashed out and booked Emirates first. I'll let you know if it is worth the extra when I get back.

[anonymous-user]

Just about to book up for xmas in Oz at the end of this year. £800 each for Economy (which is a bargain over xmas) or £4350 each for Business. I think we'll spend some of the savings on nice hotels. I've bought a car over there with the savings from flying economy over the last few years

[Miguel Alvarez]

I'm not averse to spending money but do opt for the cheapest way to fly possible. headphones, book and a blanket and I'm happy. My only stipulation is a seat on the other side of the plane to the missus.

[blueheron]

Dr Jekyll said:

The other option with BA is to book the trip from another European country but travelling via London. It means you have to travel to Schipol or wherever beforehand, then to London then your final destination. But you can end up travelling in club or first for much less than the same long haul seat from London would cost if you booked direct from London.

A friend went first class to New York from Istanbul via LHR, for significantly less than the same LHR-JFK flight would have cost in Club.

Yep, a friend of ours often does this. He usually starts his journey at AMS.

[WhereamI]

Bluequay said:

Just about to book up for xmas in Oz at the end of this year. £800 each for Economy (which is a bargain over xmas) or £4350 each for Business. I think we'll spend some of the savings on nice hotels. I've bought a car over there with the savings from flying economy over the last few years

£4350 is expensive for Australia, I rarely have to pay more than £3,000 and flying with an airline like Etihad or Emirates cuts the cost of transport and parking to the airport as well. But it is still likely to be something like £1,750 to £2,000 more than cattle class. Whether it is worth it depends on what that sort of money is worth to you.

[rich1231]

SimonMaidenhead said:

Would normally fly economy, but for my next trip to the Philippines I've splashed out and booked Emirates first. I'll let you know if it is worth the extra when I get back.

If you get the Suites then yes it is. If its older aircraft then its not as much fun.

The A380's are cool as you get to have a shower in flight

[Gargamel]

I fly Swiss Air fairly regularly. As far as I can see for the hour and a bit - the extra money for buiness class gets you

4 inches more legroom
A free newspaper
A towel on the back of your seat

Not much is it ? for about twice the price. Admittedly I would find the small thingslike being first out the plane useful, and being able to move the ticket aorund at short nottice, but really for the money it is a piss take

[Dr Jekyll]

Gargamel said:

I fly Swiss Air fairly regularly. As far as I can see for the hour and a bit - the extra money for buiness class gets you

4 inches more legroom
A free newspaper
A towel on the back of your seat

Not much is it ? for about twice the price. Admittedly I would find the small thingslike being first out the plane useful, and being able to move the ticket aorund at short nottice, but really for the money it is a piss take

For short haul that's true, except that the seats are usually wider as well. And even 4 inches can make the difference between being comfortable and being jammed into place.

For long haul, it's another matter entirely. On BA long haul economy still means knees rubbing the seat on front and no elbow room, and business means.....

[GCH]

I've sat in that seat enough times to know that that is 64K/64J on the upper deck of a BA 744...not sure whether to be embarrassed or proud of that

Personally, for business or pleasure I am fine with BA/AA short haul up to a few hrs, ditto with luftwaffe although both of these I have high status with, so seating, lounge, boarding etc all taken care of. Lufthansa are exceptional in this regard, as they block the seat next to Senators- even my preferred exit rows, which makes a huge difference.
Any airline I don't have status with, it must be business, and any flight over 2.5h/3hrs ish its business or above or I wont go.

I did several hundred thousand miles mostly long haul coach one year, so I have more than paid my dues.
It is just not worth the toll on my heath, sanity, and well being nowadays- so I make sure it is in contract. I have turned down plenty of work where they have refused- but its usually the office/support staff that don't actually travel that try that one. The clients I actually work for and travel with tend to know the score and the difference it makes- especially to productivity on the road.
For personal travel I try to be savvy and often use miles wherever possible, but am more than prepared to pay for it if needs be.

Edited by GCH on Monday 14th January 18:31

[Matt Harper]

95% of my air travel is work related - so that means my clients foot the bill. Their travel policy (and in some cases, travel service providers) dictate the policy. Ordinarily flights < 4 hours, it's coach, otherwise it's business.
Because I fly so much with work, 9 times out of 10 my coach booking gets upgraded, due to my status with the carriers I use.
If I was paying for it myself, it would be a lot more difficult to justify. Some economy fares are ridiculous - I flew from Orlando to Dallas this morning and the economy fare was $730 one way on American.

[wobert]

GCH said:

I've sat in that seat enough times to know that that is 64K/64J on the upper deck of a BA 744...not sure whether to be embarrassed or proud of that

Personally, for business or pleasure I am fine with BA/AA short haul up to a few hrs, ditto with luftwaffe although both of these I have high status with, so seating, lounge, boarding etc all taken care of. Lufthansa are exceptional in this regard, as they block the seat next to Senators- even my preferred exit rows, which makes a huge difference.
Any airline I don't have status with, it must be business, and any flight over 2.5h/3hrs ish its business or above or I wont go.

I did several hundred thousand miles mostly long haul coach one year, so I have more than paid my dues.
It is just not worth the toll on my heath, sanity, and well being nowadays- so I make sure it is in contract. I have turned down plenty of work where they have refused- but its usually the office/support staff that don't actually travel that try that one. The clients I actually work for and travel with tend to know the score and the difference it makes- especially to productivity on the road.
For personal travel I try to be savvy and often use miles wherever possible, but am more than prepared to pay for it if needs be.

Edited by GCH on Monday 14th January 18:31

I'm a Senator wi th Lufthansa and seat blocking doesn't always happen in economy within Europe.....

[jmorgan]

Never been in the posh seats but a recent jaunt across the pond in cattle class was a knee killer. Next time I am going to find out what is the other side of the curtain for the extra 8 (??) inches. The connecting flights for a few hours were OK but not the four hour one.

[WhereamI]

jmorgan said:

Never been in the posh seats but a recent jaunt across the pond in cattle class was a knee killer. Next time I am going to find out what is the other side of the curtain for the extra 8 (??) inches. The connecting flights for a few hours were OK but not the four hour one.

Long haul it's not an extra 8 inches, its a lie flat bed.