How bad is flying economy these days?
Discussion
RoamingBull said:
toasty said:
Having just boarded a flight to Tenerife with a large contingent of the traveling community, it’s going swimmingly. Deep mahogany fake tans, Elizabeth Dukes finest jewellery, feral children, dads on their phones to the bookies and the ubiquitous trail of litter. Yup everything is present and correct.
Don’t think I could do a charter flight anymore. Saying that scheduled ones are just as bad as stated last week. Oh the joys of travel.
My most recent flights were Bristol to Malta and back with Jet2. The seats are slimline affairs, not like the thick padded things you used to get years ago, but comfortable enough. Because I have long legs I paid thirty quid extra for seats in the overwing exit row and by doing so ended up with far more room than you would get even in business class.
If you’ve got money to piss away then by all means spend it on business class but I really don’t think it’s worth it.
If you’ve got money to piss away then by all means spend it on business class but I really don’t think it’s worth it.
wormus said:
Griffith4ever said:
Made me laugh out loud. The Merrels are in my luggage. The "Chinos" are M&S Stretchables - perfect for travelling and pack up light 
(and yes, I'm middle aged, well, passed that landmark a little while back).
Heathrow T4
Nice slipons (and yes, I'm middle aged, well, passed that landmark a little while back).Heathrow T4
Still, they ARE nice shoes you cheeky bugger :-p
Portia5 said:
Chartering a light jet/vlj split between a few isn't nearly as dear as many probably imagine.
Lol vlj for long haul? I would rather get the bus. Light jet to the Seychelles? Would rather fly economy. Yeah for a short hop in Europe I can see the argument, but long haul, airline, unless you can stretch to a Falcon 900/ C604 as a minimum.
I think long haul economy is quite dependent on the airline. Emirates, Etihad, Royal Thai, Singapore are all fine. KLM, BA less so.
My favourite airline flying east is Vietnam Air, really great in economy, premium and business, I am not an organised traveler, it’s rare for me to book more than 2 weeks before departure, so sometimes the cost of BC is mad lol
ARFBY said:
I do Singapore to UK twice a year (5 weeks summer, 3 weeks Christmas) with wife and two kids. 12-13 hours of discomfort, and crappy food. Going economy saves many thousands, which is enjoyed on arrival by having a nicer hire car and upgraded hotels. I'm just a shade under 6ft and can never get to fully sleep. I have flown with all that do that route, Qatar Airways have by far the most uncomfortable seats.
But all is quickly forgotten upon landing. The holiday should be worth the effort.
Hire car for Singapore!!???But all is quickly forgotten upon landing. The holiday should be worth the effort.
The G Kid said:
On long haul it's not really just a bigger chair though, it's generally a lie flat bed which means you get a proper kip. Whether an approximate extra 2K. (obviously depending on the route) is worth it for a better sleep is debatable, and depends on a lot of factors.
Is for me, a long haul flight in economy means no sleep and no sleep combined with jet lag means about a week where I cannot do anything useful. It’s expensive but the cost means I sleep which means I remain functional. Combined with avoiding to an extent the most crowded bits of the airport, and the lower density of passengers in the bit of the plane you’re in - being in crowds is psychologically difficult for me and very tiring - it really makes a trip possible in the first place. I just don’t go if BC is not an option. Edited by GiantCardboardPlato on Wednesday 15th March 20:46
ATG said:
GiantCardboardPlato said:
Hire car for Singapore!!???
For last ditch emergency backup air-conditioning?If he’s finding the seats on Qatar Airlines uncomfortable he should head to the in flight cocktail bar.
Griffith4ever said:
Hahaha :-) Whatever I wear out on the plane, gets packed away for 2 months unused. Slipons pack flat-ish ;-) (same reason for thin trousers). We travel with just an overhead case each.
Still, they ARE nice shoes you cheeky bugger :-p
I just wear sneakers on the plane. You're going to be there for a few hours (10+ usually for me) so may as well be comfortable and as long as you are clean and presentable, who cares what you're wearing. Still, they ARE nice shoes you cheeky bugger :-p
captain_cynic said:
I just wear sneakers on the plane. You're going to be there for a few hours (10+ usually for me) so may as well be comfortable and as long as you are clean and presentable, who cares what you're wearing.
I take my shoes off as soon as I'm sat down and don't put them back on again until landing, whichever class I'm in. My feet swell real fast when flying (Amlodopine feet!) Loafers/slip ons are all about being as light as possible as they'll not see the light of day again for 2 months until I land in Heathrow again.85Carrera said:
Quite right too. If you’re flying for work and likely doing a fairly short turnaround and working in between, you shouldn’t have to fly economy.
And personally, 4 hours is about my limit before going business class (premium economy is a waste of money and *controversy alert* designed to entice those who PCP cars they can’t afford who want their fellow travellers (no, not the ones with dags) to think that they’re “doing well” (cf having what is effectively a leased Evoque/generic German brand that used to be premium on the driveway to impress the neighbours)
tAnd personally, 4 hours is about my limit before going business class (premium economy is a waste of money and *controversy alert* designed to entice those who PCP cars they can’t afford who want their fellow travellers (no, not the ones with dags) to think that they’re “doing well” (cf having what is effectively a leased Evoque/generic German brand that used to be premium on the driveway to impress the neighbours)
t.On Monday I flew back from Orlando with the wife and when we got off the plane I said I would never fly economy again having endured 9 hours of cramped seats, no leg room, shouty kids etc.
But now in the cold light of day I’d rather save the £1000+ for some thing more tangible, and it’s a pretty sad state of affairs if I can’t put up with a bit of discomfort for just a few hours.
But now in the cold light of day I’d rather save the £1000+ for some thing more tangible, and it’s a pretty sad state of affairs if I can’t put up with a bit of discomfort for just a few hours.
paralla said:
The post said Singapore to UK, my guess is that the holiday and hire car is at the UK end.
If he’s finding the seats on Qatar Airlines uncomfortable he should head to the in flight cocktail bar.
The bars are great. Recently on an A380 I spent most of the trip each way in the bar If he’s finding the seats on Qatar Airlines uncomfortable he should head to the in flight cocktail bar.
.Absolutely worth it, and it's difficult to travel any other way once you've done it. However, with prices not far off doubling now... think I might!
Unless you are flying like this economy for ten hours plus will guarantee you never want to do it again regardless of the cost. It isn’t the seats, it is usually the volume of people, noise levels, lack of space and inability to move around. Charters are nasty but long haul you may just avoid the great unwashed, but flying home won’t be fun post holiday. Keep us posted.
Griffith4ever said:
made me lol :-) But on the whole, you are wrong. Sure, PE usually has a couple collecting every slipper, toothbrush and eye blind available to take as souvenirs (they collect up the noise cancelling headphones at the end of the flight in PE which should tell you something..) but on the whole it's a great compromise between basic and luxury that meets a lot of people's budget. Very dependent on airlines though, and routes/planes. Prob the best bits are it mostly filters out parents with toddlers, you can recline properly, proper leg room, and you dont end up with your adjacent's arm on your arm. The food is normally economy with the lid removed for you and real cutlery :-)
I've thought about PE as the personal space of just a pair of seats appeals when flying long haul, the asking is difficult to square though - you pay double+ the price for what, 20% more real estate? Still hauling the weight. I know there's a law of diminishing returns as you ascend but that just feels they're tactically pricing it high as they're afraid it'd gouge biz class.Teddy Lop said:
I've thought about PE as the personal space of just a pair of seats appeals when flying long haul, the asking is difficult to square though - you pay double+ the price for what, 20% more real estate? Still hauling the weight. I know there's a law of diminishing returns as you ascend but that just feels they're tactically pricing it high as they're afraid it'd gouge biz class.
PE cost seems to vary wildly. We have it booked from Boston to home this year and it was only about £100 pp extra. On the way out it was much more and couldn't justify it.Gassing Station | Holidays & Travel | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff