One sector in premium, which would you choose?

[SOPOOR]

So, if you are going to a glorious destination for a wonderful holiday and you have the availabilty/option to fly one leg in prem/J/F

Which would it be, and why?


The TO leg or the RETURN leg ?

For me its the TO leg because i feel better on my holiday if ive already flown in luxury as opposed to cattle class where i may be tired/sore/annoyed

 

[Hvr]

The overnight leg which for Australians is usually the home bound leg.

 

[dajop]

My answer, depends on the route and time of the the flight. But for holidays generally much prefer to start the trip with J and be ready to go. I have plenty of time get over the journey when coming home !

The overnight leg which for Australians is usually the home bound leg.

Depends on how long the overnight flight is. For example, between SIN and MEL I have concluded, if it was a choice, I'd prefer to suck up the shorter overnight sector to MEL (which even in business, only manage 3 hrs sleep max, the flight is usually 6.5hrs in the air), which often has abbreviated service in J, and enjoy the longer (7.5 hr) flight to SIN in J, with full service.

 

[jase05]

Always overnight in J back to Australia if possible. Even a couple of hours sleep is better than the zero I would get in Y

 

[Quickstatus]

Perhaps the title can be changed..

Leg to Sector.

My crazy brain reads other things.....

 

[Quickstatus]

Well my experience suggests that it can be a little bit more complicated than that. The assumption is that J product are always sleep inducing - which they are not always

Depends on the type of F/J suite. Most of the newer J suites are very hard and have very narrow leg tunnels.
I have come to hate the JL Skysuite (never again) and the only good J seat on the MH A330 are 1A and 1K - the other "throne" seats are no good from the perspective of the tunnel size for your legs. I found that my legs go into the throne seat tunnels but I can't roll over on to my side because of the narrowness of the tunnel - to roll over you knees need to bend but this is impossible in the tunnel.


I actually prefer the QF SkyBed Mk2 - I get the most sleep in these. Droop not withstanding.

Then there is the arrival time.
In the last few months I have done MH140. This flight arrives at 0335hrs. Which means they wake you up 1.5 hrs prior to landing at 0200hrs destination time.

 

[NM]

I too would select the overnight sector. I can sit in Y for a daytime flight, watching movies, reading etc. But can't sleep in Y.

 

[Quickstatus]

On the MH140/141 route

I would not be able to sleep anyway in J in either direction so there is no point spending the extra $$$ on J either way if the idea is to be able to sleep.

 

[TomJones]

I would prefer the departure sector. I would be able to get to my destination and bit the ground running.

I find the return leg of any trip is always a huge blur for me anyway, and the outbound leg drags on forever, so I would much rather be aware enough to enjoy the experience.

 

[nickfromeastryde]

There are pros and cons either way but on balance would prefer the daytime leg to take full advantage of the enhanced service offering. In my case, I rarely sleep that well anyway even in J

Might depend on the airline though, my most recent flight on QR the service even at 02:00 was still outstanding whereas with Qantas it's very much self service during the middle of the night

 

[Glider_]

Depends on flight times, and how often you fly premium (as to how 'special' it is).
For me:
1) Whichever is the night flight, or
2) The return flight, because when you're heading off on a holiday you start refreshed and excited and you're much better able/willing to tolerate Y for a longer period to get to your holiday. But on the way back you're likely worn out (at least that's how my holidays go) and not looking forward to going home, so premium gives you comfort when you need it more and a last hurrah of something to look forward to at the end.

But then, for super long hauls going premium on the outbound is really good to hit the ground running and not waste a day at the destination recovering from the flight.
Oh, and travelling during the day premium lets you enjoy the premium experience better too...

Ok, I have no useful advice here, other than just travel premium both ways.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Well my experience suggests that it can be a little bit more complicated than that. The assumption is that J product are always sleep inducing - which they are not always

Depends on the type of F/J suite. Most of the newer J suites are very hard and have very narrow leg tunnels.
I have come to hate the JL Skysuite (never again) and the only good J seat on the MH A330 are 1A and 1K - the other "throne" seats are no good from the perspective of the tunnel size for your legs. I found that my legs go into the throne seat tunnels but I can't roll over on to my side because of the narrowness of the tunnel - to roll over you knees need to bend but this is impossible in the tunnel.


I actually prefer the QF SkyBed Mk2 - I get the most sleep in these. Droop not withstanding.

Those seats are very easily avoided. For Oneworld - CX, BA, AA or JAL's reverse herringbone or apex suites. For star alliance - take your pick except maybe for LX or UA's polaris. For skyteam - MU, AF, KL. Then others like WY for Apex suites.

If I had to choose outbound or return for J I'd always choose the return. Nothing worse IMO than stressing out for the last day of the holiday worried about queues, whether your cabin bag is at 7.5kg, whether or not you're going to be squished against a neighbour, or having to have your finished meal tray in front of you for an hour.

 

[mrsterryn]

Going out . Because, for me , I can come home and go to bed if I need to so travelling in economy coming might be horrible but I am coming home
I don't travel for work.

 

[nickfromeastryde]

Those seats are very easily avoided. For Oneworld - CX, BA, AA or JAL's reverse herringbone or apex suites. For star alliance - take your pick except maybe for LX or UA's polaris. For skyteam - MU, AF, KL. Then others like WY for Apex suites.

If I had to choose outbound or return for J I'd always choose the return. Nothing worse IMO than stressing out for the last day of the holiday worried about queues, whether your cabin bag is at 7.5kg, whether or not you're going to be squished against a neighbour, or having to have your finished meal tray in front of you for an hour.

Good point re the luggage, we always come back with way too much (have bought an extra bag last four trips)

 

[chk123]

For me it depends on what lounges are available and if Im buying a lot of things overseas then the additional baggage allowance would come in handy on the way back!

 

[amaroo]

I'd select the departing, by the time of the arriving flight ... it's all over red rover.

 

[JohnK]

As it is I can hit the ground running so I would choose the return flight to cheer me up before returning to reality....

 

[Lemon_Party]

Your next flight could always be your last. Go out in style, every time. Pray for an upgrade on the return... or a cheap bid-up opportunity to present itself at checkin...

 

[Pushka]

I'd select the departing, by the time of the arriving flight ... it's all over red rover.

When did you last long haul fly in Y?

 

[Mattg]

I'd rather get the Y leg over with at the start of the trip and come home in comfort. Besides, I need to have something to look forward to at the holiday when I have to (often begrudgingly) go home.

That said, flight times often play a part as well.