Why fly business? I don't see the value?

[gumpy]

Business class is great when flying long distances like flying to europe definitely saves you a day and you feel less jetlag
however within australia or to NZ/ Fiji benefit is minimal.
eric

Yeah that's fair but the thing is the J tickets to Fiji are such a bargain.

 

[samiam]

Hi All,

Being quite tall, I love the extra room and comfort of Business Class travel, not to mention the added perks such as less time booking in etc....

Just a gripe - I think the idea and practice of having a faster lane through Customs for Business and First class travellers is rude, and VERY UN-AUSTRALIAN!!

Ummm... those faster lanes, I'm guessing, are one of the added perks that contribute to less time 'booking (?checking) in'. One or t'other

And welcome to AFF

 

[Svenc]

I am 6'5" and getting towards the twilight years. I pay for Y class as i cannot spend more than 5 hours with my knees crammed into economy class seat spaces. I'll do Syd-per or Syd - NZ in economy, but longer than that and I just can't do it. So it does matter to me. :!:
And yes - I like the fast lanes and any extrras you get - I was an ecnomy traveller all my earlier years, so I've been there done that - now i like a bit extra. its not rude or unaustralian at all.

 

[cbourl]

Because after a few upgrades , if ur tall and cant sleep and need legroom, dont want to pay for overpriced junk food/booze in bad airports when u can get it for free in lounges with often free internet /wifi/phone calls etc etc/showers and you can mainatain your elite status with your preferred air alliance its worth it -and really if u shop wisely biz fares can be not much more than eco fares!!! recent point -AUD$1400 return including takes from JFK to ZRH return on LH/LX/UA a few cents more than eco -so I ask why pay for eco if u can get a better seat for sometimes not much more!!

 

[letsgo]

OK, my tuppence worth - sorry if it's been stated already, I didn't read all of the preceding 22 pages as it's end of FY in my job and I've had a late day, with plenty more to which I can look forward...

My wife & I fly annually from Aus to Dublin to see relatives. We fly economy and are both in our 50's. I don't mind the flight too much and we try to get seats where there's a bit more room, e.g. the pair of aisle-window seats at the rear of a 747.

Personally I would not pay >= $4K more just to have more comfort for 24 + 24 hours. I would still get jet lag and swollen feet. My wife is getting to the stage where I might send her business as she would benefit from the comfort and not require a chiro at the far end.

I think age has an influence too: younger = more flexible physically + poorer and older is vice versa. Sorry about the huge generalisation!

I also think that on a Aus - Europe flight, for example, you can alleviate some of the hassle by booking into an airport hotel for 12 hours in Asia and having a sleep, a stretch and a shower. Not always possible if time not on your side, but it breaks the journey.

Finally - nothing to do with class! - I always ensure that when we return to AUS, we land at the start of a weekend and take the following Monday and Tues if possible off work. Wandering around your home town when everyone else is at work, also knowing there's only a 4 or 3 day week ahead, is more relaxing than any swami, meditation or anti-stress pills.

 

[Robmn]

LAN's $750 J across the ditch is a relatively small $ premium to pay over AirNZ Y. You get lounge, express immigration/Customs, option to credit AA points, and the ability to recline for an hour's sleep (after waking at OMG o'clock).

I had a gut full of Lan when they cancelled my flight, they stuffed around for 9 hours eventually sorting nothing out till the next morning had to travel on AA. yet the particular aircraft departed after all the waiting PAX left the airport. Comments from the US Customs people were they are not a very reliable airline.

 

[kamchatsky]

For me, there is no way I would pay full, or even discounted price for long haul J. I always try to use points that I earned on Credit card spend to redeem myself J tickets. If I don't then I will just slump it on Y, but I would choose good airline for this, and will try to take stopovers.

I will try to use the money saved for eat outs, shopping, nice hotels etc.

For short haul, Y is perfectly OK for me.

 

[Fantic125]

I think attitude has a large influence.

If you've paid to fly J from your own pocket (then I think) your expectations will be higher than if it has been paid for you (by work, whatever..).
It becomes a more 'personal' experience, rather than a "point A to point B' experience.

My personal experience in the last 12 months;
6 flights to USA, 2 to Europe, 5 to China/Taiwan and single flights to Brazil, Philippines, Singapore, India.

I guess I'm more of the 'flights are a taxi service' group, rather than 'flights are part of the experience' group.

YMMV.

 

[Flying mermaid]

Like a previous poster I haven't read all the previous posts, so apologies for any repetition.

We started flying Business/First overseas because we loved travelling and didn't want to give it up once we had children. Having babies/Toddlers in J/F on long haul flights is a much much more pleasant experience than having them in economy. More space, meals arrive and get cleared more quckly, kids can lie down and sleep properly etc etc.

We are not wealthy - more just comfortable, but we found the extra money worth it. I did do an economy trip to London in 2000 when we were building a new house and couldn't afford the extra. I was travelling with a 12 year old and a 14 year old and found I arrived exhausted and barely able to enjoy the first day. Travelling in J/F you can get a decent sleep and actually function as soon as you arrive.

I guess everyone is different, but now that I am older and suffer from swollen ankles etc, I just wouldn't travel overseas if I had to go economy. I do hunt around to find the best price.

it is a bit like cars - we only have one very modest car, as cars are not our thing and I can't understand why people spend huge amounts on prestige cars.

 

[possum FF]

My experience suggests that express lanes are other than express. At Heathrow the cattle class lane moves faster!

 

[Amberlower]

ít's the difference between pain and pleasure. Worth every cent.

 

[cove]

I prefer not having to visit a chiropractor nor a GP when I am travelling overseas and I find flying up front keeps me in better shape on arrival as far as jet lag and sniffles are concerned.I am putting Vicks up my nose to stop getting a cold from a close encounter with about 400 others on a big plane.

 

[ajca]

My experience suggests that express lanes are other than express. At Heathrow the cattle class lane moves faster!

Just like Sydney!

The Heathrow express security lanes are particularly bad. I have noticed the people in them are especially rude and pushy. I blame the big sign welcoming Centurion members...!

 

[gumpy]

On a side tangent, my amex points posted today so I have enough for two rtw J tickets on award. And yes I could do the RTW trip twice if it were in Y but there is no way I'd consider doing it in Y.

To all the nay sayers would your answer be different if it was a pure points purchase?

 

[possum FF]

Gumpy: Good point. Maybe, but I'm scottish!

 

[CWM]

I've always flown in Y. Except one time I flew F (I believe it was) on AA in the US as the cost difference for the particular flight wasn't so great..... but then the improvement over Y wasn't so great either!

But I fly mostly domestic and always QF in Y. I've gotten a little ticked off with the whole commercial flight service in recent years; one time I valued QFF points and SC's now they hold almost zero value for me and I have little interest in them. The scheme has sunk that far IMO so I found the answer is to shift towards private - I sometimes now fly myself unless it is more convenient to use QF such as a quick run between capital cities or if the weather is bad.

So for me instead of spending my money on J seats I can spend it on avgas and on my own aircraft. Yeah I guess flying J all the time would be cheaper (!) but I'm just tired of public transport and being told exactly what I can carry and how heavy my bags mustn't be... all that rubbish. Not so luxurious of course but I like the freedom.

 

[apj01]

I'm 195cm tall. For that reason alone, I fly Business on nternational flights. On domestic, i'll put up with cattle class, as it is usually Mel- SYD or Mel-Bne anyway. WHen I arrive though, I am quite happy to go cheaper on the hotel - not backpackers but quite happy with 2 or 3 star.

 

[Zeitgeist]

Back on topic - I'm surprised more don't fly First. I hate business - it's just like economy but a bit roomier. On a 380, it's like a factory floor or a 1960's typing pool. It's over populated and the service staff spread too thin.

You've either not flown economy recently or you're being inflammatory for the sake of it.

 

[gumpy]

You've either not flown economy recently or you're being inflammatory for the sake of it.

i'm sure his comments were tongue in cheek.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

You've either not flown economy recently or you're being inflammatory for the sake of it.

There is some truth to TheFergus... on three (or four) class aircraft, business class is only for people who can't afford First class.