So Who's Flying First Class?

[GoodSense]

Recent news reports on all the changes in the airline industry made me wonder who those first-class passengers are. Are they all company executives on company dime? Kids of rich families? People with a few bucks to throw away and simply enjoy the comfort (or envious looks from other passengers)?

To me, first-class tickets are priced so high that I would never consider it. I would feel guilty even if someone else is paying for it. I am especially puzzled by teenagers in first-class cabins (and also a little worried that they will grow up spoiled, but who am I to say).

 

[mickeyd]

I have never flown 1st class on my own dime. I have been bumped up to FC a couple of times and have flown that way on the company's dime a few times.

As I LBYM, FC is as big a waste of $ as I can imagine.

 

[bssc]

W*rk will fly me first class on long flights. VPs always fly first class. One my friends put in 200000 miles in the last couple of years so they sometimes upgrade her to first or she uses the mileage to do the upgrade.

Out of my price range otherwise.

 

[73ss454]

I'd stand first.

 

[CuppaJoe]

"First class" conjures up the image of my uncle stepping off a plane, second or third off, carrying absolutely nothing.

 

[Notmuchlonger]

Not me. I wallow with the other peons in my little seat for 2 to 3 hrs. But Frontier is cool you get to watch TV and stuff for 5.99! Of course I tend to take red eyes and sleep the whole way. But when Im awake on the 2nd parts TV is really a great feature on a plane. Cant wait for the internet.

 

[soupcxan]

The estimates I've seen suggest that ~80% of first class seats are obtained through upgrades due to frequent flyer status. So relatively few people are paying full fare for those seats. The ratio may be lower on long-haul international flights where corporate policies are more likely to allow for the purchase of business or first class tickets (if the flight is over X hours).

 

[Cattusbabe]

Gulp. My husband and I routinely fly first class. My husband is 6'8" tall and long flights are painful for him in coach. I am a woman of "ahem" abundant proportions and fly first class for the same reason. We factor in the increase in price when we plan our trips. Best to get all the dirty laundry out there we also travel business class when taking the train....don't hate us.

 

[travelover]

Gulp. My husband and I routinely fly first class. My husband is 6'8" tall and long flights are painful for him in coach. I am a woman of "ahem" abundant proportions and fly first class for the same reason. We factor in the increase in price when we plan our trips. Best to get all the dirty laundry out there we also travel business class when taking the train....don't hate us.

I applaud your paying for first class. It is probably the only reason that the toilets in steerage are still free.

 

[harley]

I try with all my might to not fly if I can get there by land or sea. But we're thinking of a trip to Oz next year. Even though it's theoretically possible to get there by boat, I suspect we'll fly. And I fully intend to fly first class for that one. It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and I don't want to start the trip out with a couple dozen hours of misery. I've never flown first class before, and I hope it's worth it.

 

[HFWR]

I applaud your paying for first class. It is probably the only reason that the toilets in steerage are still free.

Let's see:

"Mr. HFWR, here's a nice warm washcloth. Would you like to see the wine list? Can I get you a pillow?"

v.

"Peanuts? Bwahahahahaha..."

Hmmm...

 

[Cattusbabe]

I applaud your paying for first class. It is probably the only reason that the toilets in steerage are still free.

Always happy to do my part.

 

[samclem]

I've been upgraded to FC a few times on domestic flights. It's nice: plenty of room, nicer snacks, and booze if you want it. But there's no way I'd actually pay the price they ask for it. $500 extra is a lot of beer and pizza, and I can enjoy it with people I know and like.

 

[Notmuchlonger]

Gulp. My husband and I routinely fly first class. My husband is 6'8" tall and long flights are painful for him in coach. I am a woman of "ahem" abundant proportions and fly first class for the same reason. We factor in the increase in price when we plan our trips. Best to get all the dirty laundry out there we also travel business class when taking the train....don't hate us.

You have the funds. Whats to hate? Good for you

 

[bbbamI]

I have never flown first class, but would if the flight lasted more than 4 hours. Besides, I've heard they don't serve bacon in first class...so... I don't think I've missed much.

 

[FIREd]

I would love flying first class on transatlantic flights but I can't bring myself to pay $11,000 per person round trip on Swiss. It's about $900 per person in economy. If I had $11,000 to spend, I would rather take 12 round trips in economy (which is really not that bad) than just 1 trip in FC. It's a lot of extra money to pay for 8 hours of relative luxury! Plus when JFK is backed up for three hours, the FC passenger wait on the tarmac with everyone else. OK, they drink Champagne and eat petit fours while they wait, but still... Paying to travel in business class though could become an option in the future (when our NW is much much higher). It's a lot more affordable ($3400 round trip) than FC and it is a definite step up from economy.

 

[Texas Proud]

The estimates I've seen suggest that ~80% of first class seats are obtained through upgrades due to frequent flyer status. So relatively few people are paying full fare for those seats. The ratio may be lower on long-haul international flights where corporate policies are more likely to allow for the purchase of business or first class tickets (if the flight is over X hours).

Probably even a higher percentage.... but you are right about international...

I do not know of any airline that will bump you to first class from coach if you are flying overseas.... or even business class from coach if they have it.... the airlines KNOW that the companies will pay their own dime so it does not happen...

I remember telling a platinum flying this and he thought I was nuts and would get his upgrade to London.... fortunately his assistant called and asked and was told what I had said... he would have really blown a gasket if she had booked him coach....


ME... I will not pay the price.... not worth it... I few on a number of upgrades being a Gold for a couple of years back when.... it just did not seem worth the price...

NOW, if they would maybe have it a 25% increase or so... I might think about it.... but not 100s....

 

[johnlawymail]

Personally, I would not fork out on my own to pay to travel FC. Incidentally, as I often travel on the job, on long haul flights, I get put on FC.. Otherwise, for short flights, since I am a frequent flyer, I can ask for upgrades if there are available slots. I guess for tall folks, we need and definitely can appreciate the extra legroom for our long legs.. Else we'll get pins and needles in our legs at the end of a long haul !

http://www.johnlaw35.blogspot.com

 

[bssc]

I remember the President of one of the Internet companies that I worked for always demanding to fly first class. One of the (many) reasons the company went bankrupt.

 

[chinaco]

Not me. But First class always seems to be full. I suspect a large portion of those seats are filled by frequent fliers that get upgrades on their standard tickets.

And of course Business travels (executives).

 

[ladelfina]

The only time I ever got upgraded to FC was several years ago on an international Alitalia flight. The lady at the counter just offered it to me! I never asked, nor would know how to ask without feeling ridiculous. I'm not a frequent flyer.

I would pay a modest amount for an upgrade if it were available. I enjoyed the FC quite a bit, and I'd be willing to pay maybe around 3x the coach price for the service on instinct. Realistically, what they offer is only about that: 2x the space plus some perks. I have no idea who would pay 10x the coach fare, though, unless they literally have money to burn.

 

[Cattusbabe]

You have the funds. Whats to hate? Good for you

Thats how we see it . Thanks

 

[OAG]

I have done all my commercial flying in the past. FC was always a bump up the few times I did fly it that way. Currently, with all the stuff I hear and see, I would not voluntarily fly on any commercial aircraft. If I can not get on a free private jet ride (or a military Space A flight) I will just drive everywhere I want to go.

 

[Nords]

Gulp. My husband and I routinely fly first class. My husband is 6'8" tall and long flights are painful for him in coach. I am a woman of "ahem" abundant proportions and fly first class for the same reason. We factor in the increase in price when we plan our trips. Best to get all the dirty laundry out there we also travel business class when taking the train....don't hate us.

As a submariner I'm quite proficient at squeezing my body into tiny spaces for long periods without room to sit down, let alone easy bathroom access. I've also flown on a number of military aircraft and would happily donate body parts to avoid ever again having to snuggle into a C-130 that's older than me. I feel I've paid my dues and served my time.

Spouse can't help but gag whenever she sees the price difference. She's read "Predictably Irrational" but consumer psychology still takes over when she starts shopping price. She's traveled on more planes than I have but she still thinks it's better to travel coach.

Our kid has no need to learn how to travel first class. But I can understand how parents of teens would select that option to make it easier for the attendants to keep an eye on the teen's fellow passengers.

So when I'm by myself, I fly first class. It's a bargain on that 10-hour Honolulu-Newark flight.

Do we really need any justification to avoid opportunities to incite the onset of deep-vein thrombosis? In my case, I've traveled solo just a few times a decade. I'm reflexively frugal and I save way more than enough money to afford the luxury-- indeed it's more of a personal stretch (so to speak) to fly first-class than it is to suffer in coach. And if I'm wracked by consumer guilt, I know that I can always buy a few carbon credits from Al Gore.

Besides, once when I was upgraded to first class I ended up next to Bill Nye the Science Guy. You just can't buy those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities in coach.

 

[samclem]

I wonder if there's a niche that some venturesome airline could exploit. Fuel costs are a major expense that airlines pay. Because aerodynamic drag is a function of the square of the airspeed, a lot of airlines are already reducing their cruising speeds. The aircraft they have now, however, have turbojet engines optimized for the higher cruise speeds. Turboprop engines are more efficient at lower speeds, and the airlines are already buying more of them and reducing their orders for the small regional jets.

So, we'll have people crammed into airplanes for longer flight times on many of our domestic routes. Just maybe an airline could make some money by satisfying some customers. Increase the seat spacing a bit, or even install wider seats and make every seat "business class." If the acft manufacturers see the market, they'll build planes with the 18" increased cabin width that allows wider seats while maintaining four seats per row. This is the way flying used to be on the old piston-engine airliners, with a feel much more like a nice passenger train than a cattle car. After all, empty move-around space doesn't directly add weight and fuel costs (though the larger aircraft structure does add marginally to the weight and fuel costs). In addition, the increased passenger volume (fuselage width and length) makes it easy and cheap to add more cargo room below decks--a real moneymaker when hauling stuff for the USPS or the private package delivery services.

An extra hour gate-to-gate on a 4 hour flight would be just fine if I had a nice seat that reclined a meaningful distance and enough room to straighten my legs. I'd even pay a little extra.