Space encroachment on flights

[Souschef]

After a few years of being shoehorned in Coach to Europe, we decided that we would start flying business class.
It was amazing! We had lie flat beds, special access to the lounges, and all in all a much better experience.
There comes a time in your life when creature comforts are the most important, regardless of the cost.

 

[audreyh1]

After a few years of being shoehorned in Coach to Europe, we decided that we would start flying business class.
It was amazing! We had lie flat beds, special access to the lounges, and all in all a much better experience.
There comes a time in your life when creature comforts are the most important, regardless of the cost.

I'm creeping up there. I'm usually looking to score an upgrade deal. I guess I have a certain amount I'm willing to pay for the upgrade, and sometimes it's offered. This is just the first time the "price has been right" to Europe.

I'm sure the older we get, the more this will become a priority.

 

[Texas Proud]

Thanks much for your post, RunningBun, because you made me look!

It's a month before our flight to Europe, but this evening I decided to look at what they were offering for first/business class upgrade. When I originally booked I think they were offering (the quickie special offer right after you confirm) $3000-$4000 per person to upgrade. Too rich for me!

But now they offered ~$950 per person for each direction, or $1782 for upgrading both. So we bought the outbound direction upgrade which includes business class for the overnight leg (a 2-2-2 configuration with lie flat seats). We've never flown overnight international business class before.

The reservation blew up online with some scary errors yet my credit card was charged, and I had to call in to United Reservations to get it fixed. So it seemed pretty dicey for a while and I thought I had stumbled onto some system bug that offered me something they shouldn't, but they got it all squared away after several long phone waits.

I didn't want to wait until T-24 to check because of seat availability in Polaris business class. I know from past experience that on the international flights that business class seats are in high demand, and people with high status start clearing their requested upgrades at T-7 days. Meanwhile a lot of folks are on wait lists to upgrade with miles - something that also starts to clear several days ahead depending on status. Buy the way, to upgrade with miles for still costs $550 for each direction in addition to the miles, and then you go on a wait list, and only get upgraded if someone else doesn't outrank you in terms of status. So essentially we paid an extra $400 each to pay outright and get an immediate upgrade instead of using miles.

Unless something has changed they do not upgrade high status people to business class on international flights... the airlines know that most of the megas will pay for the tickets that are over a certain time.... if they upgraded it would cost them lots of money....

Now I did get upgraded to first on Virgin for some reason when the company bought business... I was supposed to get a free massage but they ran out of time before the got to me.... I was on the second story of a 747...

 

[audreyh1]

Unless something has changed they do not upgrade high status people to business class on international flights... the airlines know that most of the megas will pay for the tickets that are over a certain time.... if they upgraded it would cost them lots of money....

Now I did get upgraded to first on Virgin for some reason when the company bought business... I was supposed to get a free massage but they ran out of time before the got to me.... I was on the second story of a 747...

These folks don't get usually upgraded until late in the game when the number of unsold seats are clear. But the high elite status folks are awarded something called "GPUs" that gives them access to international upgrades. Still, they end up behind paying customers, of course.

Meanwhile people who upgrade using miles, which still costs $$, are upgraded based on status, so if you have low or no status, chances of clearing are slim.

Constant discussion on flyertalk.com

 

[novaman]

Honestly how am I supposed to be able to stow my personal item in this space. My normal sized backpack wouldn't fit because it appears the space under the seat in front of me is only around 10 inches wide

 

[Souschef]

After a few years of being shoehorned in Coach to Europe, we decided that we would start flying business class.
It was amazing! We had lie flat beds, special access to the lounges, and all in all a much better experience.
There comes a time in your life when creature comforts are the most important, regardless of the cost.

In the interest of full disclosure, we had a companion voucher, so when we used our miles for Business Class, it took the same miles as 2 tickets in coach. This is on BA, but the taxes going through Heathrow are fairly steep. But it is worth it!

 

[Johanson]

Unless something has changed they do not upgrade high status people to business class on international flights... the airlines know that most of the megas will pay for the tickets that are over a certain time.... if they upgraded it would cost them lots of money....

Now I did get upgraded to first on Virgin for some reason when the company bought business... I was supposed to get a free massage but they ran out of time before the got to me.... I was on the second story of a 747...

I've been upgraded to business class a few times but only when they had over sold the Y cabin. I've had it returning from LIM, DUB, AMS, and CDG. I've never gotten it on the outbound. Go figure.

 

[Fedup]

In the interest of full disclosure, we had a companion voucher, so when we used our miles for Business Class, it took the same miles as 2 tickets in coach. This is on BA, but the taxes going through Heathrow are fairly steep. But it is worth it!

This will be us next year. We get a companion voucher and 125,000 Avios, we still have to pay around $2000 for airport tax for 2 business tickets on British Airways. I'm debating whether or not to go back in Economy plus. Maybe a bit cheaper but not by much.

 

[athena53]

I've been upgraded to business class a few times but only when they had over sold the Y cabin. I've had it returning from LIM, DUB, AMS, and CDG. I've never gotten it on the outbound. Go figure.

My guess would be that more people are willing to pay for Business going from the US to Europe since it's a red eye and they might have a chance of actually sleeping. I know that when I had only enough miles to fly in Business to or from London when I go to India next year, I went with Coach on the flight from London back to the US.

 

[Souschef]

This will be us next year. We get a companion voucher and 125,000 Avios, we still have to pay around $2000 for airport tax for 2 business tickets on British Airways. I'm debating whether or not to go back in Economy plus. Maybe a bit cheaper but not by much.

OH NO!!!! There is NO comparison. I have attached a picture of Business Class with lay flat beds

 

[audreyh1]

Honestly how am I supposed to be able to stow my personal item in this space. My normal sized backpack wouldn't fit because it appears the space under the seat in front of me is only around 10 inches wide
View attachment 26213

That is a serious problem with the aisle seat on many planes.

 

[Sunset]

Honestly how am I supposed to be able to stow my personal item in this space. My normal sized backpack wouldn't fit because it appears the space under the seat in front of me is only around 10 inches wide
View attachment 26213

I had that exact same issue on a return KLM flight from AMS, and I was second in from the aisle.

Annoying as the plane seat choice chart does not mention it at all.

 

[athena53]

I had that exact same issue on a return KLM flight from AMS, and I was second in from the aisle.

Annoying as the plane seat choice chart does not mention it at all.

Have you tried seatguru.com? They're pretty good about telling you which seats have restricted space for one reason or another.

I predict that those obnoxious boxes on the floor will disappear. They're part of the A/V system but I"m seeing more flights that allow you to stream their offerings on your own device. I had that on a trip to Toronto last month. Cheaper for the airline and, as we noted earlier, the seats on Coach are getting so close together you can't view the screen comfortably anyway.

 

[Sunset]

Have you tried seatguru.com? They're pretty good about telling you which seats have restricted space for one reason or another.

I predict that those obnoxious boxes on the floor will disappear. They're part of the A/V system but I"m seeing more flights that allow you to stream their offerings on your own device. I had that on a trip to Toronto last month. Cheaper for the airline and, as we noted earlier, the seats on Coach are getting so close together you can't view the screen comfortably anyway.

I did try seat guru, but it was my first time trying it, and it was a little difficult determining exactly the model of 737 that I would be on. There were a number of versions of 737

Combine that with the limiting factor of which seats were available, and I missed the floor box thing.

 

[audreyh1]

I did try seat guru, but it was my first time trying it, and it was a little difficult determining exactly the model of 737 that I would be on. There were a number of versions of 737

Combine that with the limiting factor of which seats were available, and I missed the floor box thing.

On seatguru I find the layout that most closely matches the airline seat map, noting row numbers, and first class and economy layout.

Given that, I've noticed seat guru is not always accurate in warning about locations of entertainment boxes taking foot space. Reading the seat reviews helps - often people point out seats with problems.

On the United 777-200 that flies to AMS they had the row wrong, I think, for the entertainment boxes as on one flight we got in that row, and since I've been sure to use the rows before it. I often read the use seat reviews again to double check.

 

[mpeirce]

OH NO!!!! There is NO comparison. I have attached a picture of Business Class with lay flat beds

So true.

Earlier today I was sleeping on this exact seat (that very one? well, that kind of seat...) on a British Airways' flight from Philadelphia to London. Upstairs on a 747. Dinner was actually pretty tasty (I tried the cod). And the BA lounges sure are comfortable - I enjoyed the Jamison they offered too.

It really does make all the difference. Especially for me at 6'6", though my DW really enjoys it too. We're now in Berlin and are not wiped out and are able to get right into our visit here.

We don't do miles - we end up on a wide variety of airlines depending on where we're going. So, FYI: we paid $3601 x 2 for the two of us to fly from Columbus -> Philadelphia -> London -> Berlin. We'll come back Prague -> London -> Charlotte -> Columbus. All the flight were full or almost full. Business/1st Class (1st class on the smaller hops).

I'm thankful we can afford doing this at this point in our life.

 

[Koolau]

So true.

Earlier today I was sleeping on this exact seat (that very one? well, that kind of seat...) on a British Airways' flight from Philadelphia to London. Upstairs on a 747. Dinner was actually pretty tasty (I tried the cod). And the BA lounges sure are comfortable - I enjoyed the Jamison they offered too.

It really does make all the difference. Especially for me at 6'6", though my DW really enjoys it too. We're now in Berlin and are not wiped out and are able to get right into our visit here.

We don't do miles - we end up on a wide variety of airlines depending on where we're going. So, FYI: we paid $3601 x 2 for the two of us to fly from Columbus -> Philadelphia -> London -> Berlin. We'll come back Prague -> London -> Charlotte -> Columbus. All the flight were full or almost full. Business/1st Class (1st class on the smaller hops).

I'm thankful we can afford doing this at this point in our life.

Even though we could afford more luxurious travel than "coach" (aka cattle car) when the time comes, we just can't seem to pull the trigger and pay 2 or 3 times as much for a few hours of comfort. Perhaps it's because I recall some really miserable j*bs I had to do just to get through school to get a degree. I'd work 10 hours at some hot, filthy j*b and earn $20! (Yeah, inflation has changed that number since the late 60's.) Even repeating the mantra "You aren't going to take it with you." doesn't seem to help. I suppose it's a lifetime of habit bumping up against my new found "affluence." Maybe it's thinking about what that extra couple of grand could buy besides an upgrade to 1st class. DW is no help. She's perhaps more stingy than I am about such things. YMMV

 

[mpeirce]

I suppose it's a lifetime of habit bumping up against my new found "affluence."

I get it.

We did take the 2.70€ bus from the airport to the hotel - it let us off one block form the hotel. A bit of dissonance there.

 

[audreyh1]

Even though we could afford more luxurious travel than "coach" (aka cattle car) when the time comes, we just can't seem to pull the trigger and pay 2 or 3 times as much for a few hours of comfort. Perhaps it's because I recall some really miserable j*bs I had to do just to get through school to get a degree. I'd work 10 hours at some hot, filthy j*b and earn $20! (Yeah, inflation has changed that number since the late 60's.) Even repeating the mantra "You aren't going to take it with you." doesn't seem to help. I suppose it's a lifetime of habit bumping up against my new found "affluence." Maybe it's thinking about what that extra couple of grand could buy besides an upgrade to 1st class. DW is no help. She's perhaps more stingy than I am about such things. YMMV

This is why we've been "creeping" up on it, buying upgrades to business/first on individual legs when they seem like good deals, rather than buying the first class tickets at 3-4X up front. But we do buy an annual prescription to Economy Plus as it costs for us less than buying it on individual flights.

We were once offered first class SFO to Maui for $129pp and we jumped on it.

 

[novaman]

My wife just flew back from SF last night and was seated in the aisle seat. The middle seat was taken by an obese man who did his best to try to not encroach on my wife's space. She said the poor guy spent most of the flight with his seat in the upright position and his arms crossed. Unfortunately when he got up to use the restroom his thighs crushed the earphone plug on her bose headphones and broke them.