Airfare upgrade, I just can’t, but would you?

[ImaCheesehead]

One of the frequent comments to those who are being too frugal and not enjoying their money is to upgrade to business or lie flat seats when they fly.

I am flying one way to New Zealand next month and business is more than10 times the price of economy. 10x!!!!! That price is for domestic business for the first two flights and a lie flat seat for the 13.5 hour flight from LAX to AKL.

I ended up purchasing Delta premium economy a few months ago at $1,500, when plain economy was priced at $500, and business class was $7000. I can upgrade just the LAX to AKL like to a lie flat for an additional $4300, or about an extra $300 an hour above and beyond what I’ve already paid.

I just can’t do it. I have the money, but I just cannot bring myself to cave into Delta’s ridiculous pricing.

I mean, you have to draw a line somewhere right?

 

[sakowitzm]

For that flight, that's not where I'm choosing to draw the line.

 

[TripleLindy]

I’ve been through the same mental gymnastics. We visit our daughter in South Korea often. After enduring that trip once in Premium Economy, we won’t do it again. Lie flat seats are now mandatory for us for any flight 8+ hours.

 

[Onda]

I’m with you. I have the money too, but why would I pay $12k for first class, 4k for business when I can fly economy for $750 and have $11k extra to actually enjoy a full month at the destination?

Drawing a line isn’t being frugal — it’s being rational.

 

[Flyfish1]

We splurged for lie flat business from LA to Melbourne. Awesome.
On the way back we decided to save a few bucks and flew Premium Economy from Auckland to San Fran. Frankly it was fine - we were pretty exhausted from the tour we were on so it was fine.

 

[FlaMariner]

We have sat/layed in all the seats the airlines sell....from steerage to lay flat with food served on china with flutes of champagne.

We arrive miserable no matter the method....We only book "back of the bus" seats now and we find that we arrive at the airport at the same time as those other classes.....We, instead, have chosen to spend our dollars on cruising to distant lands and when we fly, book the cheap seats and plan a day of "recovery" once on the ground......

19 hours on Singapore Airlines in a economy seat was just fine.....We survived and had $$$$ to blow on stuff that matters.

I cannot justify spending $$$ on something that does not create value for us.

This decision is subjective.....Only you can decide what seat and how much you are willing to pay....

For us, no way.

For what you might pay Delta to lay down for 11 hours or so we could cruise for a month.....Value is in the eye of the beholder.

 

[OldShooter]

BTDT. Last year DW and I popped (first time!) for the Delta lay-flat seats from the US to Japan. Waist down you end up lying in an uncomfortable tube where it is difficult to lie anywhere but flat on your back. In that position it is almost impossible to reach the screen and audio controls. Food is nicely presented but nothing special. I think the two seats cost us about $8K. Conclusion: Not a good value and we won't do it again although we could easily afford it. YMMV of course. Good luck.

 

[pacergal]

We tried FC once, for our "retirement celebration trip". DH was able to enjoy the destination from the moment he stepped off the plane, instead of having back pain for a couple days recovery.
Have never gone back to any other seat. Fly FC all the time now. It's priceless for DH health and enjoyment of travel.
We may travel less, due to costs, but the pay off is worth it to us.

 

[frank05]

Don’t restrict yourself to US airlines. Try others like Air NewZealand or a Middle East airline. I found that Turkish Airlines usually have good business class prices.

 

[Koolau]

We, too, could afford any "seat in the house" but have settled upon eco-plus for our annual round trip from Paradise to the Heartland. That's a 9 hour trip. Best value for the money.

50 years ago (first Island trip) we got bumped to First Class upon our return. It was a very nice and memorable flight. I'm glad we got to do it. But to pay the extra just would seem "excessive cost" in terms of actual value.

We've debated every time about upgrading but just can't seem to pull the trigger. Some habits die hard, I guess. YMMV

 

[Aerides]

I'd shop around but there's a price for arriving well slept vs. cranky and creaky. It's not about the 12 hours in the plane, it's about the 36 first hours of your trip.

And about the idea of what awaits you for the return after you've just had a lovely vacation. Back to cattle again or a nice restful journey?

What else are you going to spend it on, after all.

PS a $500 international economy probably doesn't include carry on, checked bags (ok maybe one), or assigned seating, or good seats, or any of a plethora of things that come with the higher grades. I never ever book basic economy anywhere, not even for a 2 hour flight.

 

[TripleLindy]

Have never gone back to any other seat. Fly FC all the time now. It's priceless for DH health and enjoyment of travel.

Bingo!

 

[Aerides]

Oh and you are also less likely to have a screaming infant within 2 rows, or a 4 year old kicking the back of your seat. Business/First isn't immune to these of course, but they seem to be less frequent events. A 12 hour flight next to a toddler requires...sedation (for me or the baby? You decide).

 

[Winemaker]

Our seats on Delta to HNL from LAX were in first class first row. I'm 6'5" and was still not enough room. The "tube" was curved to the left and did not allow my size 15s to be comfortable. DW loved it but she is 5'9".

Don't know if I would ever pay $14k for a seat/seats.

 

[HawkeyeNFO]

Why pay for it? Use miles. Every time I checked, using miles is a far better deal than paying money for Biz or FC.

 

[Aerides]

Why pay for it? Use miles. Every time I checked, using miles is a far better deal than paying money for Biz or FC.

Not hard to use up. And the value of miles has dropped a lot in recent years. Last time I went to Japan in 2015 it was about 200k round trip. Last year it would have been 700...

 

[PaunchyPirate]

Why pay for it? Use miles. Every time I checked, using miles is a far better deal than paying money for Biz or FC.

Of course, but not everyone has hundreds of thousands of miles to use toward long trips like these.

 

[marko]

We fly first class mainly because we never thought of flying any other way. We view it as just the cost of living.
4,000,000 miles on Delta

 

[Koolau]

Not hard to use up. And the value of miles has dropped a lot in recent years. Last time I went to Japan in 2015 it was about 200k round trip. Last year it would have been 700...

Yes, and now that it would maybe be nice to use miles, they're all used up after 20 years of retirement. I find that cash-back instead of miles credit cards is WAY more efficient (though YMMV).

 

[Lorenzo]

As I suggested in that other thread, don't think of it as paying for an upgrade to the flight experience but rather think of it as paying for an upgrade to your physical state when you arrive. A lie-flat bed for a 13.5 hour flight can make all the difference in whether you feel okay your first day there or feel like a zombie. What is that worth relative to the cost of whatever you're doing once you're there?

I just can’t do it. I have the money, but I just cannot bring myself to cave into Delta’s ridiculous pricing.

This sounds a little bit like the "stick it to the man" or "they're not going to take advantage of ME--I'm too smart for that" attitude that we seem to acquire as we get older. We're too old and wise to play their game, right? Wrong. It costs what it costs. If the money doesn't put a dent in your wallet, I say do it.

 

[Onda]

As I suggested in that other thread, don't think of it as paying for an upgrade to the flight experience but rather think of it as paying for an upgrade to your physical state when you arrive. A lie-flat bed for a 13.5 hour flight can make all the difference in whether you feel okay your first day there or feel like a zombie.

The real question is not “is it better,” but “is it better by $4–12k?” Or put another way, is it worth up to $1,000 an hour? If that’s the benchmark, then a luxury condo at the destination for $6-8k a month is certainly a far better use of money.

 

[Stormy Kromer]

This might not be popular. I used to drive a John Deere tractor with no cab in November in Minnesota for 14 hours a day getting paid nothing. The thought of paying thousands of dollars extra to fly first class for 14 hours is something I will never, ever get myself to do. I compare it to making thousands of dollars for a day's work. Coach is still a lot better than the working conditions a lot of us had while we were making peanuts.

Coach seats in the back row are fine with me. The easiest thousands of dollars I can make in a few hours.

Now, I'm not like everyone. I don't begrudge anyone flying first class. I'm just not wired that way and I can afford to buy a pretty nice used lear jet.

The most fun I have flying every year would be the bush plane flights in DeHavilland Otters and Beavers when I go fishing all over Canada. First class is the seat next to the pilot. Economy would be the other 3-5 seats on the plane. Cost is the same. You get to help load and unload the luggage too. Pilots wear flannel shirts and gladly accept a tip to buy some Molsons after work.

 

[RetiredHappy]

I flew back to Singapore to attend my niece's wedding in March last year and paid $8,500 on United (Polaris) business class . That's the only way that I will fly anymore. If a flight is over 4 hours, it has to be business or first class. I am also a germaphobe and business class seats get me further away from the next person.

 

[Lorenzo]

The real question is not “is it better,” but “is it better by $4–12k?” Or put another way, is it worth up to $1,000 an hour? If that’s the benchmark, then a luxury condo at the destination for $6-8k a month is certainly a far better use of money.

That's why I added, "What is that worth relative to the cost of whatever you're doing once you're there?" If your plan is to sleep the entire first day in a luxury hotel bed, that could offset having gotten no sleep in economy class. But if you have something special planned for that first day, you may not be in a good enough state mentally to appreciate it. If it's a long, less organized trip, it's easier to just write off the first day as a loss and do nothing but sleep.

In the OP's case, they specifically state it's a one-way trip, so I am guessing time is not a factor, and they could head straight to a hotel and do nothing but sleep and relax.

 

[Trailwalker]

I wouldn't upgrade. My budget isn't unlimited or fat fire, and there are things I value more.