Business or 1st Class Flights?

[flyingaway]

If you fly in luxury, why do you go to Thailand and Vietnam? People go there largely because things are dirty cheap there. This is like spending $8,000 to get there to eat a $2 street meal.

 

[RetiredHappy]

If you fly in luxury, why do you go to Thailand and Vietnam? People go there largely because things are dirty cheap there. This is like spending $8,000 to get there to eat a $2 street meal.

That's funny. But you do get authentic Thai and Vietnamese food in those countries. Seriously, I don't like to go to less developed countries anymore. I worry about food hygiene and everything else. It is also depressing seeing poverty.

 

[big-papa]

Hi Folks,

I've been retired now for the past 11 months and have always wanted to fly business or first class on a long international flight. I've always flown economy plus or economy but that isn't as comfortable when flying long distances (my back and butt get sore). I'm looking to travel to Asia or SE Asia some time in 2026 or 2027 (China, Japan, S Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, etc).

What Airlines or destinations do you recommend and is business class adequate or 1st class? I know there's a big price discrepancy between the two. Cost isn'tan issue as long as it's not too ridiculous. I'm mainly looking for lie flat seating. No need for extra leg room since I'm short.

Any recommendations would be much appreciated.

During my working years, it was always business class for any flight over 5 or 6 hours and, especially, if it was an overnight flight. The main benefit for me was being able to lie down flat and have some hope of sleeping. Yeah the food was much better and so were the drinks. Other than domestic first class (which is just bigger seats) I never flew first in international. It was never clear what went on up there in international 1st and why I might ever want it - maybe there were people waving palm fronds over the passengers and singing to them. Not sure.

 

[flyingaway]

That's funny. But you do get authentic Thai and Vietnamese food in those countries. Seriously, I don't like to go to less developed countries anymore. I worry about food hygiene and everything else. It is also depressing seeing poverty.

Street foods are not popular in developed countries because most are not fully satisfied with our standards. If you see their kitchens, you probably don't want to eat their foods. But because they are made fresh, they taste good.

 

[RetiredHappy]

Street foods are not popular in developed countries because most are not fully satisfied with our standards. If you see their kitchens, you probably don't want to eat their foods. But because they are made fresh, they taste good.

I am not even talking about street food. I don't eat street food in any country that I visit. Less developed countries are just a little scarier in terms of overall hygiene.

 

[Car-Guy]

Singapore Air for Asia trips, KLM for European.

 

[sengsational]

I haven't done business class from my home airport because the LayFlat:MainCabin ratio is insane (like 8x), but I've done it out of other airports, where the ratio is more like 3x. I think my home airport has too many business travelers where the business "just pays it", so the airlines charge whatever they want.

 

[zangbao]

For Japan, recommend a repositioning cruise. I took one from Japan to Vancouver last year. Twenty-one days for $4000 with the single surcharge included. No jet lag.

But since we're talking business class flights. I recommend Starlux airlines but they only fly direct to Taipei though. I've taken the lie-flats on Zipair (a low-cost airline) from Bangkok to Tokyo and also Tokyo to Honolulu. And I quite like them. No other free amenities (food, blankets and water are extras) but the business class type cubicle seats are comfortable.

 

[turbo89]

Nothing quite like first "in the nose" of a 747 with Singapore Air.

Dom Perignon pre-flight, a wine list in a leather bound book (just the wine lables), bathroom double in size.

Yea, the second floor if a 747 is pretty good, I also like the 2nd floor of an A380 with the bar in the back, Korean Air still has these flying these and while the soft product isn’t as good, the bar is worth taking it once. It’s especially fun if you’re traveling with fond fun coworkers or friends.

 

[PaunchyPirate]

I just booked my flights for my May 2026 cruises out of Southampton, UK. I've been monitoring prices for months and they aren't budging much. Since my departure flight is right after Memorial Day, I'm thinking the prices aren't dropping as the summer tourist season premium is fully in place.

So, I opted for a direct flight from Pittsburgh to London Heathrow on British Airways. I chose to sit in Premium Economy and paid extra to allow me to pick an aisle seat now so they didn't stick me in a middle seat. The last time I flew this same flight, my butt was pretty sore after the 7 hour flight, but this time I will have one of those gel pads that someone discussed in another post somewhere. We will see how much that helps.

Price of flight - $2,597 (1 person)

 

[Midpack]

I guess we're too cheap. We just booked flights for an upcoming trip, and DW said 'how much is first class?' I checked and it was almost exactly double. She said 'no way, Jose' - can sit in the back of the bus for that price. It's only a 2 hour flight, we'll survive.

 

[Pointby2]

I guess we're too cheap. We just booked flights for an upcoming trip, and DW said 'how much is first class?' I checked and it was almost exactly double. She said 'no way, Jose' - can sit in the back of the bus for that price. It's only a 2 hour flight, we'll survive.

Two hour flight? Yeah, you'll be fine.

 

[Diogenes]

During my working years, it was always business class for any flight over 5 or 6 hours and, especially, if it was an overnight flight. The main benefit for me was being able to lie down flat and have some hope of sleeping. ...

My former employer had a blanket prohibition against "premium travel". But it was possible to concentrate flying itinerary on one airline family. I chose United (Star Alliance). United was never known for its generosity in bestowing "elite" status, or in redeeming points for upgrades. But after enough flying, upgrades to business class became a fairly common occurrence... maybe one time out of three. I never experienced international first class, but business class was... OK. I came to prefer older reclining seats to the "lie flat" mini-beds, because I am short yet very broad-shouldered. Shoulders are too broad to fit into the mini-beds, so I'd have to sleep on my side... not very effective. With the reclining seats, I'd stuff my arms under the lap-belt and hope that they not flail-out while sleeping.

Is it worth it? Well, in the good-old-days, those being circa 2005, cabin loads weren't 100%. As a semi-elite passenger, I could talk to the stewardess about getting relocated to an empty row. A row of 4 empty seats in the back of a 747 is more pleasant for sleeping, than a lie-flat seat up in business class. Today, with nearly 100% passenger loads, this is no longer possible. Business class is more prized, because coach-class has become execrably worse. Seats are narrower everywhere, exacerbating the shoulder spill-out problem.

If I were going to splurge on international travel today, I'd first research the seat width, whether it's in coach, "economy plus", business or first. Being able to fit comfortably in the seat, would be my first priority, never mind the food, the service, the ambience or the prestige.

 

[OldConch]

If I were going to splurge on international travel today, I'd first research the seat width, whether it's in coach, "economy plus", business or first. Being able to fit comfortably in the seat, would be my first priority, never mind the food, the service, the ambience or the prestige.

Google Flights does a pretty good job of providing this information but you still have to be careful and keep in mind that equipment swaps are always a possibility.

British Airways often has two non-stop flights between SFO and London daily - one on an A380 and the other on a 777. Google flights describes the A380 seat as a "lie-flat" and the 777 seat as an "Individual suite." I've flown both and the 777 suite experience is far superior IMO. Delta One long-haul is another product with some inconsistent quality. Their 767 cabins/seats aren't as nice as their newer planes with suites (a door).

BA Airbus A380-800 - AeroLOPA | Detailed aircraft seat plans

Hola > British Airways > Airbus A380-800The British Airways Airbus A380-800 is configured 14F 97J 55W 303M. With the passenger accommodation spread across two decks, the A380 offers a wide choice of cabin environments

www.aerolopa.com

BA Boeing 777-300ER type 77H with Club World Suites - AeroLOPA | Detailed aircraft seat plans

Hola > British Airways > Boeing 777-300ER (type 77H)This is the latest version of the British Airways 777-300ER with four classes of accommodation. All aircraft are equipped with Wifi. In-flight entertainment installed is powered by a Panasonic eX3 system delivering content gate to gate...

www.aerolopa.com

 

[livingalmostlarge]

Yeah. On many flights to Japan, back in the day, the 747 only had 8 seats upstairs. Two rows, two seats with an aisle. One flight I was the only one up there. (Before lay flat) the flight attendant put blankets in the aisle for me and I slept the whole way.

my mom really liked the upstairs. I got lucky once and went up when i was bumped years ago.

 

[audreyh1]

Ouch... that one struck home

That’s a major point.

 

[DrRoy]

For an overnight flight, we book whatever has a lay flat bed for sleeping. Often that is business class.

 

[oiseux]

If you fly in luxury, why do you go to Thailand and Vietnam? People go there largely because things are dirty cheap there. This is like spending $8,000 to get there to eat a $2 street meal.

People fly in luxury to these destinations because they want to visit and experience new cultures, landscapes and sights, rich in histories and with lovely people (and for some travelers, family ties). But at the same time, the journey is very long. These countries also have great modern cities and sights, and some tremendous luxury resorts and experiences.

Going to Asia, where I went too many times for w%$k, Singapore Air probably had the best premium product. Cathay was also good, and ANA and JAL. The US airlines were the weakest. I also agree that economy product has degraded (with new tiers inserted in between) while the business isn't quite what it used to be (loved the old upper floor on the 747s). I've traveled in lesser 1st class long haul legs but never the full suites with the full bath/shower combos that are now available. That last step up is too much for my sensibilities, but lie-flat has become a requirement for these longer flights. I've seen the ratio as low as 2 to 3X on some routes.

 

[Flieger]

Went a few times ATL - Shanghai, and ATL to Tokyo for work. Business/1st on Delta about $10k if I remember correctly. No way I would pay that myself.

Once was traveling for work and flying (for some reason) from Quebec to Toronto. Wound up on a "repositioning" of a 747 flight. There were 4 of us on the plane. It took off like an F16!

Flieger

 

[bonvoyage]

We flew Cathay Pacific from NY (JFK) to Bangkok via Hong Kong earlier this year in business class. Was an excellent experience and I can highly recommend Cathay as the seats are wonderfully comfortable and the overall journey time is relatively short compared to other options. The cost was about $6k per ticket. You will have to judge whether it's worthwhile for you.
In general, completely avoid the US carriers because their fares are higher and the overall product is less attractive. We could have flown United from Newark (via Tokyo with an ANA connecting flight to Bangkok). This would have been more convenient for us since we live reasonably close to Newark but United fares are much higher since there is so much business traffic between New York and Tokyo.

 

[jcervini]

One of our most memorable long-haul trips was on Air France booked through Delta from LAX to Warsaw through CDG for $2k round trip in business class in 2023.

Air France LAX CDG was very comfortable and the food was great. I'd certainly fly them again and especially at that price. Window seat across from me was occupied by a large black standard poodle with a pearl collar (necklace).

Return flight from Warsaw was cancelled last minute but AF rebooked us on Lufthansa via Frankfurt with virtually no delay. I did a double-take when I saw that we were in 83A and 83B. Turns out we were upstairs in a 747 cabin with only about 20 seats total. DW and I had 4 windows to ourselves, tons of storage, and the cabin crew practically spoiled us. Seats were 2 by 2 and not the newest but it was a daytime westbound flight so NBD.

Only other 747 experience was way WAY in the back returning home from service in Berlin in the 80's. Never dreamed that I'd experience the upstairs one day.

We budgeted for 1 international trip in economy per year when we retired in 2016. Discovered points/miles in 2018 and we've been taking 4 to 6 overseas trips, in the front of the plane, every year since.

We just took AirFrance from LAX via CDG to Budapest Business class, excellent service and food, the LAX lounge is amazing Well worth the expense for those 10 hour+ flights....

Favorite so far has been on Emirates the A380 from JFK to India via Dubai......We are heading to Africa and hoping to be able to take Qatar from LAX to Narobi.....

One of my best friends said, if we don't sit in business class now that we are retired, our kids will be sitting their some day

 

[KarenF]

For overnight flights, we book Business Class with lie flat seats. We go with whatever airline works for our schedule. KLM is great (for example). Air Europa (example of a not as great airline) was fine, not quite a comfy and less privacy, but still lie flat.

 

[FI FELLOW]

DW and I just returned from a 34-day cruise trip to Bali, Komodo Island, Australia and New Zealand. We flew business class because the thought of 25 hours in economy was too much to bear.
As the travel agent told us, "if YOU don't fly business class, your kids will"!

 

[shafer9]

This won't be helpful, but I recommend going where somebody else will pay for it. My company sent me overseas >100 times in business class. Gets fun when Delta meets you at plane with a Porsche to take you to the next gate.

It's one of those areas where only the guy holding the wallet can decide if there is value there. Is 10x the cost worth it for 12-24 hours of differential comfort? Do you really need to be upfront, when 5-10x as many people will get to the same place at the same time as you sitting in the back?

Not all decisions are logical. I am getting better at illogical spend with my own money.

Well written. Enjoyed that. Too rich for my blood.

 

[shafer9]

I guess we're too cheap. We just booked flights for an upcoming trip, and DW said 'how much is first class?' I checked and it was almost exactly double. She said 'no way, Jose' - can sit in the back of the bus for that price. It's only a 2 hour flight, we'll survive.

I’m with