Willingly paying more to avoid travel discomforts at 60+

sengsational said:
I know this thread is about spending money for comfort, but I don't think what they call premium economy does much for people with a normal length femur. The only thing the airlines have that I want is space. I have the credit card to get me on before most, so I get overhead space. The couple of inches of improved "rake" of premium economy isn't worth anything to me. The credit card takes care of checked baggage fees. I don't want their drinks or snacks. So for me it's cattle class or business class... nothing in between.
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+1

What's the point of the constant posts about...I can only fly business class because...
Maybe we should start a thread I can only drive new vehicles that start at $100K.
 
sengsational said:
I know this thread is about spending money for comfort, but I don't think what they call premium economy does much for people with a normal length femur. The only thing the airlines have that I want is space. I have the credit card to get me on before most, so I get overhead space. The couple of inches of improved "rake" of premium economy isn't worth anything to me. The credit card takes care of checked baggage fees. I don't want their drinks or snacks. So for me it's cattle class or business class... nothing in between.
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A premium economy configuration we will choose is one where the side rows have only 2 seats. If it is just DW and I in a row, we will be very comfortable :).

While not "premium economy", we have gotten into the A group on Southwest early enough to get the "2 seat" emergency row, which is great. It also becomes amusing to point out to non-that-observant fellow passengers who want to sit in the window seat that "sorry, there is no seat at the window" :) .
 
JS, I agree that quirk of airplane configuration you mentioned is some "space" worth paying for. I've never been so lucky or crafty to sit in one of those.
 
FD1000 said:
+1

What's the point of the constant posts about...I can only fly business class because...
Maybe we should start a thread I can only drive new vehicles that start at $100K.
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People's attitudes towards luxury spending vary a lot. Many people have no problem spending lavishly on physical things like houses, boats or cars and that's fine. However, it's exactly the opposite with me. I recently I dithered for weeks before buying a Honda but I bought business class tickets to Thailand without a second thought. And that's fine too :)
 
Gumby said:
Precisely. Perhaps those who find the whole topic to be foolish, wasteful frippery can pass on by.
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I don't see a lot of comments that it's foolish frippery, but there are some that are saying that they don't see the value for them.

Nothing wrong with that, differing opinions should be welcome. Those that aren't interested in a different opinion can just pass by those comments.
 
We often book airport hotels (in or adjacent to the terminal) to cut down on long layovers (day rooms) or overnight. Often they result in a much lower fare if they are at a hub, where the connecting flight is priced much higher when they are bought together. It is more comfortable (and against the thread, often much cheaper).

However, I have distinct memories (nightmares?) of the former hotel that was located in the Helsinki Airport. I had to stay 3 or four nights in the hotel on business. The meetings were held in the adjoining conference room area. It was terrible space to spend more than a day, by any standard. The rooms were like inside ship cabins, only smaller. It was about 6 feet wide and maybe 11 or 12 feet long. I think the customer suggested the location on purpose.

Just one comment on premium economy --- I rind there is a wide variety of seat configurations that fit this category, from airline to airline, and even within aircraft type. The best are wider, better padding and have expanded pitch., similar to domestic first class.
 
My frugal bone just cannot let me pay 3 times the amount for a business class seat over a premium economy seat. I can afford it but I just cannot appriciate the difference for the $. We travel as a couple and generally book a window and aisle seat. What if we just buy the empty seats between us? That would make the flight so much more bearable and give us elbow room. Does anyone know if that is possible?
 
Palmtree said:
My frugal bone just cannot let me pay 3 times the amount for a business class seat over a premium economy seat. I can afford it but I just cannot appriciate the difference for the $. We travel as a couple and generally book a window and aisle seat. What if we just buy the empty seats between us? That would make the flight so much more bearable and give us elbow room. Does anyone know if that is possible?
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Buying the extra seat is a common practice. I know a guy that buys rhe whole row. Some airlines have a special box you can check. When you buy it they cannot put someone there.

Its been discussed here in detail....and to death.
 
oiseux said:
However, I have distinct memories (nightmares?) of the former hotel that was located in the Helsinki Airport. I had to stay 3 or four nights in the hotel on business. The meetings were held in the adjoining conference room area. It was terrible space to spend more than a day, by any standard. The rooms were like inside ship cabins, only smaller. It was about 6 feet wide and maybe 11 or 12 feet long. I think the customer suggested the location on purpose.
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I think that I know the hotel that you are referring to in Helsinki Airport. I had a colleague stay there once and he said "never again"!. I always walked down the road and spent the extra bucks to stay at the Airport Hilton - especially nice when I could get a room with an in-room sauna!
 
jcfradio said:
I think that I know the hotel that you are referring to in Helsinki Airport. I had a colleague stay there once and he said "never again"!. I always walked down the road and spent the extra bucks to stay at the Airport Hilton - especially nice when I could get a room with an in-room sauna!
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A frugal Chinese employee thought he'd impress the big boss (me) by saving company money and getting me a room at a cheap hotel in Shanghai, different from my usual four room suite at the St Regis. (Four rooms at St Regis Shanghai was a whopping $185 at the time and came with a butler)

On check in, they give you a key, a flashlight and....a rat trap. A big sign in your room reads: "Do not open your door for anyone! If we need to speak to you we will call you on the telephone".

I had just arrived, it was late, and was too exhausted to argue. One night was enough. Employee would never do that again.
 
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Gumby said:
Once it became evident that we will never run out of money, we decided to fly only business class to cross the ocean, which is not only more comfortable on the plane, but also allows us to use the premium lounges at the airports. We also fly non-stop if at all possible. And we have a prearranged limo service to take us to and from the airport, so we don't need to deal with that hassle.
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I completely agree. I don't buy expensive clothes or fancy watches - I would rather spend extra to fly first class and stay in luxury hotels.
 
marko said:
A frugal Chinese employee thought he'd impress the big boss by saving company money and getting me a room at a cheap hotel in Shanghai, different from my usual four room suite at the St Regis. (Four rooms at St Regis Shanghai was a whopping $185 at the time and came with a butler)

On check in, they give you a key, a flashlight and....a rat trap. A big sign in your room reads: "Do not open your door for anyone! If we need to speak to you we will call you on the telephone".

I had just arrived, it was late, and was too exhausted to argue. One night was enough. Employee would never do that again.
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Inquiring minds want to know. Did you catch a rat?
 
MRG said:
Inquiring minds want to know. Did you catch a rat?
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No. Was just glad to get out of there, but I always wondered where the "free breakfast" they were touting came from.

Oh, and the flashlight was in case you went out or came in late at night because they turned off EVERY single light in the place. Lobby, hallways, everywhere. Emergency lighting? Mmmm, that would be a no.
 
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marko said:
A frugal Chinese employee thought he'd impress the big boss (me) by saving company money and getting me a room at a cheap hotel in Shanghai, different from my usual four room suite at the St Regis. (Four rooms at St Regis Shanghai was a whopping $185 at the time and came with a butler)

On check in, they give you a key, a flashlight and....a rat trap. A big sign in your room reads: "Do not open your door for anyone! If we need to speak to you we will call you on the telephone".

I had just arrived, it was late, and was too exhausted to argue. One night was enough. Employee would never do that again.
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Oh my goodness! Uncomfortable, unsanitary and dangerous. I am pretty mild-mannered but had I faced a night like that, there would have been a very interesting discussion with a certain employee the next day . . .
 
MarieIG said:
Oh my goodness! Uncomfortable, unsanitary and dangerous. I am pretty mild-mannered but had I faced a night like that, there would have been a very interesting discussion with a certain employee the next day . . .
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Oh, there was......he was new. Good guy, just misunderstood the mission.
As noted on another thread, with any kind of travel, you have to roll with the punches sometimes. I was back at the "Saint" that afternoon and everything was back on track.

Actually, one of my least harrowing travel experiences.

Taxi driver driving me out to a dark alley somewhere in Seoul at 11pm and robbing me at knifepoint kind of puts a perspective on things. "I can kill you or you give me money right now". Hotel limousines from then on.
 
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marko said:
snip

Taxi driver driving me out to a dark alley somewhere in Seoul at 11pm and robbing me at knifepoint kind of puts a perspective on things. "I can kill you or you give me money right now". Hotel limousines from then on.
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Yikes, I've never encountered anything like that with taxis in Seoul, and it is nothing I would have expected. Then again the only time I've ever felt unsafe and had to seek safety was in Switzerland, of all places. And I've been to places (3x) where the transport included an armed guard.

A couple of times I did have to have a flash light where the power wasn't available until like morning (like on a regular basis, not an exception). These were non-business trips.
 
marko said:
A frugal Chinese employee thought he'd impress the big boss (me) by saving company money and getting me a room at a cheap hotel in Shanghai, different from my usual four room suite at the St Regis. (Four rooms at St Regis Shanghai was a whopping $185 at the time and came with a butler)

On check in, they give you a key, a flashlight and....a rat trap. A big sign in your room reads: "Do not open your door for anyone! If we need to speak to you we will call you on the telephone".

I had just arrived, it was late, and was too exhausted to argue. One night was enough. Employee would never do that again.
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I was at a Marriott in Moscow, 20 years ago. My boss, our CEO had been a spy based in Moscow about 15 years before. A colleague had traveled quite a bit to Moscow to the company I was visiting with a guy in our same field from South Africa.

My colleague told me every night when they came back to the hotel (in Red Square, not mine) there was a desk set up on their floor to order a girl and the South African guy unabashedly usually did. My boss warned me that a random girl offered at your room was a common security ploy...we were in national security but really low level.

So first night, knock on the door...I look out the peephole and it's a young woman. I ignore but she keeps knocking. So I open the door and say "Nyet." She laughs and reaches over and hands me a stack of towels. I was embarrassed but her amused but reassuring smile made me feel much better!
 
marko said:
A frugal Chinese employee thought he'd impress the big boss (me) by saving company money and getting me a room at a cheap hotel in Shanghai, different from my usual four room suite at the St Regis. (Four rooms at St Regis Shanghai was a whopping $185 at the time and came with a butler)

On check in, they give you a key, a flashlight and....a rat trap. A big sign in your room reads: "Do not open your door for anyone! If we need to speak to you we will call you on the telephone".

I had just arrived, it was late, and was too exhausted to argue. One night was enough. Employee would never do that again.
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Sounds like the place DW and I ended up in the middle of the night once. We never took off our clothes or opened our suitcases. We laid on the bed without even turning it down. We called about the bugs crawling up and down the walls and they told us to come down to get some bug spray. The bugs were immune to it. Bad BAD, really BAD!
 
OnTheBeach said:
I completely agree. I don't buy expensive clothes or fancy watches - I would rather spend extra to fly first class and stay in luxury hotels.
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I could do both and I do neither. The fugal bone is difficult to conquer.
 
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