[Anonymous]

[Bullfrog]

I often use a ‘rule of thumb’ when booking Business / First Class tickets.

The rule applies to medium (over 4 hours) haul & long haul flights.

I’m happy paying circa £100 per hour, ie 5 hours each way would cost about £ 1000.

I’d welcome your thoughts or any suggestions for comfortable & ‘added value’ flying.

[LuganoPirate]

If it’s a day flight then I’m happy in Business. Night flight it’s First every time. I want as decent a sleep as possible at 36,000′ not to mention all the other perks.

[Bullfrog]

LuganoPirate

I’ve heard numerous schools of thought … day flight Club / night flight First;
day flight First / night flight Club. Also, when it’s at company expense, the best Class within reason before ‘a meeting’ & economy to get you home.

[Bucksnet]

Bullfrog, £100 per hour means you would be prepared to pay around £1,500 for LHR-JFK, when of course it is at least double that.

£100 per hour for longer Club Europe sectors seems fine though, if BA improve the product of course.

[Bullfrog]

Bucksnet …

Generally the rule of thumb works out at £ 100, sometimes up to £ 150.

I usually get Miami return at £ 1600 to £ 1800.
LAX at £ 2400.

I can assure you I pay nowhere near £3,000 for New York.

[Senator]

Hello,

I have a slightly different spin from the esteemed Gentleman from Lugano. As most of my long-haul being is connected to leisure and not work, . I do enjoy the daytime First trips when I can sample the fine things in life that I really can’t afford. Currently, I only conduct my business in Europe and the UK (see how culturally sensitive I am) 🙂 so I tend to buy CE and Business on BA and LX spending between £250 and £400 on each flight.

With the excellent BA CW bed and the new LX business seat I happily sleep in these overnight.

[JohnnyEnglish]

I’m with Senator on this. Biz is normally good enough to let me sleep so if I were able to choose 1st I’d do it on a long haul day flight to enjoy the fine wines…

[DisgustedofSwieqi]

Business works for me, too.

If I want a first class experience, I’ll pay for a really good hotel/resort and reflect that there is a limit to what is possible in a metal tube way up in the air 🙂

I agree with Bullfrog that one can find pricing to support hie formula, my favourite deal currently is MLA/LON/AUH return in J with KM/EY for 1540 euros, which represents 77 euro per hour (flight time only.)

[Bullfrog]

Yesterday I used the ‘brighton’ offer combined with being a shareholder, LHR to MIA return was £ 1610. That is about £100 per hour.

I opted for the £ 898 return upgrade to First, ie £ 2400. £ 150 per hour . Let’s see whether I’ll get new First or tired, sad, grubby FIrst.

[MartynSinclair]

As long as the seat goes flat electronically, I really dont care if it were economy!

First is great, but I live with the mantra, “around the 2k mark”. As most of you know, more than happy with 60K, if I am upgraded to F, be rude to say no, although in past I have, prefer realy to spend the money as DoS suggests, a night or two in a first class resort hotel

I am always interested in the BOS-LON sector. Hardly time for your meal service, Business or First???

[Senator]

I agree with the hotel part if I am at a resort to relax. In a city when I plan to sleep, have breakfast, work out and spend the rest of the time away it is less important with first class hotel.

I guess upgrades using miles/points (on some carriers) is an excellent way of getting from Business to First. I have some vouchers on M&M that are expiring shortly, so I plan to go First from ZRH to LAX on LX. I simply can’t afford to buy a First fare so I use miles/vouchers.

[Bullfrog]

I go with the ‘optimum’ seat / bed option. Food is not my requirement .. if I want a fine burgundy or Michelin star meal, I do it ‘on the ground’ either in any restaurant I choose or in my own home.

I really am not into the idea of a ‘gift’ to take away. I am paying for a safe, comfy, clean aircraft with the privacy of my own spacious seat / bed.

‘Lounges’ don’t really do it for me either unless I am early for the flight or the flight is delayed.

A few years ago, £ 4500 return LHR / HKG / SYD / HKG / LHR was sheer delight in Cathay’s First Class. Food exceeded my expectation, but it was nearly 50 hours of flying.

[SwissExPat]

I have sometimes found night FIrst flights especially on BA to be a bit wasted besause the Crew often want to serve food very quickly and disappear to the Galley. The service is no better then in Club. (wobetide the passenger who asks for a nice leisurely dinner service well into the night!)

ON a BA USA sector, I believe it it is always better to be First outbound from UK and then a club seat upstairs (747) on the return.

Cant really fault Club world on the overnight sectors.

Of course, Emirates private suite in First is the best, whatever sector!!

[Swissdiver]

Well, I am not paying my airfares… So for me it is a contractual condition of mine: more than 4 hours => Business Class. As I keep a veto right, it is usually with decent if not good airlines… First is always a treat, but generally it comes with an upgrade…

[Author]

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