Ever flown business class? Is it worth it?

It is absolutely worth it. Makes a huge difference in arriving exhausted or just a bit tired. Less stress in the airport, being able to lay down and sleep during flight.

And it just takes the experience of flying, which is a bit crap these days, and makes if feel like a bit of a luxury.

I would and £400 per person is not high. I doubt you will win the bid with £400. It may be worth checking the number of biz class seats left on your flight ?

Would it be 400 each? No if so, if money is tight

The booths are either single or double, would they be ok with that? I’d not bother myself and instead look at if there’s bookable hotels airside

I have done it a couple of times when long haul flights have been at times I would usually be sleeping - I think it is totally worth it to lie flat and be able to sleep the whole flight. I really struggle with tiredness and need to lie down. If your kids won't let you sleep then it is not worth it....

The food, drinks, service etc don't make any difference to me - its all about lying down.

Long haul? Yes, every time for the last 10 years. And yes, it’s always worth it.
Short haul? Business class is shite and I don’t bother.

That’s why people need to look at airlines and plane configurations. Even the same airline has different set ups depending on the the route/plane they fly. Some are not worth the money and some are.

I flew business class from Dublin to Chicago with Aer Lingus three years ago and wouldn’t do it again. They ran out of the dessert I wanted on the way over and ran out of the main course I wanted on the way back. Also as I was sitting by the window I had to climb over the person bedside me to use the loo. On the way over I was sitting beside my partner but on the way back I was beside a stranger.

So yes I’d definitely do it for £400pp.

But! You say old configuration of plane - does the lambs have premium economy also? I’d check you weren’t upgrading to that.

The old BA layout isn’t brilliant but better than economy still.

Be warned you may still have to pay for seat reservations (and at a higher cost).

Virgin upper layout isn’t easy with kids as you are one behind the other so can’t see each other or reach easily. Also the new seats are very hard with the join mid back. However depending on your kids this may be ok. Service is good with a bar you can stand at and the lounges and fast track great.

Business class is definitely worth it to me, and for £400 it's a no-brainer IMO. But is £400 the cost for the upgrade, or the minimum you can bid? I believe they often open bidding to all economy and then whoever bids highest gets the upgrade. Which would likely be much more than £400.

Most importantly though, you do need to make sure you're going to be able to connect. 1 hour is cutting it really, really fine even if you're arriving and departing the same terminal as any delay at all could be disaster. Boarding starts about 40 minutes before departure, so you'll only actually have 20 minutes from landing to get to gate, if the hour is from landing time to departure time. Plus, if you're flying into the US from outside the US, you have to completely leave the airport and check in again. So collect bags, go through immigration, go through customs - then find your way back to the front door with all your luggage and children, check in, go through security etc etc. 6 hours would be really, really close in JFK... I'd say you're much better using the money to get a nice room in an airport hotel plus transfers, then fly the next day after a decent night's sleep.

If you think the actual flight will be manageable, I’d focus more on the layover. You can often pay for lounge access or a hotel even. You can also pay for airport fast track or mag be eligible for other cafe if you ask for assistance? £1200 for one way/one leg(?) will comfortably get you decent travel pillows, blankets, noise cancelling headphones, a hotel room and more spending money to enjoy your holiday or save for the next one.

If you can get a gold Amex card you’ll get 4 free passes for Priority lounges. Most airports you can then pay a small fee to book to guarantee entry. My DH and I both have this so we can use the lounge in both directions. If you have a friend who already has one get a referral code because you’ll get even more air miles. Just be aware there’s no guarantee of an upgrade when you bid with Virgin. Depends how busy the flight is. Business class is good but I only ever fly it if I have enough airmiles. We use it because DH is very tall - if your kids fit easily in a standard seat I wouldn’t bother.

Yes long distance is worth it, short continental flights not really.

@LowFlyingBacon

Most larger airports have 'buy in' lounges. You don't have to be flying a particular airline etc, you can just buy a day pass. In some cases you can book them in advance. Google the airport name + 'buy in lounges'.

My son travels frequently for his work and will only fly business or better. Of course, he doesn't pay, his employer does. I've occasionally looked, but I guess I'm just too cheap.

Personally I would not bother upgrading, especially if money is tight. Nice as a flat bed is, you’ll have a row to yourselves on the plane and being with kids means enough room. You can just pay for the lounge at Heathrow. Flying business or first internally in the US usually does not entitle you to lounge access and they are very busy anyway and cannot be accessed (if at all) til 3 hours maximum before your flight

Virgin lands at JFK Terminal 4, which is actually rather nice these days. Plenty of restaurants and cafes and places to sit. If there is no line at immigration then you might be able to do it in an hour (rechecking your bags is easy and close to where you emerge from customs) and then a quick trip upstairs for security and your onward flight. However, if there is a line at immigration then you’d be screwed, so I would be happy with the change.

Long distance I’d love to do it and for £400 I’d jump at it.

Would you be able to trust your children to behave appropriately if the fasten seatbelt sign came on during the flight? If not I wouldn't even consider it because you're not going to be able to reach them with your own seatbelt on even if you're in adjacent seats. If you're in economy you'll be next to the children and so any messing about could be shut down quite quickly, not so in business.

I would rather a 6 hour layover than 1 hour!!! JFK is a huge and horrible airport, 1 hour would never be enough. I’ve had really bad experiences trying to transfer there.

Additionally, whenever I’ve transferred planes in the US I’ve had to exit passport control and then “re enter” through passport control because of US immigration rules. As you can imagine, this can take a lot of time.

Good point. I have only ever seen the upgrade to the next class. So are you economy or premium economy?

Yes, though modern business class seems to be designed so you can’t see anyone else ( you kind of have your own private booth), which may not be ideal with kids. We got the middle seats which do have a divider you can open, my teenager kept closing it when I opened it, ASD ten year old liked being able to see us. As a family of 4 it worked well as DH had the seat next to her, and I sat behind her so could get to her easily ( if there’s only one adult you have to walk round the back if the cabin to get to the person your sat next too). It was also good to be allowed more luggage than we needed ( or one could carry). You’ll always be able to see over the dividers when standing cause the flight attendants need to. Only other thing I discovered is that lie flat beds make travel sickness worse so I ended up having mine more like a recliner.
The majority of the food was actually edible, and some was even nice, which made a change from the normal airline fare.

I real business class you never really sit next to someone - that’s sort of the point. so at take off for example you wouldn’t see them if they sit next to you as the seats are separated by a “wall”.

£400 each upgrade is premium economy not business class. Business class long haul costs thousands.
less than one hour layover with children with additional needs is very tight, I wouldn’t even do that with kids without needs.

Depends on the flight, airplane etc. If on a small plane it isn't a big difference and not worth it. On larger, longer flights it's really nice

I also love business class but JFK is such a short flight that I don't think its worth it. (Can't really afford/justify it these days either)