Flying first class

[MrsExpo]

We have go on a long haul flight later in the year and have been looking at options for flight times, departure airports, fares etc. Having done the research we're more or less decided what we're booking, but just for fun, DH looked at how much it would cost to upgrade to first class. The difference was between just under a thousand pounds for economy to around £6k (each!) for first class .... to get on the same plane, at the same airport and arrive at the same time as everyone else at the same destination.

So .... has anyone done it? Is it really worth the difference in price? What are the advantages? What do you get for the extra ££££ ?

Anyone care to share experiences?

I haven’t seen children in business class

The routes I fly most often have children in business class and on a personal level my own children flew business just as their children now do.

I've seen a fair few children in Business class. Never seen any in First. Must admit my heart skips a beat as I desperately hope they won't be screamers or run up and down the aisles. The majority have been well behaved. I always try and get a window seat so I'm as remote from everyone (both adults and children) as I can be and it minimises my exposure to anyone being disruptive. It's more a problem if you're near the back of the Business as the screaming babies on the front row of Economy will definitely bother you.

As you'd expect, even in Business Class I find the number of children depends on time of year and destination. So a daytime school holidays flight to Miami will be full of kids and 'leisure travellers'. Whereas the overnight flight from Denver to London on a Thursday evening in March is full of business travellers (mainly white men) and is lovely and quiet as everyone has been at work all day and they just want to have a nice meal with some wine and then crash out (or maybe that's just me!! Maybe when I'm asleep they're all partying )

If your flying out of Heathrow.... a little travel hack... find the same flight from a European airport and I guarantee you it will be a third of the cost.

We looked at singapore for next year and to fly first class was something like £12k but if we flew out of another airport it was £4k. Same airline.

And a £60 easyjet flight to europe airport

Done business with Emirates/BA/Virgin Upper Class - all SO much more comfortable than economy and worth EVERY single penny... the flat-bed option can turn a potentially very uncomfortable journey into almost a pleasure/better food/fewer people and even the stewards seemingly having more patience/time and friendliness

Thank you to all the replies about children. I definitely don't aspire to FC but i would love to travel BC just once. I am more than happy in economy short haul so it would have to be long haul to justify the expense. Have a range of travel options for a holiday next year. Might do India Canada or New Zealand. Any one got any advice on airlines which would be the best value on what would definitely have to be a one off experience on our budget. How do I go about price comparing and getting the best price? Thank you any one with any ideas.

Interesting to read that there are some children in BC - we're considering it for a Florida trip along with our autistic son, who can be loud at times.

Those of you who have travelled BC or FC, what's the enhanced service like once the plane lands? We read lots about the premium queues, the lounges, the actual plane. But what's the difference once you land - I know you get off first but is the luggage still on a huge carousel, do you have to join the standard queues at passport control & customs? Or are there premium lanes for those?

But what's the difference once you land - I know you get off first but is the luggage still on a huge carousel, do you have to join the standard queues at passport control & customs? Or are there premium lanes for those?

I can only speak from experience of landing at the airline's home airport overseas:
Yes luggage is usually on the carousel, but FC sometimes gets lifted off and placed in a little fenced off area. It's usually the first few bags off too. Over there I also get fast track immigration and clearance too.

At LHR though all bets are off as far as I recall. I have had the fortune of being first off/no immigration queue/walked up to the carousel as my bag came through as the very first one - I was starting my car 30mins after landing!

Re the children in F or J, I’ve done perhaps 50 sectors in the last few years and have never noticed any children.
Though that may be in some way my comatose self after the meal?
Joking apart, I’ve never been disturbed by a young child in either business or first.

That said, I have been disturbed by a cockwomble adult many times in first, for some reason it seems to be accepted that you can FaceTime at loud levels, WTF! Every time I’ve mentioned it to the crew who have nipped it in the bud quickly

I have been disturbed by a cockwomble adult many times

This reminded me of the awful man who sat near me in Business who carried on with his very loud Facetime conversation while we taxied to the runway and was still talking as we took off and started climbing. This is the only time in a LOT of flying that I've ever complained about another passenger to the crew.

On the whole people behave very well in Business and First but every so often you do come across some spectacularly entitled and rude idiots.

We flew premium economy class to Orlando in 2016 and return first class with virgin via Atlanta.

Out bound was outstanding. We were seated upstairs, free champagne on arrival, 2 seats per row. Yes they didn't convert to beds but it wasn't an issue.

On the way home I was so escorted. Yes it was AMAZING to check in at the kerb side with almost as many bags as we liked (we bought 2 extra suitcases in Florida) and didn't even have to queue in first class checkin as it was fine for us when we stepped out of the car!
To Atlanta I asked what is there to drink. The reply was 'whatever you want'😲😲😲

However the first class flight I wouldn't repeat with kids. We had 4 seat beds but once reclined into a bed I couldn't see the kids (4 and 7) and that stressed me out. We had a little turbulence and I couldn't hold their hands. Lovely if you're on your own but I preferred premium economy to first with kids.

LittleMissEngineer. That sounds an interesting idea and I have a cousin in New Zealand I could spend a couple of days with before setting off touring. Which airline do you advise?

@EggysMom
I have 4 kids. My youngest has ASD and has done quite a few business class flights.
He is always well behaved on a plane anyway because he knows it is the one place he gets unlimited screen time.
The extra space in business is obviously a huge advantage and in business he can plug in his iPad and switch so he doesn’t have to worry about the battery running down in a long haul flight,
If you have to make a connection somewhere the lounges can be great for kids. We were stuck somewhere for about 6 hours once after coming off a 12 hour flight and a couple of the kids just went to bed in the lounge and slept.

BA kindly sat Mick Jagger across the aisle from me last time I was flying first. Which was a nice touch. Although why he didn’t have his own jet I know not.
I will request Daniel Craig next time. That’s definitely worth £6k of ogling.

Sorry, not rtft but, for everyone going on about the loungers, you do realise you can book them for around 25 quid pp regardless of your in flight status?

Lounges

Our bank account gave us a lounge pass which was useful several times, flying with jet 2 for example. What it did show me was that all lounges are not equal. You get nicer lounges with more expensive tickets.

Do those of you who fly first or business regularly use an agent or search on line? What would you recommend for Sydney?

I have flown business on many occasions and first on a few. As comfortable as first was, I found being at the 'pointy' end quite disconcerting at first. Not so great if you suffer from claustrophobia, which is incredibly ironic considering the pitch difference in first compared to economy. On the plus side - it was literally the only times I have ever slept on long haul flights. The bed and pillow (definitely the pillow!) were the best. The food is better. Really though, that's it. I recently flew back from the states, 4'rows back from the rear of the plane and it was great! Brilliant service, comfortable seats. Pillows, blankets. Food - meh, but adequate. I hasten to add that flying business and first were always on a business points system. Would I personally pay for either of those classes? No. Everyone gets to their destination at the same time, regardless of class flown. The only significant difference in my opinion, apart from a well fed first class passenger is the economy passenger is considerably better off financially stepping off that plane!

We usually fly bus class when we go transatlantic with the toddler. We have a trip next month in First (had some air miles from putting our new kitchen on the credit card) which will be her first time but not ours. She gets a proper bed so naps well and with unlimited screen time and snacks I find flying with her pretty easy. I’m yet to see another child in business class as the routes we fly are generally more popular with business travellers, last time I was the only woman!

@rock4please flights to Australia aren't on sale often but sometimes sites like Secret Flying, God Save the Points, Head for Points or LoyaltyLobby will post about deals. They are still quite dear relative to other business routes but especially if you don't mind a cheaper positioning flight somewhere else in Europe for example, you can save a few thousand quid.

@EggysMom with nearly all airlines first and business gets you a special bag tag to help ensure your bag is among the first off the carousel.

Some airlines like Emirates offer a chauffeur service depending on the route.

Some have an arrivals lounge to freshen up when you land (which can be especially nice after landing from a long overnight flight and if you have a bit of time to kill until you can check into your hotel)

Again, many of these things (aside from the priority luggage, that's ALWAYS a perk for premium classes) depend on the airline and what route your flying, the airport facilities. Make sure to check before committing if it matters to you.

@Namaste6 The business and first passenger also typically gets a fully flat bed to sleep on, which especially for longer flights across multiple timezones can make a world of difference.

One of the reasons it's called Business Class, because employers will pony up the money for it to make sure their employees are well rested and fresh and ready to tackle whatever meetings or projects come their way.

It's not just the food, it's significantly more comfortable than economy overall and often the time saving perks and conveniences are very noticeable, namely the lack of queues to check in, fast track security and immigration, etc.