Who on earth pays for 1st class flight tickets

[Gregoravitch]

Just got home from a lovely holiday from the US.

We splurged out for Premium Economy tickets and it was bliss, as you enter the aircraft we had to walk through first class and my word it was so bloody extravagant and packed, their didn't seem to be an empty seat.

Out of curiousity I had a look at the prices for the very same flight journey that we took for a first class ticket and the cheapest I could find was around 3 grand and the most expensive was 7 grand

3 bloody grand, if I could afford it I probably would but it seems horribly expensive. A return ticket would be 6 grand and that's more then our entire holiday for 4 for a fortnight cost.

Who are all these people paying these prices?

I'm also very envious, those first class seats looked very comfy

I admit we always go business class for long haul. Once we started we just sort of got in the habit of factoring that cost. Our flights to the UK are not that much more though, maybe £390 economy and £1000 business so not like three grand each or anything. I don't think we are exactly rich but we both get a tax free salary and pay nothing for our villa or utilities and food is subsidised. It's not a normal situation and if I had to scrimp it would sort of defeat the object. We aren't going to be living like this forever. We keep telling ourselves that

BA is gross. The glass screen is covered in sneeze, the seat is filthy. But the best cabin crew in the world, wherever you sit on the plane. I like Saudi best. The planes are so clean but the cabin crew are all cross.

BA is gross

Just don't go there ... I've got a 10 hour overnight flight home with them tomorrow, and after the nightmare of the outbound flight I'm dreading it

DH always flies business or first for work to and from the US and then complains loudly and CONSTANTLY when we travel long haul economy as a family. We did actually fly BC on holiday this year - 2 parents and three children but it was on air miles and cost us barely anything. I certainly didn't think I was better than anyone else but we had the miles and the flights were available so why not? Getting through check in and security extra quickly and then being able to have a nice leisurely relax in the lounge did make rather a lovely start to the holiday though.

I do think there are a lot of upgrades going on. A friend I was flying with got upgraded to business flying back from New York cause a friend of hers works for Virgin. And DP and I got upgraded flying to Sydney cause he had a friend at BA, sadly now retired. On the flight back, where we were in economy, I remember an off-duty BA stewardess sitting across the aisle and being an utter diva. She was looking at us economy passengers in disgust and complaining how she couldn't possibly fly in such conditions. She obviously got upgraded as she disappeared soon after take off. Lovely advert for BA that I thought...