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

My husband travels for business a lot and earns a lot of miles. We always use them to upgrade flights.

Also got upgraded to first class on our honeymoon.

Incidentally. Johnny Vaughan was on that particular flight. What a monumental bell-end he really is. Wouldn't fill out his own immigration card. Insisted on dictating it to the steward instead

It is not that. The traveller may well be working right up to the moment they step onto the plane, sleeping on the plane, showering in arrivals, and then working again. By sleeping and travelling simultaneously, the traveller's time is used more judiciously.

Or, in the cases that I did it (Business not First), work up until getting on the plane, work on the plane, eat, short sleep, more work, get off plane straight into meetings (in one case, actually in the airport). After 15 hours on board, I couldn't have managed all that on an economy flight.

We've only flown business once outside of it being paid for by work. And that was to a family funeral. We had to fly 36 hours and go straight from the airport to the funeral. As the flights were last minute, the economy prices were really high, but business hadn't changed much, so we went business for the extra bit of care and attention (although, it was AirNZ, and they are always pretty amazing for that no matter what class you fly)

We are expats and the company sometimes pays for us to fly business, depending on the fares. Also my DH travels a lot for work and accumulates lots of miles, which we use to upgrade on our personal travel. I can't lie, flying business/first is amazing, especially if you are on Virgin from Heathrow where they have their own private dropoff area. But I would fly economy every time if it meant my DH was home instead of traveling all the time. I'm not complaining, we are very lucky. Just saying it is a perk we get that comes with significant tradeoffs.

People who fly a lot for work and need to spend their points? What to do if there are only enough points for parents and not DC though?!! What to do?!

Doesn't it depend on your priorities as to what you spend your money on? This is not a criticism because everyone can spend their money how they want. Blingly's family (the 4 of them plus 2 ILs) have spent £34K on flights for one hol. We are not strapped for cash but I would have to be so rich that I wouldn't know what to do with my money, to spend that on flights.

I don't sleep sitting up either - earlier this year did longhaul to FarEast and I swear I barely slept! However, I survived and would rather the £8K plus to fritter away than sleep lying down for 8 hours. I would love to travel FC but something tells me it'll never happen!

I know a couple, two guys, who work really really hard, both with their own seperate businesses. I estimate they spend approximately £100-200K on FC travel and 5-6 hols a year, but as one of them said... we work 90 hours a week when home and love luxury when we are away!

We have 1.5 million avios points with BA and they are near enough impossible to spend without some serious planning. We finally got long haul flights on them for the first time in years. For our next holiday we are cashing in points to get £800 off. I would rather have the ability to get free flights!!

Still don't get quality sleep in flat beds!

I'd be afraid I wouldn't sleep in FC/BC either, and then think "well, that was a waste of money then!"

They complain how difficult it is to spend the miles these days, I'm surprised no one has mentioned this. How do you all do it?

Either book very early, be flexible on destination (some people literally use flight availability as basis for holiday location) and/or be prepared to take the less popular flights- for example Cathay do about 4/5 flights to and from London each day. The day flights are usually available on air miles but the evening flights typically arent.

I'd be afraid I wouldn't sleep in FC/BC either, and then think "well, that was a waste of money then!"

I may not but my kids do and that's all I care about . Generally I sleep fine on flat bed - it's not super deep sleep but I usually get 7 hours in a 12 hour flight so enough to power me through the next day's work or a 2-3 hour drive at the other end. Sitting up I find that whatever pillow I have my neck is just agony from the weight of my (admittedly, large) head.

If you are travelling for business, how come you get to keep the related air miles for own personal use out of interest? (We -public sector- from memory can't do this, they are credited against the corporate account ....Do you also have to treat them as a benefit in kind for tax returns?

Flew business with Emirates - Manchester to Thailand last year......it was amazing!.... We were chauffeur driven to airport ( both ways), fantastic lounges before flight and the most amazing seat ( had a wonderful,sleep!)and food ....plus a fab bar for canapés and cocktails
Also flown premium economy trans Atlantic with Virgin, ( in same cabin as Kate Winslet once!)also fab
Dh and I are both v tall so think it's well worth the extra to travel in style- really helps to make a wonderful,holiday experience for us

My parents once paid for me to fly back from NZ in First class. I was working/travelling out there when I fell pregnant and couldn't fly back until I was 22 weeks due to my job. I think the flight was 4hrs, then 14 hours, then 6 due to changes....It cost them an absolute fortune and I've always been so grateful. God knows how uncomfortable I would have been if I'd paid for the flight myself...

I don't know anyone who regularly travels in First. My dad and step-mum both fly Business with work, but they never pay for it themselves.

Keyser that's me absolutely, it's the neckache that does it for me and I have everything at my disposal - neck pillow, fantastic noise cancelling headphones which honestly are superb, sleeping pill... the lot. Last flight just nothing worked and I watched 4 or was it 5 films back to back, my eyes were square.

We tend to upgrade on flights.

Mostly someone else is paying through work.
Or if we're paying then at least its a tax deductable expense.

We often use air miles to upgrade when flying with the family. Or a mixture of cash and iar miles.

I'd be afraid I wouldn't sleep in FC/BC either, and then think "well, that was a waste of money then!"

Of course you would. A Nightol washed down with a couple of glasses of champagne or G&Ts just after take off, some decent noise cancelling headphones with some relaxing music and bingo, job done. Wake up just in time for breakfast before landing.

The only tough bit is deciding whether to get a good night's sleep and have the flight over with quickly, or stay awake to enjoy all the yummy food and wine, watching films with the bliss of having your legs outstretched in front of you and drinking and all the lovely food and booze that you'd miss if you slept.

It's a dilemma.

We recently did an 7 hour overnight flight where we took off at 1am and there was only a two hour time difference so we were looking forward to a relatively normal full day ahead of us. We had a heavy schedule to get through in only four days so it was important that we didn't waste the first day being exhausted and groggy.

We opted to fly BC and sleep as soon as the plane took off. It was so fantastic waking up about an hour before landing, having some decent coffee and breakfast and being able to hit the ground running. It meant our first day was much more productive than it would otherwise have been, which was important in a four day trip.

As someone else has pointed out, it's quite often not the person concerned paying, so the answer is 'the company that employs them'. The moderately rich do this - the ultra rich, like the Ken Folletts of this world don't want to slum it with the plebs in first class and hire (or own) a private jet.

Lots of people on here justifying flying Club/Premium Economy/Business here - fine, treat yourself occasionally - but the issue is that (real) First Class will cost probably an average of £4,000 - per leg - which I imagine would buy you quite a few premium economy tickets, and seems a pathetic waste for a single 9 hour flight. Rock stars for instance quite often don't realise that they are paying for this out of their sales - I imagine a sly (and responsible) businessman who owns his own company is probably going to fly Easyjet and invest the balance in his company.

ric I think it depends how much flying you have to do and how well you travel. Also, do you have to hit the ground running at the other end.

There is nothing business savvy about being constantly knackered and unable to work properly.

Honest Lavender I did all you said... wonderful noice cancelling headphones, sleeping tablet, glass of wine etc etc and did not sleep a wink on a 13 hour flight - would hate to risk it lying down for £4,000 and the same happened!

Anyfuckers, a lot of the obvious names have gone, so if you try (say) "ElizabethBennett" then "MrsRossPoldark" then "HalloMyNameIsInigoMontoya" you might conclude that it's impossible to name change. But just keep going, and if all else fails use something that's very specific to your everyday life - whatever's pissing you off at this particular moment. Or stick a pin in the Bible (or Roget's Thesaurus) and use the first verse you find. Or the first three things on your shopping list. Just keep trying until you find something that works as a placeholder, because you will not get any love using that name.

Army it's a massive house. His walk in wardrobe is almost the size of my kitchen diner and his home gym is above his triple garage.

My SIL works for someone that has their own private jet and yacht but it's just a cheapo yacht at 25 million apparently according to her by what are deemed big boat standards.

roussette I can't sleep either. I've given up trying.

But I still find an upgraded flight a zillion times more relaxing than cattle class. At least I'm not totalled by tiredness.

In his last job when we were expats, DH spent more time on planes than a pilot - and I am not exaggerating. This would often involve flying through several opposing time zones over a week and then doing a senior job in between. He had to be able to rest/sleep and work while travelling, so his travel was 100% first class on Emirates and BA. He was the uber top loyalty grade on both!! This meant minimum waiting times at airport - no queuing for check in /buses etc. As a result he had a squillion points and would upgrade DS & I to at least business and sometimes first. I hate flying and flying business/first with the lounge/extra luggage etc was one of the things that made it a bit more bearable.

I book business class for my execs when travelling all over America. The prices make my eyes water and can be the cost of a new car!