To think that friend shouldn't fly first class knowing the rest of us can't

[AhNowTed]

So, 4 friends travelling long haul flight for 2 week holiday. Well-off friend announces she's going first class, on the same flight. No way can the rest of us afford it.

AIBU

crikey, I didn't realise MN was so snobbish. Why cant someone have a more comfortable flight if they can afford it.

Antifrank, that's my kind of dark thinking on planes (have anxiety problems!)

A previous poster upthread says you get constipated in economy but not first class - - is this science? cos of more space and fresh veg in first class, or do they hand out laxatives with the canapes?

The reason you get constipated in cattle class is because of the cheap wine - it contains too much polyethylene glycol compared to more expensive vintage wines, which is known to bung you up

It's an AWFUL flight and I really don't blame her. She's an adult...you all are. Teenage girls might get upset by this but grown women? Really?

I've flown to Aus economy and it was truly horrendous. plus there was only one big tv screen for all the passengers and it broke mid flight!

She is doing herself a big favour flying first, sorry OP!

I wouldn't go to Australia unless I could afford first class or business. Ideally first.

If it was a choice between economy and not going I wouldn't go.

Which is why Ive never been!

Flights to Oz and back
Ugh, ugh, ugh.
Having done the flight in the opposite direction lots of times, I decided a while ago that I would rather not fly that distance, than have to fly economy. It's a long flight in horrible conditions, especially for a fortnight's stay. The minimum I ever considered was for about five weeks, and even then, would not consider economy any more.

I would do this if I could! The flight isn't sociable, just the means of getting there. It really isn't a big deal.

Is she either chubby or a nervous flyer? Either are good reasons to upgrade imo.
I am tall and somewhat claustrophobic - can do 4 hours or so economy, and NY at a push, but I really hate it. Really really hate it. I hate flying anyway but love travel.
I certainly wouldn't hold anything against your friend. I only ever upgrade with Avios - used to have loads when dh travelled a lot for work. Enjoy your holiday!

Australia. YABU. You will all be reading/ asleep anyway and I'd rather guarantee a rest than have someone talking all the time. She can be sociable when she gets there - often going away you're rushing from sorting family life/ work and it's nice to have a rest on the plane. I've never flown first class!

We quite often holiday with friends and the flights are everyone's individual concerns and viewed as "just getting there" rather than part of the actual holiday, so families quite often end up in different classes or even split up-i.e. they get one business class seat and the parents do one leg each and the other in economy with kids. Everyone just has different cost tolerance/ priorities and, critically, different air mile situations. We have friends who fly business short haul which I can't justify to myself but it's up to them.

I'd leave your friend to it.

I would absolutely do this, the flights to Oz are brutal in economy, I do it every year.
The only way to survive is take a sleeping pill and sleep as much as possible!

It's also quite a long way to go factoring in jet lag for only two weeks so she will have less time feeling like she has been hit by a bus

It's not like you are only on a 1-2 hour flight for a weekend in Europe where you will be drinking and being merry.

Sounds a bit silly to be annoyed about it tbh.

Enjoy your trip!

Flying is awful, I don't blame her wanting to bump up to 1st.

Surely it's her choice???

On a college trip to Dubai I upgraded from cattle class to 'premium' cattle class. Not because I'm well off (I'm not) or because I didn't want to be with the other, much younger students, but because on a 8 hour overnight flight I wanted to be comfy!! She's the one that's going to miss out on the bonding and chatting though, whilst you all have a fab time!! If you start to mention it to her then it just comes across as sour grapes. Let it go......

It astonishes me that the "your house, your rules" idea doesn't seem to extend to travel.

Her money, her choice of flight.

There will be TWO WEEKS together to share the holiday. Her travel plans have zero impact on everyone else's. Let's stop saying that people are wrong to spend their money as they wish.

Maybe she is using miles. I regularly fly 1st class to Asia- cost she £550 return and a heap of miles

1st class to Australia (if that what she means and not club or wt+) can be £10,000

I have to say if I could afford it then there is no way I would fly that far in economy.

Economy to Australia must be utter hell (I've never flown for longer than 5 hours and that was bad enough)

Now I don't have a group of friends close enough to want to holiday in Australia together - but if I did and if two of the group could afford 1st and 2 couldn't (as you said you could stretch to it OP) I'd think it would be an excellent idea to share the comforts of the first class seats and swap around every so often during the flight so that everyone got a chance to escape Economy Hell some of the time.

Reminds me of this advert but I expect even the cheapest seats on emirates aren't as awful (or as cheap) as other airlines.

YABU. Long haul? I've done many a long haul flight in economy over the years so I would do the same as your friend ....but then in all honestly I'd book a business class seat and also pay the difference to have friends bumped up too.
Maybe even first class for all of us if money was no object.

Y'see I would feel very uncomfortable about someone paying for an upgrade for me. I would much rather the person just stuck themselves in first class as it would be less awkward and I wouldn't have to feel pressurised to pay for business class.

So many op, she can spend her money how she likes I think. Other grown women are not her responsibility.

Yabu not many.... Stupid phone.

Totally fine. Flights are not part of a holiday, they are the shit bit you need to get through before a holiday starts. Sounds a bit resentful and jealous to begrudge someone making it more tolerable.

I flew to Australia earlier this year and believe me, if I could have afforded to fly first class I would have, . It's not a very pleasant journey..

YABU. We've been to Oz as a family in economy and it's definitely a long flight. If she can afford to, why not? It's not like you do much socialising - you tend to watch films, read or sleep.

Wouldn't bother me. I wouldn't expect a friend to sit in the hell of cattle class just to keep me company, especially if I had two other friends to talk to.

I've flown quite a few long haul flights (15 hours plus) and it is hell in economy. The idea that you will all be having girly giggles after about 3/4 hour is truly funny - ain't gonna happen!

I would be very led by her attitude though as to whether I found it offensive or not, if she was doing a 'sod the plebs I'm orf' then I would be upset but if she explained that she just can't function after 20 hours in economy and was a bit apologetic about it then I would understand.

To the poster who said it would be ok if you flew day time, you will be doing both on a flight that long whichever time you start from.

Could you do a stopover to get some sleep?