Are flight upgrades worth it to you?

[Dopplerineffect]

If you are not rich earning a modest income with a bit of play money. Not talking about the super rich.

Going away with my friend soon,looking at flights it is 2k more for first class ( I know can usually be 10k) then premium economy is another 400. She wants to go premium.

I have flown both but think its a waste for 10 hours but then when stuck in the cattlle market. I have regretted it. However it is only 10 hours.
Aghhh its a waste isn’t it?

I'd at least go for premium. I'm flying home tomorrow in premium economy and will certainly appreciate the extra space.

I don't bother with upgrades, I pay cheapest possible but I do book seats and try and get the ones that are just a 2 together and upper deck on long haul and I'm happy to pay for that, sometimes it's as much as £70 each, totally worth it in economy class.

I just would rather spend the money on my holiday than on a seat

It’s ten hours. It would be worth it to me. Your mileage may vary.

Premium economy if you can afford it.

I fly the same route regularly and only recently have I upgraded. I think it's worth the money if you can afford it for sure.

Also what is the airline? You can see videos in YouTube to see what their version of premium is and that can help if you think it's worth it.

Use a credit card that gets you air miles that you can use for free flights and upgrades. We fly business class for long haul so we get a flat bed but never pay for it outright, always use air miles. Normal spend for our family gets us two long haul holidays a year in business for 'free', although you still pay the tax.

Personally I'd suck it up for 10 hours and enjoy spending the 400 I'd saved when I get there!

I did premium to Barbados, was upgraded. Wouldn’t pay for it personally as didn’t think it was worth the extra.

Is it likely to be busy?

When I flew air Canada to Toronto the plane was only half full. After an hour I moved to premium economy and went to sleep. No one said a word.

I take upgrades when I get them free (frequently due to being a frequent flyer), when I use air miles to cover them OR vary rarely when the airline email me with an amazing upgrade offer and then it has to be no more than a couple hundred pounds for long haul.

I wouldn't pay the money you are talking about. The difference in PE is negligible and even more so with a half empty economy cabin given armrests don't move. Last time I flew in Business I peeked in at PE and it was rammed and utter chaos with half the cabin consisting of grumpy, shouty toddlers while economy was half empty and a sea of serenity

8 hour + flights I really notice a difference in how much better I'm feeling if I land if I've slept and eaten well etc

Sometimes I've been in economy and had a row of seats to myself so I've been able to sleep flat but that's rare now and 80% of the time I can afford to fly business

I’d rather put the money towards the hotel or spending money but everyone has different priorities

For long haul at least premium economy for the extra leg room, I'm 5'8 and DH is 6'4 so for him especially it makes a big difference to his comfort. My mum is 5 foot and dad 5'6, so they don't bother as they feel they don't need the extra space. I am the tallest person in my family, DH jokes that our family heirlooms are a step and a reaching stick, and told my brother (5'6) and sister in law (5'1) they can have them because I've got him now, my niece is almost three and still in 12-18 month sizes. It's all good natured, I'm currently pg and they all keep telling me I'm going to have a giant baby.
So think about your needs and comfort, it's a must for some and unnecessary for others. 1st class always seems like such a huge amount extra, I'd rather have a longer holiday...

foxandbear Which credit card is that?

Would rather upgrade than be in cattle class any day of the week.

If it’s £400 each how much is another seat in economy so you can have your row.

@thenightsky I've done 4x first class returns to the west coast US using air miles from my BA AmEx (I also fly a lot with them too)

Its probably more worth it for a night flight, so you can at least get a bit of sleep. I did premium coming back overnight from Tanzania and it was definitely worth the extra stretch out space.

Not worth it, but then we are not tall people. We'll pay 10 or 15 euros extra for first class on the TGV or Thalys if available though, when travelling on trains.

10 hours is long! Will premium economy mean extra legroom etc?
I wouldnt bother if it was a flight for a couple hours. But anything i consider long haul id go for more comfort.
Id also get me a few G&Ts and sleep 80% of the journey

For a night flight I’d pay to get a window seat so I have something to lean against, that makes more difference to me than having a slightly bigger seat.

TBH I looked at going PE but when I saw it on the plane it definitely wasn’t worth the £300 they were asking. My chance of sleep would only really be improved by being properly horizontal which means first class prices which i wouldn’t pay.

If you can afford it then first every time as it is a world away from premium economy (assuming its first class with lie flat beds and own cubicles/pods).

If money is tight then premium economy.

I personally wouldn't bother, I'd prefer to have the extra money to spend at my destination.

What do you actually get for premium economy?