Flying business class

[Harrypitty]

My girlfriend of 12 months wants us to fly to Australia to see her family. She has a little boy and has a reasonable income.

I but am lucky to be able to afford to fly business class. It’s a long way and I’m getting old and grumpy and don’t want to sit for 30 hours in a cramped seat.

Thing is economy seats cost around £1400 business is around £5000.

She’s happy to pay her way down the back but can’t stretch to a business class fare, especially for two.

I really afford to pay £15000 for all three of us and but now feel bad that I can’t really sit up front with them down the back.

Should me and my bad back suck it up and travel down the back or AIBU to sit up front while they are down the back?

How ? I have never been offered an upgrade in my life.

Could you book one business class seat and two economy and you and she take turns in the business class seat? (The child only needs economy of course, as they are small.) With a flight as long as the Aussie one, there's plenty of time to share the better seat. Not ideal, but better than a 15k hole in your finances and better than her sitting in the back the whole time.

All fly Economy Plus

Absolutely you should. This is the wrong forum to ask you'll just get hate 😂why you should be uncomfortable is crazy and yes this is quite common to do this, often because one parent has work miles etc, ignore the rubbish answers you will get on this forum!

That’s even more expensive! 😆

Who are you flying with OP? When I fly long haul I’m often lucky enough to get a row of 4 to myself. But you might not, & it’s a chance you take.

I'm torn about this because like you, the idea of sitting upright for 30 hours to go to Australia gives me the yikes. I would almost rather not go. You travelling in a different class would be really obnoxious, though. At the same, time, 15k is a lot of money.
Is there any scope for her booking, say, premium economy tickets and you upgrading them to business class?

I get it, I have a bad back too. In those circs, I'd not go with them. Problem solved.

I've tried doing this but there doesn't ever seem to be much of a proce difference. Maybe I'm just not seeing the cheaper flights.

I'd go up front! It's not a long term serious relationship where you'd expect expenses to be shared etc, it's 12 months in. Would I hell be flying for almost a day in economy if I could afford business.

It's not a long term serious relationship where you'd expect expenses to be shared etc, it's 12 months in

Indeed, @WellINeverrr
I'm just trying to imagine the responses if the poster was a woman in a comparatively recent relationship where the OH couldn't afford the same ... but let's not go there

In business class,m? Economy is not usually that much difference

Pay for everyone business class or slum it - not going to kill you - but she might if you do this!

My husband has done this in the past on long flights, especially where he has to work the next day. He's 6'5" and I'm 5'6" and I don't mind. It's 'our' money so I don't want to spend more than we need but I also don't want him uncomfortable for 10+ hours.

'I'd go up front! It's not a long term serious relationship'

It never will be if you pull this lame move

Surely a stop over on each leg of the journey is the answer. You get a night's sleep and not much jet lag at each end.

For example I'm flying back from Sydney to London. Will be stopping in Singapore for a couple of nights to break up the journey.

The travel agent therefore booked me on Singapore Airlines as economical and a decent carrier. I've booked a reasonably priced hotel in Singapore.

OP, thats the issue with a wealth gap.
Either you compromise your lifestyle or become skint. I would look at this in a wider context of how the relationship could look further down the line.
oh and if you were a women, you’d be told to ditch the dead beat because if he wanted to go biz class he should have got a better job.

Might be the better outcome tbh.

OP, as another poster said, this is an issue with income gaps like this. You shouldn’t be expected to pay for her an her child (on that note, there are plenty of blended families which don’t have an ‘all in’ approach to finances, so that isn’t some inevitability you have to accept), not forego your own comfort on a long haul flight.

He's not a stepfather, he doesn’t have any parental duties over her son or any duty to pay for him.

Yeah business class. I've been searching mainland europe (various airports) to Tokyo. Really not that much of a difference. Disappointing as I'd heard you can make significant savings but I can't seem to find these deals.

Exactly. And with only a 12 month relationship, he is nowhere near being in stepfather category!

Do you have any tips for finding where the best airport is to look for connecting flights? Or do you tend to just search the big international European hubs? Travel with kidsl is so expensive so any advice gratefully received, thank you!

It's a case of going on Google flights. Put destination in then try various starting points. No need to be big hubs. Sometimes smaller airports work better

Depends on being flexible with dates as well. Sometimes a days difference can be much cheaper.

Looks like I’m travelling down the back then. 😂

My boss once sat in economy to Singapore so she could sit with her family, she said if she ever suggests that again I'm to shoot her, then book her first class to the funeral home. 🤣

Explain it's for your back and if she says fine, take her at her word and just fly bus class. Life's too short to spend 30hrs uncomfortable.