Upgrading

[Ash39]

I'm planning on travelling ( stateside and beyond) in the new year, and an opportunity ( gift) and occurred which might enable me to upgrade my flight.
I've only ever travelled in economy before. Is it worth it?
Does it help prevent jet lag? I mean, it's obviously more comfortable but would love to hear from anyone with experience of it before?

It depends what you plan on upgrading to... Premium economy, business or first class?

It doesn't prevent jet lag no. It will mean more comfort, better food etc depending on what you're upgrading too, more ability to sleep.

It also depends on airline. Premium economy is definitely worth it on Virgin and I upgraded us both ways to US recently with air miles bought with tesco vouchers! But premium not worth it on BA.
Virgin seems to only have one upper class after premium.
Business is great but I'm not sure I'd splash out on first unless you are going on a 12+ hour flight and even then it depends on airline- some business class are as good as other's first class.
So research: you can check out seat dimensions on seatguru (for example you get 4" more width with Virgin premium than economy but hardly any more width with BA premium) as that might be the biggest difference. Food is also better but it's never great. Service better as better ratio. Also you get to board earlier, might get fast tracked etc.

How long will your flight be? For a 6/7 hr east coast flight it’s definitely not really worth paying for business class, premium economy on the way back perhaps. By the time meals are served there’s only a couple of hours until breakfast. Not long enough to sleep properly. For West coast flights business is worth it.

Definitely depends on airline

BA business class is not worth the money
Virgin premium is great

Agree with PP if you're just doing east coast I wouldn't bother, buy extra legroom for £80 instead
However a 12 hour night flight is deffo worth it but know your product

I travelled with United recently and me, my husband and our 4 children got upgraded for free (to premium economy) on our bargain basement flights. We were much more comfortable but I'm not sure I would have paid the extra £600 each they were charging if we hadn't been upgraded.

BA premium economy don't bother.
Virgin economy to premium economy - yes if it's not too expensive.

Jet lag out from lon to NY is fine honestly it's coming back that sucks so maybe consider a one way upgrade???

Premium economy- only worth it if it’s not that much more. It’s just a slightly larger economy seat.
Business class- definitely worth it if affordable.
First class- I’d say probably not worth it given business has a flat bed unless there’s only a marginal cost difference.

You would be better off choosing your flight based on what plane they use. The Airbus A380 pressurises the cabin more so its much less stress on your body. Makes more of a difference than economy versus premium. Norwegian fly A380s from the UK to USA

The 787 is actually better for reducing jet lag and excellent cabin pressure
They also dim the windows which then change slowly to make things a little easier

Some of the A380s are getting on for 12-14 years old and are not as clever as the a380

However I love the A380 and will look for that or 787 when booking long haul
I love big planes!

Should icelandair do your route I find it’s worth splitting the journey and upgrading to premium economy as that lands you a business seat with economy food. As I don’t care about the food upgrade and do care about the seat it works for me

I think Virgin operate 3 classes as do Air Canada. BA operate 4. So their pricing and service isn’t the same as a 3 class system. I mostly fly business (Club) on BA for long haul. We have just booked Buenos Aires return in Club for £2,200 each - total. To sleep in a lie flat bed is just heaven. You are more relaxed and it means you are less likely to be sleep deprived. You get the lounge at Heathrow and board early so you can settle in with champagne.

I have done PE and that’s rarely worth it.

Thanks for all your comments. All very helpful and interesting. I'm travelling to San Francisco, and presently looking at going with Aer Lingus via Dublin

Aer Lingus have a bidding system for upgrades - you go on their website and make them an offer. I've never done it though as every time I've tried it says there is no availability.
Aer Lingus are not a high quality airline.it feels low cost - the food is bad and you have to pay for alcoholic drinks even on long haul. The massive advantage is that you clear US immigration in Dublin and land domestic in the US, saving potentially hours of hassle.
Enjoy your trip however you get there!

SeaToSki

"The Airbus A380 pressurises the cabin more so its much less stress on your body. Makes more of a difference than economy versus premium. Norwegian fly A380s from the UK to USA"

You're thinking of the Boeing 787, Norwegian doesn't operate the 380, which in any event operates at a fairly standard cabin pressure.

In any event I think the quality of the seat and it's ability to recline (especially flat bed vs. "normal") makes more of a difference to one's feeling of wellbeing, especially on an overnight sector...

I’m cabin crew on both the A380 and 787 and I don’t feel any better on either aircraft, despite the hype!

The best way I found to reduce jet lag is to travel on a Dreamliner, I’m not what it is with the planes that made such a difference compared with previous flights.

The 787 (Dreamliner) flies with it's cabin at a higher pressure (lower cabin altitude) than traditional types such as the 380 and the 777. Boeing says that means people end up with better hydration and less stress than on the older types.

I've heard some people who fly/work frequently on both types(such as Honeyroar) say they don't notice the difference, other swear blind they always come off the 787 in better shape.

I definitely noticed a difference.