Tell me about Business Class flights

[hillarypcof]

I am planning to surprise DP with business class flights on our upcoming holiday to Singapore (hoping to go next year - covid depending)
Preferably Qatar Airways as their service is incredible.
BA a lot cheaper and mixed reviews.

Are Business Class flights ever worth it? It would be around £6k just for the flights - would be a once in a lifetime experience, but equally could by us 3 more holidays in and of itself!

If worth it I will make some serious considerations, at the moment it is all just a potential - thanks in advance ☺

I really like Emirates business class

We travel BA Club once a year with Reward Flight Vouchers. It's very much a treat, especially overnight when you can actually sleep but I wouldn't pay my hard earned cash for it.
£2000 is an awful lot of money for a nights sleep, I'd rather have another holiday.

We booked with Virgin Upper Class to fly to New York in June for £900 return. We found the deal on Jack Flight Club. If you join the website he sends out really cheap flight deals, not just economy but business and first. Definitely worth a look

Another vote for SQ. The service is incomparable and really enriches the luxury experience.

It’s worth it if you aren’t skimping in other areas to afford it.

For long haul, the most important thing is flat bed. Yes, some are more luxurious than others, but if you haven’t flown business/first before I think you would enjoy the experience whatever airline you choose.

As with any flight choice, take costs, timings, layovers etc into your considerations. No point having horrible flight times and a long layover rather than a direct flight just to travel with a certain airline.

I think some of the Middle East airlines (certainly Etihad used to do this) offer a kind of auction for biz class. You book your regular tickets then place a ‘bid’ to be upgraded. If it’s successful, they take the payment and you travel business, if not, you just travel economy.

Having said all that, Singapore Airlines would be my first choice. They have an amazing business product and you can fly direct from London and Manchester (well, assuming that’s still the case). I’ve never flown Qatar biz class, so can’t comment, Emirates and Etihad are both good, ages since I have flown BA, but it was fine and Turkish Airlines is a good less obvious option. I think the mainland Europe airlines are less good at business class with the possible exception of Finnair. However, still much more enjoyable than economy!

If you decide it’s financially worth it, you’ll enjoy whichever one you choose! I think it’s only a disappointment when people experience short haul biz class as it’s not always much difference. Or some charter holiday airlines offer biz class that’s not a ‘proper’ biz class.

Definitely worth it for overnight long haul. Quieter cabin, more space and flat beds make it much more likely that you will be able to get some sleep.

I remember doing long haul to Vancouver and felt fine getting off the flight, plus we were first off so first to get to immigration.

Now wondering when we will get to fly anywhere but after reading this post, beginning to dream again!

As a treat for DH’s 50th I booked business class as a surprise on Emirates. It was just the best experience - from the minute we were picked up by the chauffeur until we arrived at the hotel. 2 years on we are still talking about it, and as PPs have said, probably wouldn’t do anything but short flights in economy.

DH didn’t cotton on until the airport (thought it was a fluke we got such a luxurious taxi!). Went towards the business class and he pulled me back saying we had to join the queue. Relaxing lounge, champagne, lovely food. IFE is fab, service is fab, food is fab. We had such a good time in the cocktail bars on the A380s. Great to have a shower between flights in Dubai. Flat beds mean a decent sleep, although didn’t want to sleep too much and miss out on the experience!

Wonderful.

I've flown b/c with BA, Virgin and Qatar. The only thing I find that makes it worth it is that you can lie down and get some sleep - I'm never able to sleep whilst sat in economy. BA is ok, the service isn't amazing though and we flew with them in November (we moved abroad) the food was basically economy food instead of the usual higher end food you normally get with b/c. I can only assume this is due to cutbacks from the pandemic. I wouldn't pay for BA b/c myself, it's not all that compared to Virgin or Qatar. We flew B/C Qatar last year (essential travel as my husbands work came to an end in the country we were in at the time so we had to come back to the uk before his next job abroad began) and it was incredible. The three of us were in a Q Suite which was amazing - you can adapt the layout so that if you are a family of 3 you can all face each other and eat round a table in the middle. Then when they lay the beds down at night the two seats next to each other can be set up so it's like a double bed. This was great for us as we were travelling with a 5 year old so he snuggled up to me at bed time and dropped off quickly. If you are a couple it must be nice too. The service was incredible and the food and drinks were delicious.
Saying all that, I personally wouldn't spend that much money of my own on b/c seats. My husbands work pay for our travel between where we are based and the uk so we have been lucky enough to experience it and yes it does ruin travel for you in economy, but I just couldn't justify spending that myself. I'd rather suffer on the journey and have more money to spend once on holiday, or have an extra holiday instead of paying for business class seats.

Business class is weird - there is a real thrill if you have never done it before, but if you analyse it the thrill doesn't quite make sense.

Eg: sitting in the business lounge with free champagne feels special because it's way nicer than being crammed into a row of seats in the main terminal with no free drink..

But in real life, you could buy a bottle of champagne and sit somewhere much more lovely any day of the week, at a fraction of the price!

Similarly, eating off real plates, with real little knives and forks, real, reasonably pleasant food feels amazing compared to waiting for your processed, packaged plastic tray...

But you do this every day of your life outside an airport.

Lying flat feels like an incredible treat because it takes away the pain of trying to sleep upright with some random drooling on you...

But we get to do that in a much more comfy bed every other day.

So it's a joy by comparison. There is also an instinctive, status driven joy of knowing you are getting better treatment than people 2 metres away. (Not nice to acknowledge but true).

Basically, You spend the flight feeling lucky and special.

As a one off it is great fun, and if you do it, make sure you turn up early so you can enjoy the business lounge.

However, as an actual luxury, you can spoil yourself way better, for way longer, with numerous other ways of spending your money.

You're right, of course, @BraveGoldie

But the flight is often the worst part of the experience. You queue up to check in, queue at security, herded about, cramped into an uncomfortable seat for 6 hours with unsociable people reclining and sticking their feet through the gaps on the chairs and the loos are always manky within an hour. You arrive tired and sore, and the return journey takes the shine away from what was hopefully a lovely holiday.

We go very few holidays abroad. It was such a perfect end to end experience flying business class as a one off. Although if I was to do long haul again I'd certainly consider it.

Oh totally! Not saying it's not wonderful.... especially on return leg! Just that if it's genuinely a choice between that and other ways of spending the money.... it's a toss up! 🙂

@Hairbrush123

BA use an A380 on the LHR-SIN route which is the largest passenger aircraft.

Not at the moment they don't and haven't for about a year.

Background to this is pre-Covid BA had two daily services LHR-SIN...

Only one of them, the BA 11/12, was usually operated using a 380 (that was the dedicated Singapore terminator service where the aircraft flew LHR-SIN and back)..

The second daily service, the BA15/16, was usually a 777-300 (and that aircraft went LHR-SIN-SYD and back...)

So in a nutshell pre-Covid if you wanted to fly on a BA 380 LHR-SIN you needed to make sure you booked on the correct flight.

Moving to today - BA has grounded it's 380s TFN, and the single daily flight between LHR and SIN is performed usually using either a 777-300 or a 787...(and FWIW sometimes they're only carrying freight).

No idea when/if the plan will change and when/if BA put a 380 back on the route.

Hope that helps.

I should have clarified the flight numbers I used in the above post to avoid confusion...the BA system uses odd flight numbers for long haul flights leaving the UK and even numbers for inbound..

So (pre-Covid) the BA London Singapore A380 used to leave Heathrow as the BA11 and came back into Heathrow a day and a half later as the BA12...

I think BA business is great when I’ve been bumped up. But if 6k is a couple of holidays to you it is absolutely not worth it. I think if you can swing it, premium economy is good for night flights, but I wouldn’t even bother with that for day. Remember long haul BA is reasonably spacious - its not easyJet.

The other issue to consider might be sector length... ("flight time")

if the OP is travelling UK - Singapore through the Gulf then they are looking at maybe 7 'ish hours London-Gulf, then a leg stretch during the transit, then maybe another 8 hours Gulf -Singapore (..FWIW it will almost certainly take longer coming back the other way). Some will find the break makes that OK in an economy seat..

OTOH flying London-Singapore non-stop usually means 13 hours plus eastbound, the return quite possibly 14 hours plus.......maybe then there is more of a case for paying for economy plus or equivalent (at the very least).

I travel first class and business class emirates. I've heard that Qatar are as good if not better than Emirates (I think this is more for the first class travel as you can sit in a four around a dinning table from your seat).

In emirates business class you get access to the bar and normal champagne to drink. You're a bit closer to your partner in business class than you are in first (could be a good or bad thing ;).

In first class you get unlimited Dom Perignon, access to a large bathroom with shower, a leather toiletries bag full of toiletries (not sure whether business class do this but I know my DS got a children's version).

We would love to fly Qatar at some point.

Oh and apparently BA business class isn't great.

@Bumblebee1980a

Oh and apparently BA business class isn't great.

Historically it has varied - I've known it to be very good but that variability in itself is a big problem.

Some of the variability was dependent on the aircraft fit (the 747s and older 777s, now retired were definitely not great), I've heard better things about the the newer aircraft and some of the newer cabin fits on the 777s.

I think if the subject of the conversation is still specifically a Heathrow- Singapore journey then one question still out there is do you pay for the supposedly/potentially "great" service with one of the Middle East three carriers, which means an extended journey time with a flight change at one of the Gulf airports, or do you pay to get on a BA or Singapore airlines aircraft in London, do the trip none stop and get off it again in SIngapore....down to individual priorities I guess?

Mind you until we get through the pandemic and start seeing how any airlines left standing rebuild their route networks, schedules, marketing and customer service things like brands of champagne are all a bit irrelevant, this whole conversation will remain in the abstract but it's nice to think positive.

@notimagain I stand corrected however the A380s should return to service as BA have just spent a lot of money maintaining them and the CEO confirmed it will return to the skies. Alas it might not be for another year or two so OP I wouldn't base flying BA if you want to fly an A380 exclusively.

I'd rather rip my own eyeballs out that give Qatar any money after they sexually assaulted several passengers via forced medical examinations.

BA or Singapore all the way.

@OctupusObsidian

I'd rather rip my own eyeballs out that give Qatar any money after they sexually assaulted several passengers via forced medical examinations.

BA or Singapore all the way.

Pre Covid you could also avoid a Gulf transit by using Qantas who used to operate a 380 LHR-SIN-SYD, so you had three airlines that operated LHR-SIN without touching the Gulf.....

But hey, cheapest fare and lots of champagne is all that counts....?????

But hey, cheapest fare and lots of champagne is all that counts....

Hmm, well no - not if you have morals.

Business Class is great, but it’s not £6k worth of great in my opinion.
I’m not sure I would spend that amount of money on flights for one trip if that £6 would buy you three other holidays.

I used to travel a lot with work (who only paid for economy!), but I was really lucky and got upgraded to business class a few times. There is no doubt it is a better way to travel, but it's such a transitory experience and if going economy means you can afford THREE more holidays in future I think you would be bonkers spending the money on business class flights. As a previous poster suggested you can pay for acesss to airport lounges for not very much and in your position I'd do that instead :)

Business Class is great, but it’s not £6k worth of great in my opinion

It’s always worth it. Getting off a flight after being in business class, from the moment your car stops at the kerbside outside the airport, is always worth it.