BA Business Class - worth it?

[EddieHowesShithousingMags]

Hoping to go to NYC for a short break in September, wanting to book in the BA sale, for three people (adults).

Using avíos we can fly from our regional airport via LHR, economy outbound and business on the way home for £3153 total.

Flying economy each way we’d save about £1500 and could get our hotel included for a similar price to what we’d pay for flight only with business class inbound seats.

For context the flight home would be a night flight.

Is it worth it? That additional £1500 we would pay is affordable but we’re not so aFfluent that we wouldn’t notice it. Plenty of other things we could spend it on!!

£1500 would get you one hell of a splurge present you can enjoy for years to come, I personally would pick that over a bit more space for a measly 6 hours on a plane @SicParvisMagna ! You can get a pair of seats in premium economy for you and DH too which is sociable, because business really isn’t, and most importantly avoid strangers up in your personal space (by far the worst feature of economy).

Business is nice. Premium economy is marginally better than normal economy. IMHO neither is worth it unless you have money or air miles to burn or you are not paying. I’d rather have an extra holiday than a slightly more comfortable flight. And you can pay for lounge access or go to a fancy bar at the airport and buy champagne to make the experience a bit nicer for a fraction of the cost.

@InTheRainOnATrain I think you're right. Mentioned it to DH and he agrees it makes sense to go PE. I'll save the BC for a long haul trip. Japan is on the list :) I'll start saving now lol.

"The flight is so short and in Club they still do a full dinner and breakfast service pushing trolleys up and down with all the lights so at best you’re getting a couple of hours of sleep "

This is absolutely not true. There have been no trolleys used in Club World for years! The shorter night flights such as JFK offer a reduced dining on board option to maximise sleep time and you are encouraged to eat in the lounge before take off and on arrival. You can ,of course, have the full works on board but the lights will be dimmed asap to allow for rest.
I actually think it is worth that price - especially if you make full use of the lounge.

BC definitely worth it for a flight to Japan.

If I can't do Club both ways, I much prefer the Business on the overnight (homebound) flight instead of the outbound daytime, I am happier to sit in a chair during the day and want my legs up at night.

Oh fair enough! Tbf I haven’t flown NY in Club in quite a while, I kept getting F upgrades in return for swapping flights, but even that was pre covid. I’ve done Chicago more recently and there were plenty of trolleys moving around the cabin and crew being really noisy even if they didn’t directly serve your meal off them. It wasn’t a massively restful experience so if poss I’ll always take a day flight. Even in First it’s not quiet enough for me to sleep unless drugged up and the NY flight is too short for most sleeping tablets! Maybe that’s a me issue though? 🤣

Me again. Lots of food for thought.

What are peoples thoughts on Virgin premium economy vs BA?

I flew business class for the first time last year , I went to LA with BA. I loved it but have decided for now that premium economy works for me. As I get older and/or I get any medical issues or injuries I’ll switch to Business.
I travelled to Florida in November premium economy and I really enjoyed it. For me as long as I can get my legs up I’m good. I get free lounge access however I fly.

Virgin PE MUCH better than BA and they have a separate check in desk too.

I wouldn’t bother tbh, NYC never seems that long a flight and I always sleep well on the way home as I’m tired from all the sightseeing! There’ll also be a fairly limited service as the lights will be dimmed on a night flight, so the opportunity to sleep will be the key benefit rather than enjoying the superior drinks and food.

I’d be a bit more inclined if there was a deal on the outbound flight, as it makes the trip feel more special somehow. You might be lucky and get a row in economy to yourself on the way home if the flight’s not too busy. I’ve had that a few times now.

Leave the Avios/upgrades for Asia, etc.
NYC night flight is a nightmare anyway! If in business, you'll eat, see a film, nod off while dribbling, then be woken up at stupid o'clock!
So many fabulous things in NYC to spend that cash on...!

Not for a flight as short as that but I would to for over 8-10 hours.

I flew ba business to Japan, well worth it, nice lay flat beds, lounge was good. Flow. Business to LA and back, again well worth it.

to NY I’d do it one way, access to lounge is nice, it’s a good experience and elongates a short break.

Do they have footrests?

This is what we do. We went to Mauritius last year, premium seats give you enough recline so you can sleep. Bigger, wider seats and nice food/drink.

@Lupin61 where is the fancy lounge?

Cool idea, but it is money too you got to worry about.

Virgin Premium Economy is great and I would never bother paying for more than that. I hate turbulence (which you often get on the NY-LON flight) so I barely sleep and can’t see the point of paying thousands of pounds to sit there anxious but with slightly more room to recline!

? What does this mean?

You need to be saving your aviois, getting companion vouchers and paying fully with points to get the best avios value. We were able to family of 4 long haul ( 12 hrs) in business for just the avios cost doing this. Result!

For an overnight flight, being able to lie flat is worth an extra £1500 to me! Especially if it's for a 21st birthday, something a bit special on the way back.

I've flown both economy, premium economy and business with BA.

Business ino isn't qorth the huge amount extra. The beds pretty narrow and not that 'bed' like. Its a nice experience but not an expense i'd pay.

Premium economy i'd pay for. Especially for an overnight flight. Its. Big jump from economy space wise. Reclines better and enough to sleep okay. For cost/benefit it's the best option as its not a huge amount more. I'm not tall and extra legroom isnt just for tall people. Allows you to walk round people rather than other getting up for toilet runs etc. And gives bigger recline without other encroaching on your space.

I have flown masses of times from the USA to the UK and every flight is the same - that rattle of turbulence that you get as you fly across the Atlantic at night. It doesn't matter to me what class I was in - I think the worst was Virgin with the angled beds so you are charging down the runway sideways

😂 I do recall with one airline ( think Virgin) that you were able to have your evening meal in the lounge at JFK before departure and go into a Quiet Zone once on the plane where you got hot chocolate and could go straight to sleep. Those days of company paid flying though are over now and I go Premium Economy. The airlines themselves have made so many cutbacks. Remember the Virgin flights with the technicians who would give you a foot massage or manicure on board!

Virgin PE is much, much better than BA PE

Well because I hate not getting a resolution on threads, although tbf this didn’t really need one. I ended up booking with BA, economy there, PE back, 4 nights in 4* well reviewed hotel (4.6 on trip advisor) flying to and from my regional airport 3 adults in September for what I thought was a pretty good price of £2931.

The price with Virgin for same airports and class of flights was approx £350 more and outbound flight times were much worse and in 3* hotel.