Top Considerations for Choosing To Fly In Economy or a Higher Class

Our clients often ask us whether or not we recommend they fly in economy or some higher class particularly for international trips. The issues/preferences are often personal  or on a case by case basis and therefore so is our advice. Nevertheless as a general proposition here are some top things to consider in choosing whether to fly in economy or a higher class on your next flight.

How Long is the Flight In Question?

The shorter the flight the less it may make sense to pay for an upgrade. Many of our clients (including our luxury travel clients) are fine with flights of 4 hours or less in economy or economy plus.  Flights that are over 6 hours on the other hand can be uncomfortable in economy for some people.

Is The Flight International or Domestic?

This is an important question when choosing whether to upgrade.   While it depends on the airline and aircraft often domestic first class is not a big step up. On the other hand, there is often a much larger upgrade from economy to business or  first class on a long-haul international flight. Of course, if you are booking an international flight with one or more stops you may have a domestic portion that may get upgraded automatically as part of the ticket. However, even there you may want to focus more on the international segment.

How Do You Sleep On Planes?

One of the primary motivations for people to book upgraded tickets on international flights is to obtain lie flat seats to help them sleep and arrive refreshed. However, we have some clients that reportedly cannot sleep on planes no matter how flat or well padded the seat is. Similarly, we have clients who can fall asleep in a second (some even without sleeping pills) in economy.

How Tall Are You?

My husband is 6’4″ and has put his foot in the sand that he will not fly a long haul international flight in economy. I have heard similar restrictions from other taller clients. Those who are more compact may find it more palatable to be in tighter seating quarters for hours on end.

What Airline Will You Be Flying?

There is a spectrum of service in the various classes on different airlines. For example, while there are many fine airlines worldwide, in our  experience the Asian airlines including Singapore, Japan Air and Cathay Pacific (among others) are some of the best airlines in the world as are Emirates and Qatar Airways. It pays to research the airline in question to make your decision. You can do this by googling reviews including Youtube.com video reviews of the airline but you need to take them with a grain of salt and read/view several. You should also be sure to match the airline class and aircraft to get the most applicable reviews.

What Aircraft Will You Be On?

It is important to try to determine what aircraft the airline will be using for your flight. For example if you want to fly First Class on Emirates and shower and then have a martini at the bar as Jennifer Aniston does in the television commercial, you need to book one of their A-380 plane flights.

What Are Your Budgetary Constraints/Preferences

Obviously in general higher classes even premium economy (which generally provide more leg room and somewhat upgraded service but not lie flat seats) cost more. Does your budget allow you to include premium class airfare and if so, is that something you value enough to spend your funds on? For some of our clients starting and ending their trip in comfort and with upgraded service is a god send. Others are fully happy in economy and in their minds are calculating how much they are essentially paying themselves per hour to stay in that cabin rather than move up to premium seats. It is a matter of both budget and preference.

What Do the Various Fare Classes Include and Are There Discount Options?

As with all flight prices, it is important to understand what each class ticket includes. Does a business class ticket price include more checked baggage and is it refundable? Does the economy class ticket have restrictions such as change fees, charges for seat selection and the like?

If you want to fly business class and do not have the miles to do so but still want to do so at a relatively reasonable rate, there are some less expensive business class options. For example La Compagnie is a French business class only boutique airline that flies from NYC to France (and now Milan) at relatively reasonable rates. For example they are offering a Winter special to Milan from JFK for $2,000 roundtrip.

We hope you find these very general tips helpful in deciding whether to book a flight in economy or a higher class.

Want to book a flight/hotel package in economy or above. Please contact us.

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