Amazing how other people must live!

[winterbadger]

I'm looking at airfares for travel in February. I can get a round trip to the UK for ~$550 coach.

I was curious to see what the business rate would be. Around $5,000. A factor of ten! Jebus Xmas!

And first class? $6,000 to $15,000.

$15,000? For a single round-trip airplane seat? From one big city int he first world to another. No sherpas needed, no native guides included, no danger fee for landing in a war zone. $15,000.

I can't really begin to imagine paying that kind of money for a trip.

But I can begin to understand how people can make seven-figure incomes and think it's "not enough".

Edit: That's not even the worst of it. The flights at the higher rates are LONGER! They go through many more connections. A first class fare that cost $6,200 was proposing to keep me int he airline system for over 29 hours, with flights from DC to Atlanta, Atlanta to Paris, and Paris to Edinburgh. Some of the economy fares, costing 1/10 as much, were less than 9.5 hours: A THIRD of the time, for a tenth the cost. That's INSANE!

Comments

[principia.livejournal.com]

Based on my recent experience, if you go ahead and book World Traveller with BA, you might get offered cheap upgrades closer to the flight date. They'd likely be to World Traveller Plus (extra room, different food, extra entertainment options) rather than Club World or First Class, though.

If I were flying to, say, Singapore or something, I could see ponying up for maybe Business Class... but for just to the UK? Noo. Not unless I was getting red-eyed in for some super-important meeting and my work was willing to pay to make sure I got a laydown bed for the flight over.

[pisica.livejournal.com]

I think some airlines are discounting business seats, but they're still checking in at 2 kilodollars or more.

And this sort of thing would be exactly why I am burning my frequent flier miles on a blowout business/first class trip, instead of piddling it away on short hops in economy. Not that the latter doesn't have its advantages as well, but I'd like to fly in the nice cabin once in my life. (Did business once as a bumped upgrade, would like to do it again....)

[pisica.livejournal.com]

My blowout trip (see comment below) is to Japan. I'm looking at the flight times and going, make it LONGER! :D

[principia.livejournal.com]

I saw what Club World looked like while I was on the flight over (we were in WT Plus via the aforementioned cheap upgrades), and I guess it would make more of a difference for taller people (I'm 5'1") and longer flights, but for one thing half the seat cubicle things are facing backwards. Which is actually safer in the event of an emergency, but I'm sure would really bug some people.

Japan, eh? Tokyo or Osaka, or what?

[pisica.livejournal.com]

Tokyo, and probably a side trip to another city, but I only have eight full days and I'm visiting friends, so I still have to coordinate my schedule with them.

I'm not much taller than you, so I've always been fine with economy class seats, but my 6-foot-1 partner would probably appreciate the extra room. :) I'd thought about using the miles to bring both of us to visit my parents in the states, but unfortunately that didn't work.