In an age in which business class seating is becoming better and better, is first class worth the premium over business class?
Of course the answer to this question is highly subjective and depends upon the specific product, but I was intrigued by a recent column by Hayley Skirka of the National, an English-language newspaper in the United Arab Emirates.
Having had the pleasure of flying first class only once, on a short flight from Oman to Dubai, I can attest that the experience was quite something. From the minute I was picked up outside my hotel in a sleek limousine, to the point when the pilot came to personally introduce himself to me as I boarded the plane, I felt truly spoiled.
And therange of food, drinks, toiletries and seemingly endless services I could take advantage of during the flight was quite fantastic, so much so that I found myself wishing the journey had been a little bit longer. That said, now, when I think back to trips I’ve taken when I’ve flown business class, I struggle to recall any major differences between those and that coveted first-class flight.
In business, I still had access to the lounge before my flight and I could board at any time once proceedings began. I was still greeted by name after taking my seat, granted not by the captain, but by the flight purser – it’s not a difference that had much impact on me. I still had a super-comfortable lie-flat bed, complete with blankets and pillows. I was still given a menu filled withmouthwatering dishes that I could order at any time throughout the flight. And I still received an amenity kit chock full of lovely luxury smelly things.
What Makes First Class Worth It
Skirka thinks the differences between first and business class are minimal. I tend to agree but disagree (if that makes any sense). In the grand scheme, certainly the jump from business to first is much smaller than the jump from economy or even premium economy class to business class. At the same time, there can be a noticeable difference in both soft and hard product…I’m talking not just the price of the liquor or the caviar, but bedding, suite width, and personalized service.
And for me, especially when I am spending points, that makes a big difference. The additional points required for first class over business class are not exactly minimal in 2019 with most programs. Yet if I am going to splurge, I’d rather fly once in first class and once in economy class than twice in business class. That’s just me…I love the over-the-top nature of first class. For example, I like a cappuccino onboard, which often is available in first but not business.
And I think Skirka was not paying attention to detail when she flew Emirates First Class and compares it to her business class experiences. Or perhaps those little details like the type of blanket or brand of champagne were simply not important to her.
CONCLUSION
This post is more an introspection than an argument than the premium for first over business is worth it. It certainly is for me even considering the opportunity costs in miles (or occasionally $)…but I understand the counterpoint.
How about you? Do you think first class is worth the splurge?
image: Singapore Suites
In a word, no. Certainly not more that once. And if you’re going to go first class, make it count. Lufthansa First, for example. Flying first class on a regular basis if for chumps.
Whether it’s worth it is a personal question. BMW or Kia? McDonald’s or steak?
What I can say is the leap in comfort from Y to J is far bigger than the leap in comfort from J to F. Another thing I can say is that I don’t need a flat bed seat on a daytime LAX-JFK flight.
So I tend to agree with the author of the article, having flown first class and business class (although not Emirates first class), when spending points, I would rather fly twice in business than once in economy. For instance on Europe to the US flights, I would rather spend 120-140k United miles to fly round trip in UA or LH business than 110k to fly in first on LH then 30k or cash to fly the other way in economy, for the same 140k. To me, the value proposition of the 40-50k UA miles for LH F is not worth it. But I do know many others disagree
Well, yes! For me! But your miles may vary, as they say!
Having just completed RTW19 2.0, I can say that my Air Maroc reverse herringbone biz seat was nice, while narrow, but the plastic omelet was oh so inferior to my ANA fresh poached eggs Benedict on ANA 1st.
I’m flying in First because I love the “Ambience” as Ben’s Dad describes his enjoyment of 1st.
The marginal cost in award miles, is well worth the marginal increase in benefits let alone pa shower, or tasty Krug 2004. Especially if those award miles came from cc signup bonuses not Butts in seats.
The Etihad Dreamliner Suite, Apartment 4A, the SQ new Suite, and even a couple of B777 rides in First were all wonderful. For me a memorable experience!
Well said, Bill. This is exactly my sentiment.
I fly to HK and Singapore from NYC regularly for work. CX F is well worth the miles over J, every time.
Not that I would ever turn down a free J ticket… But the difference in hard product alone ensures the quality sleep I need to do quick trips.
As for Emirates, I loved my experience in F. It made a trip halfway around the world on a compressed schedule a true joy. But I’m not sure I’d go out of my way to fly it again. I’d rather try out LH, SQ, etc.
Other than availability…one way I choose between First and Business is the timing of the flight. If I can enjoy a great First Class meal at a normal time I love to go First. If the fight leaves late at night…like after 10 PM…I am happy just to get on and sleep which makes Business Class just fine.
This is so sensible. I really appreciate it. I’m making a note.
I think whether F is worth it over C depends on the airline. Some airlines have very mediocre F & C, others have much better offerings. I will pay for F on Lufthansa, Air France, Ethihad and Cathay.
Others currently fail to convince me on the strength of their business class offering that F is worth the premium with the exception of Qatar but their first is only on the A380 and the QSuite is as good as F anyway.
@ Matthew — The Queen says “do you really have to ask?”
Lol
It depends on the premium. Would I pay 70k points for JAL 1st rather than 60k for business? Absolutely! The same for 90k BA 1st vs 80k for BA business.
Now when the cost goes up by 50% for a marginally better product? No thanks.
Nah… Concorde is where it’s at! @matthew
Not having status anymore as I’m retired and only fly for vacations, I’ll generally just fly business for intercontinental, first within the states. One, access to the lounge, where provided, and priority boarding are hard benefits to leave behind. Also, since I’m 6’3″ and broad across the shoulders, coach doesn’t cut it, even for a short flight.
Have generally just been flying BA as we have their credit card…we spend enough to get a companion cert every year.
I will fly business on the way over to LHR, but always try to get First on the way home. I like the designated First check-in and security, the ability to check in WAY earlier than even biz, and we enjoy the Concorde lounge. Last time we flew return to SJC on the Dream liner there were only 4 of us in the 8 first class seats, and 4 flight attendants for the cabin.
I’ve just booked that again for next year; both times I was able to get the First return for only 10k more miles than biz
As others have said, your mileage may vary.
Truth is, for me at least, the answer depends on the airline, the route, and the nature of my travel.
For instance, one of my regular routes for work is DEN-LHR. BA has the only international first class product flying out of Denver and, for whatever reason, Club World is usually $9000 RT while First is $10000. For $1000 I can bill to my client, that’s a no brainer.
On the other hand, I wouldn’t add a leg in domestic F to connect to an international F flight to Europe unless that flight was to my final destination.
I agree with Skirka. F used to be worth it on awards back when the differential in miles was lower. But with prices now, I just don’t find that it’s worth it at all. I’d much rather take two J flights than one F and one Y. If you like Krug that much, it would be much cheaper to just buy a J ticket and a bottle of it to have at home after the flight.
Of course, I’ll take First if somebody else is paying, but if I’m paying, or if I’m spending my own miles, its absolutely not worth the price/miles difference.
For me the difference is marginal as I have no problem being comfortable or sleeping in any modern 4 across business class seat, and any of the extra accouterments (fancy booze, amenities, caviar) can be had on the ground with much less added expense (and those are not things I would normally go out of my way for on the ground anyway).
I think everyone likes an over-the-top first class experience. Unlike you, I’d much rather fly business twice than once in first and once in coach, but I’m 6’5″ and 285, so normal coach seats are pretty gruesome for me. As to whether to spring the extra to go from business to first, the two major considerations are if you can afford it and whether first is really much better. For instance, I pretty much wouldn’t pay extra for BA first, and ANA first was surprisingly mediocre, but for Cathay it’s totally worth it.
Depends on the airline/equipment and my flexibility. Some airlines that have F still have pretty mediocre C class (Lufthansa and non-A380 Emirates come to mind). I do think it’s worth it to fly F on Emirates if not on an A380, if only for flatbed seats on such a long flight. When I’m paying for myself with miles, since I don’t do that a ton, I often will book F over C only because there wasn’t C availability for my desired dates and getting the right dates was worth the extra cost or at least help make the difference worth it. Otherwise, I don’t think it’s worth it except for a splurge just to experience a certain product for fun.
If I have the miles, international F >international J; primarily for the exclusivity. SQ F being the only one in the cabin. The *A F lounge at CDG being the only one there for most of the time (one other person for 30 minutes during my 3 hour stay).
Thank you. Your comment is interesting. It really encapsulates why F will be “F”ased out in the future.
A little bit of Yogi Berra there.
It depends on the if paying with miles or cash. If F is only 40-50K more miles than J it is worth it to get the experience on the true high quality first class products (Lufthansa, Singapore, Emirates, Cathay, Thai, and ethidad). 1000 usd paid upgrade when checking in or at the gate to first is worth it. If you had to pay cash of 4K for J vs 10K for first obviously most wouldn’t do that.
The experience is worth it as something special and out of the ordinary. Many business class seats have more comfort and amenities than first had 15 years ago so for the most part J is the only thing really necessary to fly comfortably and in style. I am afraid that more and more will get rid of first class leaving only the middle eastern carriers. I understand the economics between having full business cabins versus empty first as people, families and companies aren’t going to pay 10-15k when business suites are only 4-6k.
No, it’s rarely worth it. The only times I pay for F: in some kind of emergency ( fortunately rare) or on a sector that is classified as F but is really J ( and priced as J), such as the now cancelled Qatar service between Doha and Cairo. All other F experiences are point redemptions or operational upgrades.
Of course the caviar and champagne set will swear by F and the value of it ( but generally that’s the mob with more money than sense). Basically, if you’re not satisfied with the current J seats, then you’re pretty hard to please.
“I have nothing to hide” from the government is the same thing as saying “I have privilege”. There are many members of marginalized groups doing nothing illegal that don’t have that luxury, not to mention people whose political affiliations would make them unpopular with government actors.
Also, it’s funny that you should say you have nothing to hide and in the next sentence talk about all the data that you keep encrypted so that it is hidden.
As a leisure traveler who flies longhaul only a few times a year, I haven’t tried any of the super luxury F classes. I did fly BA First LHR-YYZ last year, but didn’t find the Concorde Room all that special (though I had a tasty burger) and the hard product as we know is not a patch on the various suites in the sky. Of course since BA has as many as 8 across seats and charges for advance J seat selection, I won’t be flying it until they retrofit the whole fleet with the new configuration. Still, the reality is that a good J class (especially with all aisle access) is a far better seat than even F was not that many years ago. Like others here, it’s more important to me to have lounge access, early boarding, extra baggage allowance, dine on demand, dedicated check-in, and larger seats – all standard J perks. I can live without caviar (don’t like it), high-end champagne (barely drink on flights as alcohol is dehydrating), or limos across the tarmac. These are fun things and for 10000 more miles why not? But for 30,000 more I’d rather save for J class return as the discomfort/horror of cattle class is really unbearable. Tiny slimline seats with no padding, fighting to board fast enough to get adjacent overhead space, endless queues for check-in and security, measly meals, screaming babies, long waits for the toilet – no, I’ll take J r/t any day over one F followed by one main cabin.