How Often Do I Fly Economy? My Strategy…

How Often Do I Fly Economy? My Strategy…

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On this blog, I primarily review first and business class experiences. However, that’s not to say that I always fly in a premium cabin. A reader recently asked me how often I actually end up flying in economy, so I want to address that in this post…

I don’t mind flying economy, but prefer to avoid it

Over the past two decades, I’ve flown millions of miles. Back when I was a teenager and first got into miles and points, a vast majority of my travel was in economy, and I was fine with that. For that matter, I was happy to take short redeye flights in economy. Heck, sometimes I even took them two nights in a row.

However, as I’ve gotten older, my approach to this has changed:

  • I don’t have the stamina I once had when it comes to flying, and I get exhausted a bit more easily, so I value comfort more than I used to
  • Thanks to inflight Wi-Fi, the reality is that I can basically be just as productive in the air as on the ground, but it’s much more comfortable to work from a first or business class seat, where you don’t have to contort your body to be able to use a laptop
  • As I’ve gotten older, my willingness to pay for a better experience has also increased, and I’m in a better financial situation now than I was as a teenager

I have absolutely no issues flying economy on a short or medium haul flight. That being said, I try to avoid economy on longer flights, and for that matter, I also try to avoid redeye flights unless I’m in a flat bed, since they are otherwise just too unpleasant.

I value premium cabin travel more than in the past

There are limits to what I’ll pay for first or business class

While I value flying in premium cabins, there are also limits to what I’m willing to pay. While we nowadays see a lot more reasonably priced premium fares than in the past, I’d never book one of those “full fare” long haul business class tickets, which can cost $10,000 or more. That’s just too much money, and even if I could afford it, I wouldn’t feel good about spending money that way. I’d rather “suffer” through economy, and do something with that money on the ground.

I’ve written in the past about the price at which I consider first class to be worth it. For example, on domestic flights, I’m typically willing to pay roughly an extra $50 per hour over economy for first class, since that’s what I value the incremental comfort at, give or take. With that in mind, let me share my general approach to booking premium cabin travel.

For long haul travel, I almost always redeem miles for first and business class travel at the saver rate. I typically have quite a bit of flexibility with my travel, so if I can get a first or business class seat at a reasonable mileage rate, why wouldn’t I fly that way?

Sometimes I’ll also waitlist an upgrade (like with American systemwide upgrades), but I’ll only do it if I’m very confident that the upgrade will clear. Or at least if I’m not sure if it’ll clear, I make sure it’s a ticket that’s flexible, so I can cancel at the last minute, and rebook on another flight as an award ticket.

For short haul travel, I take more of a mixed approach, and I usually have a few different strategies I use to secure a first class seat:

  • I generally have some airline elite status, so if I think there’s a decent chance of getting a complimentary upgrade, I’ll just book economy and hope for an upgrade; however, that’s really not something I rely on much nowadays, given how difficult upgrades have become
  • If I don’t think the odds of an upgrade are great, I’ll look if there’s any decent first class fare for cash, and I’m happy to fly just about any airline to do that
  • Nowadays airlines also frequently offer reasonably priced cash upgrades, so I often take advantage of those cash upgrade offers; for example, American constantly sells these, and I find it to be worthwhile for situations where I don’t think an upgrade would clear
  • I sometimes even find it to be worthwhile to outright redeem miles for first class; for example, American AAdvantage often has good first class redemption rates
Domestic first class is often reasonably priced

The situations where I usually fly economy

While I generally do what I can to fly in a premium cabin, there are some situations where I don’t even bother, trying, so let me share those:

  • Within Europe, I’m happy to fly any point-to-point flight on an ultra low cost carrier with a good schedule, since most of these flights are short, and it’s not like intra-Europe business class is much to get excited about
  • On short domestic flights within the United States, I really don’t care where I sit; my most frequent route is between Miami and Tampa, so I usually just book the flight that’s most convenient in economy, with no consideration for upgrade odds
  • When we travel with our three-year-old son, I largely prefer economy, since it’s much easier to be closer to a toddler in economy, rather than in first class (where there’s more distance between seats)

I just did some rough math about my travel patterns over the past couple of years. Roughly 20% of the segments I’ve flown over that period were in economy. That being said, in terms of distance flown, it only represents 3% of my total travel distance (since a majority of my economy segments were on flights of under 500 miles).

Within Europe, I’ll just take the most direct flight

Bottom line

While I primarily cover premium cabin travel on the blog, that doesn’t mean I never fly economy. I actually fly it quite frequently, both on flights within the United States, as well as within Europe.

The reality is that I do value the comfort of premium cabin travel immensely. However, there are limits to what I’m willing to pay for it. Fortunately miles & points allow me to travel in premium cabins on most long haul flights, which I’m very grateful for. But even within the United States, I’ll gladly pay a reasonable premium for first class.

What’s your approach to flying in economy vs. in premium cabins?

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  1. Nathan Guest

    bitch please, you don't tavel economy at all. you're so far up your own arse

  2. George Romey Guest

    Other than when PE is sold as coach I avoid coach. Upgrade offers if you wait are usually pretty generous. Yes a two hour flight in coach might be bearable but then thunderstorms come along and you're stuck in that metal tube for another 60-90 minutes. If your traveling alone you don't choose your seatmate and therefore you might be crowded in by someone with girth.

  3. iamhere Guest

    I agree with your ideas on your travel habits and such are similar to mine. I would suggest that you review some of the economy and premium economy segments that you fly too.

  4. Stanley C Diamond

    Ben, what a lovely piece of writing. You took the time to explain when you would take a flight in economy. So, we know this now and we know your preferences for first/business class flights. Though, what about premium economy? I do not think we know if you have flown in premium economy much and if you like it. Do you think that premium economy is still overpriced compared to economy? Is it worth it?...

    Ben, what a lovely piece of writing. You took the time to explain when you would take a flight in economy. So, we know this now and we know your preferences for first/business class flights. Though, what about premium economy? I do not think we know if you have flown in premium economy much and if you like it. Do you think that premium economy is still overpriced compared to economy? Is it worth it? Which airlines does premium economy best and of those which ones have you flown in PE? It would be nice to see you do some premium economy flight reviews.

    1. Throwawayname Guest

      The pricing of premium economy is all over the place. LATAM's basically the only airline which has consistently logical pricing for it in my experience.

      KLM are literally charging more for premium economy to N. America ex-WAW than they do for business class on the same long-hauls ex-ARN. Emirates charge more for it than their competitors charge for business. BA have said it's their most profitable cabin per square metre. I think what's happening is...

      The pricing of premium economy is all over the place. LATAM's basically the only airline which has consistently logical pricing for it in my experience.

      KLM are literally charging more for premium economy to N. America ex-WAW than they do for business class on the same long-hauls ex-ARN. Emirates charge more for it than their competitors charge for business. BA have said it's their most profitable cabin per square metre. I think what's happening is that a lot of large employers mandate premium economy as the default cabin for staff travel and that means that those flying there may be among the least price-sensitive pax on the entire plane.

    2. Dusty Guest

      @Throwawayname
      That really wouldn't surprise me, but it absolutely sucks as somebody trying to fly family long-haul in something more comfortable than econ. I had good luck getting PE seats on points in November last year for round trip, but this year I could only get reasonable points prices one-way on KLM/AF. So we're all booked in econ coming home and I'm hoping we'll all get the cheap paid upgrade to PE. Even the...

      @Throwawayname
      That really wouldn't surprise me, but it absolutely sucks as somebody trying to fly family long-haul in something more comfortable than econ. I had good luck getting PE seats on points in November last year for round trip, but this year I could only get reasonable points prices one-way on KLM/AF. So we're all booked in econ coming home and I'm hoping we'll all get the cheap paid upgrade to PE. Even the up-front cash prices have been absolutely eye-watering, basically the the level of the cheaper J fares pre-COVID.

  5. Olivia Guest

    No need to justify or explain to anybody how often you fly economy versus business. Those people that can afford to fly business whether with miles or money, good for them. The reality is those that never fly business, once you do, you wouldn't want to go back to fly economy, unless you have no other choice, especially if you can afford to pay business with miles or money. Why should you? Would you rather drive if you can afford to take Uber everywhere?

  6. Dave Guest

    Ben, what is your preferred time of day to fly to Asia and Europe from the east coast?

  7. Harold Guest

    Notice how only delta loyalists can’t fathom someone affording premium cabin travel via points lmao

  8. JHS Guest

    My view re upgraded domestic value more or less matches you. If I can access F over my extra leg room economy seat for under $1 per block minute I’ll usually do it. For sub-2-hour flights, I rarely bother.

  9. Ivan Guest

    Domestically I almost always fly economy unless first is less than 50% more which is rare. When traveling internationally within the Americas my strategy is similar.

    When traveling to Asia or Europe I try to find award availability in business or purchase a PE fare which generally earns a bunch of miles but I will fly economy if the PE fares are outrageous. I recently fly from Tokyo to SFO on JAL in economy...

    Domestically I almost always fly economy unless first is less than 50% more which is rare. When traveling internationally within the Americas my strategy is similar.

    When traveling to Asia or Europe I try to find award availability in business or purchase a PE fare which generally earns a bunch of miles but I will fly economy if the PE fares are outrageous. I recently fly from Tokyo to SFO on JAL in economy and it was fine.

    I'm much more concerned with the destination than the flight but at others have pointed out 12+ hours in economy does leave you beat up and you may miss out on a day of vacation recovering from the flight. But for me I'll spend a day sleeping to save $2000.

  10. D3SWI33 Guest

    I only fly economy preferably the first row of the main cabin. I’m sure more millionaires fly economy than first or business what a waste of money.

    I’ve flown international first class several times. As I approach my first million dollars net worth I’m thinking of treating myself to a Gulfstream V or Citation Longitude all to myself from NY to MIA one way for 20K.

    1. Eskimo Guest

      If you actually hard earn your first million, you wouldn't want to waste 2% of your net worth on a 3 hour flight.

      But if it's from a trust fund or your imagination, go ahead fly em up.

  11. Noa Guest

    I think your idea of "a decent first class domestic fare" is vastly higher than the average American, just from reading your blog over ten years and seeing when you've mentioned "oh this was only $700 for first class Miami to Chicago etc" (when this price would simply not be reasonble for many people).

    1. Ben Schlappig OMAAT

      @ Noa -- I appreciate you reading for 10 years! :-) However, I don't think I've ever paid anywhere close to $700 for a one-way flight the length of Miami to Chicago, and I'd consider that to be too high to justify, and not worth it.

    2. Throwawayname Guest

      $700 return in a premium cabin isn't hugely expensive considering it's more than 1000 miles each way. BA have been known to sell returns for the 1300 miles from LHR to ATH for over £1k.

      Having a lot of income plus the ability to write travel off as a business expense would obviously mean that such $700 purchases are significantly more affordable than they are for an employee on the median US salary of...

      $700 return in a premium cabin isn't hugely expensive considering it's more than 1000 miles each way. BA have been known to sell returns for the 1300 miles from LHR to ATH for over £1k.

      Having a lot of income plus the ability to write travel off as a business expense would obviously mean that such $700 purchases are significantly more affordable than they are for an employee on the median US salary of $62k (...and let's just not talk about salaries in the rest of the world).

  12. digital_notmad Diamond

    tangential point, but imho intra-EU J gets a bad rap relative to intra-US J:

    -service is way better/more attentive on average (single most important factor)
    -meal service should you want it
    -higher quality bubbles
    -seats are fine tbh, I don't need a wider seat and in some ways kinda prefer having that extra distance from my seatmate
    -cabin isn't always full, so sometimes you end up with a whole row to...

    tangential point, but imho intra-EU J gets a bad rap relative to intra-US J:

    -service is way better/more attentive on average (single most important factor)
    -meal service should you want it
    -higher quality bubbles
    -seats are fine tbh, I don't need a wider seat and in some ways kinda prefer having that extra distance from my seatmate
    -cabin isn't always full, so sometimes you end up with a whole row to yourself
    -lounge access included unlike US domestic J
    -extra tray table space available by using the tray for the empty middle seat

    1. neogucky Gold

      I fully agree and would actually pay a reasonable extra fee just to have the seat next to me empty (EW offers this even if the airline is horrible otherwise).

      I regularly fly HAM-ZRH 80min flight and pay 100€ to bid for an upgrade that clears 90% of the time. This brings me a light meal (tastes good), free drinks (I don’t usually drink for work trips), lounge access (that I have anyway due to...

      I fully agree and would actually pay a reasonable extra fee just to have the seat next to me empty (EW offers this even if the airline is horrible otherwise).

      I regularly fly HAM-ZRH 80min flight and pay 100€ to bid for an upgrade that clears 90% of the time. This brings me a light meal (tastes good), free drinks (I don’t usually drink for work trips), lounge access (that I have anyway due to SEN), 2 cabin bags and the free seat. The free seat is the single most important benefit, then the baggage and with some distance the meal.

    2. Timtamtrak Diamond

      I agree, digital_nomad. A blocked middle gives enough elbow room to do computer work, and the service is far and away better than you’ll get on most US carriers on a longer flight. In June I couldn’t believe I got an actual hot meal (food wasn’t half bad either!) on an AY E190 flight blocked at 80 minutes. US airlines could try, they just don’t bother.

    3. Ivan Guest

      Well said, the soft product is much better in Europe and domestic first seats aren't anything special. I'd be more likely to pay for intra EU biz than domestic first.

    4. AlanZ Guest

      As one who flies intra Europe multiple times per month, on LH, my wife and I find euro-biz comfortable. I am 5'10" and 165 LB. Speaking only for LH, FA and their service excellent. Full course breakfast(hot), lunch, and dinner. Wine is good. Every year in December, all flights leaving FRA, over 1hour 45 min. serve roast goose with all trimmings.

      I mention the food/wine because many/most of your readers continually whine about domestic service, food, and wine.

  13. Timtamtrak Diamond

    My husband and I decided a few years ago that we “couldn’t” do overnight/transoceanic flights in economy anymore. The toll it takes on our bodies isn’t worth the recovery and missing a day of vacation. We overall live a pretty modest life and now if we really want to go somewhere we stockpile the miles or (insert currency here) to take the trip we want, the way we want to take it. I don’t think...

    My husband and I decided a few years ago that we “couldn’t” do overnight/transoceanic flights in economy anymore. The toll it takes on our bodies isn’t worth the recovery and missing a day of vacation. We overall live a pretty modest life and now if we really want to go somewhere we stockpile the miles or (insert currency here) to take the trip we want, the way we want to take it. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.

    I travel extensively for work and have tens of thousands of BIS miles in economy for that… May as well enjoy traveling when I do it on my terms.

  14. yoloswag420 Guest

    I think it's ok to admit that you fly economy much less than average people. You are independently wealthy and can afford to fly premium cabins. If we all had the money to, I'm sure most of us would have similar travel patterns

    Does that make you a bad person? Not at all, it just means that a lot of people might find things out of touch it unrelatable at a certain point. Given that...

    I think it's ok to admit that you fly economy much less than average people. You are independently wealthy and can afford to fly premium cabins. If we all had the money to, I'm sure most of us would have similar travel patterns

    Does that make you a bad person? Not at all, it just means that a lot of people might find things out of touch it unrelatable at a certain point. Given that the vast majority of people flying are flying in lower cabins, you'll end up hearing a lot more from people who think this way.

    That's why you do get some backlash when you hyper fixate on the Delta 767 business class seats, but also you don't offset that with the fact it offers some of the best economy and premium economy experiences as 2-3-2 and 2-2-2

    1. Redacted Guest

      Great comment. Agreed 100%. Sadly I don't think there's a great way for Ben to test economy on international flights... unless he books a separate seat for his infant while flying with his partner... but that's assuming his kid is young enough to get a free lap seat and it might ruffle some feathers regardless.

      @Ben, I know you try to avoid pulling the reviewer/influencer card... but maybe in a case like this a friendly...

      Great comment. Agreed 100%. Sadly I don't think there's a great way for Ben to test economy on international flights... unless he books a separate seat for his infant while flying with his partner... but that's assuming his kid is young enough to get a free lap seat and it might ruffle some feathers regardless.

      @Ben, I know you try to avoid pulling the reviewer/influencer card... but maybe in a case like this a friendly FA might let you go sit in economy for a few hours to review the product? Sam Chui style lol

    2. Simon Guest

      "Independently wealthy", as in possessing enough wealth that one does not need financial support from others or income from employment... isn't that what everyone is striving to be? Isn't that what retired people are? Why does something so universal read as an accusation? Jealous much??

    3. yoloswag420 Guest

      You might be the one who's jealous, if you read it like that.

      All it is is stating factual information like saying water is wet or there are 24 hours on a day. He is in a high percentile wealth bracket. Nothing accusatory.

      I even say, I think it's expected for people with money to fly premium the most of the time.

    4. Eskimo Guest

      I completely disagree with the 767 backlash.
      The 767 sucks.

      Yes you can factor in economy class. But they are marginally different at best between other types. Same as you can say economy E190 is better that 767. If all things equal yes I'll take the 767 over the 737.

      On economy would I go out of my way to fly 767, very unlikely.
      On business would I go out of my way to avoid 767, top priority.

      When it comes to DeltaOne, 767 is generations apart.

  15. Antwerp Guest

    I’m thinking you are in your late 30’s? Perhaps read this post again and ask yourself how absurd what you wrote might be to most people your age. I mean, you can’t fathom a redeye without a flat bed? Sure, you write for a different audience but at least have some humility. Or fake it at least for the vast majority who are not trust funding it or found an angle. It’s hard to take...

    I’m thinking you are in your late 30’s? Perhaps read this post again and ask yourself how absurd what you wrote might be to most people your age. I mean, you can’t fathom a redeye without a flat bed? Sure, you write for a different audience but at least have some humility. Or fake it at least for the vast majority who are not trust funding it or found an angle. It’s hard to take a 30 something seriously who can’t imagine a redeye without a flat bed. God forbid it’s just domestic angled lol.

    1. Simon Guest

      No reason to attack Lucky here for being totally transparent regarding his travel habits. He never claimed to be the median 30-something, and he's clearly not based on his successful blog, financial ability to have multiple surrogate children, Ford, etc. However, there are probably more people that generally share similar travel preferences than would be expected based on finances alone - many people live beyond their means or specifically splurge on their travel. I'm in...

      No reason to attack Lucky here for being totally transparent regarding his travel habits. He never claimed to be the median 30-something, and he's clearly not based on his successful blog, financial ability to have multiple surrogate children, Ford, etc. However, there are probably more people that generally share similar travel preferences than would be expected based on finances alone - many people live beyond their means or specifically splurge on their travel. I'm in my early 40s, but after my last Delta status run (in premium economy SEA-ICN round trip), I swore off anything other than flat bed business class for long-haul, and using points, planning ahead, and having the ability to pay if needed, I've stuck to that for 6+ years and have no plans going back. Even though just like Lucky, for short trips I'm totally fine with economy.

    2. AeroB13a Guest

      Ant, not wishing to start an argument or anything like that, however, one has to offer you an alternative scenario.
      As there are no pockets in shrouds and therefore we cannot take our hard-earned with us …. why not make oneself as comfortable as possible if one has the means to do so? It doesn’t take very much intelligence to be uncomfortable nowadays …. :-)

    3. Robert Fahr Guest

      I had the same thought. Ben is 34.

    4. Ben Schlappig OMAAT

      @ Antwerp -- Nowhere did I say I can't "fathom" a redeye without a flat bed. I said I try to avoid them.

      What I'm saying is that I have flexibility in my schedule, so I just try to avoid redeyes when I can, because I value a good night of sleep whenever possible. I don't see what's wrong with that? If I had to take a redeye in economy, of course I'd take...

      @ Antwerp -- Nowhere did I say I can't "fathom" a redeye without a flat bed. I said I try to avoid them.

      What I'm saying is that I have flexibility in my schedule, so I just try to avoid redeyes when I can, because I value a good night of sleep whenever possible. I don't see what's wrong with that? If I had to take a redeye in economy, of course I'd take it. But I try to set up my schedule so that I don't have to.

      It's not like I'm lazy. I "work" close to 100 hours per week (doing what I love), and I can also do that from anywhere. So I'd rather take a daytime flight where I can be productive during the flight and get a good night of rest on the ground, rather than being super uncomfortable on a short overnight flight. Please explain to me what's wrong with that?

    5. AeroB13a Guest

      Well Ben, for what it’s worth, that makes perfect sense to me and I applaud you for choosing to make your life easier …. :-)

    6. Jerry Diamond

      Bro, relax. I turned 40 two months ago, but throughout my 30s I flew all over the world in premium cabins. Not because I'm rich, because I'm certainly not. Not even close. But because I'm smart. In fact, many of the things that enabled it were learned from this blog.

      If you don't want to fly economy read more and complain less. There's some great info here, and on other great blogs too.

    7. Mary Guest

      I know people in their 30s who only fly private.

      What's the point of your rant? To bring to attention that he's successful and you aren't?

    8. Ken Guest

      Your anecdotes of 30 yr old "private flyer" represents probably less than 0.01%. Similarly there are many truly "smart" people and "not lazy" people who can't afford to fly premium cabin. This is not to demean nor criticize Lucky... I mean, I guess he would be willing to give away all his wealth to spare his mum from her health issues. Life has no formulas!! so one should be grateful in any case. I don't...

      Your anecdotes of 30 yr old "private flyer" represents probably less than 0.01%. Similarly there are many truly "smart" people and "not lazy" people who can't afford to fly premium cabin. This is not to demean nor criticize Lucky... I mean, I guess he would be willing to give away all his wealth to spare his mum from her health issues. Life has no formulas!! so one should be grateful in any case. I don't know the best approach, maybe a reminder to those who think their smartness or their hard work brought them wealth to remember that it's often a case of opportunity meets preparedness, and to stay humble. As a wise man once said "The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all"

    9. Eskimo Guest

      I know a lot of people in their 30s who can fly premium cabin long haul.

      But those same people flew once a year, not once a month either.

      Nothing out of touch here.

      But if you're earning minimum wage and tips, this is probably not the right place for you to hang out. Other than useless but entertaining factor from reading fake and fluffy tales of Tim Dunn, nothing here is useful.

    10. QsuitesAreMyHeaven Guest

      I’m 41 and this is exactly how I travel too. I don’t have a trust fund and I’m middle-class, but I am flexible in my travel and most importantly put in the work to find good deals, just as described here.

      People have different priorities when it comes to travel, and that’s okay. Some of us prioritize our comfort and don’t mind spending extra time to secure it, while other people like yourself have different...

      I’m 41 and this is exactly how I travel too. I don’t have a trust fund and I’m middle-class, but I am flexible in my travel and most importantly put in the work to find good deals, just as described here.

      People have different priorities when it comes to travel, and that’s okay. Some of us prioritize our comfort and don’t mind spending extra time to secure it, while other people like yourself have different priorities and will fly a red eye in coach. No need to criticize one another for differing preferences.

    11. QsuitesAreMyHeaven Guest

      I’m 41 and this is exactly how I travel too. I don’t have a trust fund and I’m middle-class, but I am flexible in my travel and most importantly put in the work to find good deals, just as described here.

      People have different priorities when it comes to travel, and that’s okay. Some of us prioritize our comfort and don’t mind spending extra time to secure it, while other people like yourself have different...

      I’m 41 and this is exactly how I travel too. I don’t have a trust fund and I’m middle-class, but I am flexible in my travel and most importantly put in the work to find good deals, just as described here.

      People have different priorities when it comes to travel, and that’s okay. Some of us prioritize our comfort and don’t mind spending extra time to secure it, while other people like yourself have different priorities and will fly a red eye in coach. No need to criticize one another for differing preferences.

  16. Natedogg Guest

    $50 extra per hour is a good rule of thumb on whether to decide economy vs business. When it gets to $150+ extra per hour it's outrageous. That movie you just watched? That was $300 extra.

    1. Tom Guest

      Do some flights have movies available in J that are not available in Y?

  17. Throwawayname Guest

    I think many people who fly with any frequency have a similar approach.

    Personally, I am perfectly happy in Y for up to 4 hours at a time and will only pay nominal amounts extra for a higher class of service unless I need the status points/miles. For sector lengths around 4-8 hours, I'll weigh up the options- if I'm not in a rush, I will typically buy a Y ticket with a connection...

    I think many people who fly with any frequency have a similar approach.

    Personally, I am perfectly happy in Y for up to 4 hours at a time and will only pay nominal amounts extra for a higher class of service unless I need the status points/miles. For sector lengths around 4-8 hours, I'll weigh up the options- if I'm not in a rush, I will typically buy a Y ticket with a connection around the midpoint of the journey, if I need to get somewhere fast I'll likely look for a redemption or perhaps a deal in premium economy. If it's 8+ hours, I will do my absolute best to avoid Y, even if it means taking a positioning flight and/or paying a decent premium (but not thousands extra).

    What I won't normally do is go out of my way for a better premium product. If I'm flying FRA-PTY and I can choose between business class redemptions involving FRA-JFK on SQ then JFK-PTY on COPA and FRA-AMS-PTY on KLM, I'd go for KLM without a second thought even though they're far from my favourite airline.

    1. Throwawayname Guest

      Next time I will make sure to throw in some racist/classist/sexist comments to spice things up!

  18. Justindev Guest

    Most of my flying now is for business in the USA. Even so, I do not fly economy for any flight over 2 hours. My corporate travel agency books economy and I pay for the upgrades.
    For the few annual internationals I'm inclined to take, they are always business or first.

  19. Frequent Flyin' Fool Guest

    We try to fly business class to Europe since flights from the East Coast are overnight and we want the lie flat seats. If we can get 4-5 hours of sleep, we aren't a wreck when we arrive.

    We tend to fly economy on return trips because the flights we take tend to leave early afternoon and arrive in the late afternoon. We are wide awake and won't benefit from the lie flat seats. We either read or binge on movies.

  20. Joey Diamond

    I always say the only way to truly appreciate flying in business/first class is to fly in economy once in a while. I don't mind flying economy during low-season as the likelihood of having an empty seat next to me or snatch an empty row is high. During peak travel season, I try my best to book business class on points or buy a discounted business class seat.
    I don't do well with jetlag...

    I always say the only way to truly appreciate flying in business/first class is to fly in economy once in a while. I don't mind flying economy during low-season as the likelihood of having an empty seat next to me or snatch an empty row is high. During peak travel season, I try my best to book business class on points or buy a discounted business class seat.
    I don't do well with jetlag and have flown North America to Europe or Asia on business/economy and regardless of cabin I still end up arriving very tired/exhausted with lack of sleep. Thus, I try my best to fly business/first class on longhaul routes within similar timezones (i.e. LHR-JNB, CDG-CPT, JFK-SCL, ATL-EZE, etc.) as I know I'd arrive comfortably with no jetlag issues.

  21. Samar Member

    For domestic US flights (which in terms of segments is still the majority of my travel), I'm fine with flying economy, and will use my AMEX Plat/Ritz-Carlton/Hilton Aspire airline fee credits to upgrade to extra legroom. This year I have been starting to take more domestic first class flights (either award or paid) when the price difference is reasonable, and will look into upgrades that I feel are worth it.

    For international long-haul, I'll book...

    For domestic US flights (which in terms of segments is still the majority of my travel), I'm fine with flying economy, and will use my AMEX Plat/Ritz-Carlton/Hilton Aspire airline fee credits to upgrade to extra legroom. This year I have been starting to take more domestic first class flights (either award or paid) when the price difference is reasonable, and will look into upgrades that I feel are worth it.

    For international long-haul, I'll book premium award flights as much as possible. I'll do economy on occasion, usually when I'm traveling with a friend that doesn't have points or would rather sacrifice comfort for speed.

    1. Greg Guest

      It’s kinda funny these days with domestic flights - with UA, for example, if you don’t have status and add economy plus, it’s often very close to the first class price. Even more so if you don’t otherwise have a checked bag allowance and need to add that.

    2. Samar Member

      Yeah, I've noticed that with a couple of my upcoming UA flights. It's probably more worth upgrading in that case considering Economy+ doesn't come with the other benefits that AA/AS/DL offer (priority boarding and free alcohol). Though personally, the prices are still too high for me to consider it a good value.

    3. Throwawayname Guest

      The fact that mainstream economy tickets in the USA don't include any baggage allowance is both financially questionable from the perspective of the airlines (as it diminishes the incentive to buy up from the cheapest fare) and a serious cause of discomfort, delays, and even risk of injury during boarding (as many/most people in the cabin try to take onboard a ridiculous amount of stuff which doesn't fit into the bins, is too heavy etc)....

      The fact that mainstream economy tickets in the USA don't include any baggage allowance is both financially questionable from the perspective of the airlines (as it diminishes the incentive to buy up from the cheapest fare) and a serious cause of discomfort, delays, and even risk of injury during boarding (as many/most people in the cabin try to take onboard a ridiculous amount of stuff which doesn't fit into the bins, is too heavy etc). It would be complete madness if it weren't a cynical way of selling credit cards to those that don't necessarily need them.

  22. Jacob Guest

    For me it has to do with the flight time. If I am on a flight that’s just a few hours long like from ATL-DFW then I don’t mind flying in economy. However, if the flight is 15 hours long like from DFW-AKL then I will definitely be flying business class.

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Simon Guest

No reason to attack Lucky here for being totally transparent regarding his travel habits. He never claimed to be the median 30-something, and he's clearly not based on his successful blog, financial ability to have multiple surrogate children, Ford, etc. However, there are probably more people that generally share similar travel preferences than would be expected based on finances alone - many people live beyond their means or specifically splurge on their travel. I'm in my early 40s, but after my last Delta status run (in premium economy SEA-ICN round trip), I swore off anything other than flat bed business class for long-haul, and using points, planning ahead, and having the ability to pay if needed, I've stuck to that for 6+ years and have no plans going back. Even though just like Lucky, for short trips I'm totally fine with economy.

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digital_notmad Diamond

tangential point, but imho intra-EU J gets a bad rap relative to intra-US J: -service is way better/more attentive on average (single most important factor) -meal service should you want it -higher quality bubbles -seats are fine tbh, I don't need a wider seat and in some ways kinda prefer having that extra distance from my seatmate -cabin isn't always full, so sometimes you end up with a whole row to yourself -lounge access included unlike US domestic J -extra tray table space available by using the tray for the empty middle seat

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Ben Schlappig OMAAT

@ Antwerp -- Nowhere did I say I can't "fathom" a redeye without a flat bed. I said I try to avoid them. What I'm saying is that I have flexibility in my schedule, so I just try to avoid redeyes when I can, because I value a good night of sleep whenever possible. I don't see what's wrong with that? If I had to take a redeye in economy, of course I'd take it. But I try to set up my schedule so that I don't have to. It's not like I'm lazy. I "work" close to 100 hours per week (doing what I love), and I can also do that from anywhere. So I'd rather take a daytime flight where I can be productive during the flight and get a good night of rest on the ground, rather than being super uncomfortable on a short overnight flight. Please explain to me what's wrong with that?

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