Kendra

Business class -especially on Delta.

nytraveler

My business travel is all FC - as is my beau's - so we have so many miles piled up we do mostly FC. The only trouble is getting tickets on the exact day you want - but now many plans let you "buy" sold out dates for extra miles so we do that if necessary. Take coach only for very short flights - or if there are no other seats available and must fly that day.

LoveItaly

It always so interesting to read about everyones preferences regarding their travel style.

I don't need a luxery hotel, but I do want a pleasant and comfortable hotel room. I REALLY enjoy eating but I have often found that some of my favorite dinners are in family run restaurants in "out of the way" places (like in vineyards in Veneto) versus the highly regarded restaurants in large cities, although I enjoy large cities.

Business class..yes one can get miserable passengers (I would have been sick too with three little ones vomiting as I have a week stomach, lol) but 5 or so hours is as long as I want to endure those tiny crushed seats in coach whenever possible.

I envy those of you who live on the eastcoast of the US when flying to Europe. It is such a longer flight from the westcoast..as Nina66 knows. Or maybe I am beginning to show my age
If the only way to get to Italy is via couch, yes I would still go but it would not be my first choice.

tower

Fishee...I agree wholeheartedly with Ira (scroll up)...I have been flying (aside from business travel years ago) coach, all over this world for the past 50+ years. I can honestly say that I haven't had any flight that would even come close to equating with all those highly descriptive whining "flights from hell" in that other thread.
We travel for a minumim of three weeks at a time and many times it's four-five weeks. The ten-elevn hours, during which time we sleep a bit, I do crossword puzzzles, read books and magazines..and what the hell I can "sacrifice" those hours going and those coming home for 500-600 hours of the sheer pleasure of visiting Europe, Asia, etc.
No, I do not consider flying time (coach) a sacrifice..merely a way of getting to a wonderful destination.

Fly cheap, sleep cheap, eat well...Ira, I love that!!!

Stu T.

kismetchimera

Usually when I travel to Europe I always bring my daughter and grandaughter, therefore, we fly the cheapest method: Cattle Class.
This August I am traveling solo ,therefore I gladly reedemed my 90,000 FF miles with AA for a open jaw ticket,SAT/Chicago/FCO coming back Sept. 26 CDG/Dallas/SAT, and travel at least once in comfort.
I will let you know about it. I traveled first class various times for shorter trips, but never to Europe.
August 28th I will land to my native city: Rome. Cant wait..

wondering

If you ever listen to Michael Savage, he tells a great story of a trip from hell in First Class! **** happens in every class...

kismetchimera

OOps.. Omit (To)= In my native city...

Celiaanne

If I had access to tons of FF miles, I might consider Business Class. But, since I don't, I'd rather "suffer" for 8 hours in coach and be able to go more often.

scatcat

We always use 25,000 miles and $250 to upgrade to business class for the flight to Europe, but the flight back we sit in exit row seats. We are not uncomfortable in coach, but it is much easier to sleep in the business seats.

karameli

My husband and I ALWAYS fly coach. When we booked our trip to Hawaii, a few of our friends said we were crazy to go coach for the 12-hour flight. But the price difference was $1800 per ticket! I just can't pay $3600 for a few extra inches of leg room. Or, as my husband said, "For $3600 I'd sit on tacks in the linen closet for 12 hours."

rkkwan

karameli - But we're talking about using miles here. Use your Hawaii example, if one can get a standard award from the mainland, coach is usually 35K, while FC is 70K. Difference of 35K per person, which is valued at much less than $1,800. Now, what would you do?

P_M

I agree with Nina in that I agree with LoveItaly on a lot of things.

I dream of flying biz class and occasionally I get a free bump. I have thought about buying a coach ticket and using miles to upgrade, but AA charges $250 each way to do that (in addition to the mileage points needed) so I always talk myself out of it. So to answer your question, I use miles for coach.

On the bright side, flying coach is the only time I am happy to be vertically challenged.

("vertically challenged" is PC for short)

Brazilnut

I fly economy and hoard miles for my children - but I might lose more than 85.000 miles if Varig goes bankrupt...

Gardyloo

Hawaii is a perfect example of how miles and paid tix can work harmoniously. For example, NYC to Honolulu is between 5,000 and 5,500 miles depending on precise routing. A one way upgrade from economy to first on a discount coach ticket (on American Airlines - other airlines will vary) is 15,000 miles, 30K round trip. But you'll still earn miles for the coach ticket that you're upgrading, around 11,000 of them. So your net mileage cost is 19-20K per person.

Going on the rule of thumb that a mile is worth between $.015 and $.025, that makes the equivalent cost between, say, $300 and $500.

For arbitrary dates, the economy cost on AA between NYC and Honolulu is $641. The first class cost for the same dates is $1866. No Math Olympics medal for figuring out the difference. The question is, is 12 hrs in a 17" x 31" seat, purchased meals and drinks, no footrest, three abreast, v. 12 hours in a 18.5" x 38"/60" seat, complementary food and drink, footrest, 2 abreast, worth exchanging three or four hundred bucks worth of miles for? For me, easy answer.

fishee

thanks for these calculations, gardyloo! I think people (in addition to myself) will find them as a way to gauge how to use their miles in the most effective way.

Patty

I use my miles for business awards or upgrades but I accumulate them at a faster rate than you do. Would this be a one time "splurge"? If so, a possible downside is that you may find it difficult to go back to coach. This may sound pathetic, but 5 hours is about the max I'll tolerate in coach any more. Anything longer and I fly J or at the very least PE or don't go.

Lostmymind

It all depends on the person and how often you travel. I travel for a living and I often get upgraded for free.
I got lucky, for a trip from newark i am taking in december to milan (open jaw) then out of amsterdam its costing me 50k miles in economy class to me thats dirt cheap and I would sit anywhere.
I am going to Nice in September its costing me 660 round trip to geneva and i am taking the train down. I am banking on the chance i will upgraded.(i am a gold member)If i dont get upgraded i will still earn a ton of miles for my next trip.
So i guess my answer is that i take my chance in economy which is not so bad and use my miles for future trips and not waste them on upgrades.

karameli

rkkwan -- I understand this is a FF question, but frequent flier miles are earned by spending money, and have a monetary equivalent. If I can take two trips in coach instead of one trip in business or first, or if I can save a few hundred bucks on an upgrade, it's entirely worth it to me to go coach. A penny/FF mile saved...

Gardyloo

It is absolutely about taste and what things (to use a term from Econ 101) are "superior goods" to you. You can get to work in a 1971 VW Super Beetle (isn't that an oxymoron for the books?) or in a 2006 S-type. You can eat beans and rice 365/3, or have a frequent diner card from Taillevent. Vive la Différence.

ira

>....worth exchanging three or four hundred bucks worth of miles for? For me, easy answer.<

For me, too.

That's dinner at Taillevent, with wine.

That's 3 nights in a hotel in Paris.

That's 5 nights in a hotel overlooking the Dordogne river.

That's 3 nights in a hotel in Venice.

That's a 10-day car rental in Germany and Austria.

That's a 4-day cruise in France.

That's almost 2 nights for 2, bkfst and dinner at the Moulin de Cambelong, Conques.

etc, etc, etc.