On United specifically, the 787s and 777s that do these routes actually have three distinct seat types: lie flats, domestic first style premium, & econ, compared to a regular domestic route where “premium economy” just means the same seat with more legroom. So there’s good reason for the price hike but something I haven’t been able to justify yet.
That being said, these ultra long haul flights are not the same as any other regular flight. I did a similar length RT last year to Johannesburg in econ and it was a physical and mental battle for someone who doesn’t sleep well in the sitting position. Crossing the over 10 hour mark and still having 5 hours to go was tuff.
I had to fly to Sydney a few times each year for a job a few years back, and the company did NOT pay for upgrades to business class. I would fly on Saturday, spend Sunday in Sydney trying to stay awake and sleep as much as possible before going into work.
One year I could not fly until Sunday and had to go straight into work on Monday and we had an evening cocktail party with clients. I upgraded myself using miles to sleep on the flight. At about 9:30 PM Monday night, my boss expressed shock that I was so alert and hanging in there, at which point I impressed upon him the reality that upgrades to business class were good for a reason. And pointed out a co-worker who had flown in on Saturday who was literally sleeping in the corner of the room.
Spending the money myself is a tough scene, but if you can find a way up there with miles and such, it’s 100% worth it. 1000% even.
Posting while I’m in Polaris on a long-haul flight for which I got a great deal using miles
I’ve always been pretty diligent about spending, and generally don’t get caught up with luxury stuff, but once I could afford it in my late 30s, traveling business class has been one area I spend on. I can chalk it up to being a pretty broke international student attending school in the US on scholarship. Flying from India to the US on the cheapest seats on the cheapest airlines with an insane number of stops was not fun.
That said, once I started traveling on lie-flat for international travel, it was a game changer. E.g. I could spend Saturday with the kids and fly out on Sunday, arrive on Monday, and head straight to work, instead of missing family time the whole weekend. I would pay for the upgrade cost out of pocket for work trips.
Nowadays I am deep in the United points and CC game. If you do it right and have status, the additional miles you earn because of the fare difference, could be worth 20-25% “cash back” if you use the miles on another business class trip.
Join the CC/Rewards thread - there’s some great info in there from folks who are even deeper in the miles game.
Pro-tip: get the economy seat. Use the $2,500 you saved over premium economy to get blackout drunk on the flight so that you don’t remember how much the economy seat sucked.
Shit, when I flew to Spain (02), and Ireland (05) it was free in economy. Drank so much on the way to Spain. Then the flight from Frankfurt to Barcelona had amazing bologna sandwiches everyone else was too hungover to eat. God bless Lufthansa.
all of these are more than my paycheck. I realize I’m pretty low on the income spectrum here lol, I am not sure I could ever justify more than $600 round trip anywhere lol
And this is why humans are so awesome. All have unique interests and hobbies
I’m only 5’9 but in my opinion premium economy is the best value if you’re paying straight cash. Growing up and through college I would fly JFK- NRT, NRT-CGK every few years to visit family and being able to enjoy the trip rather than being in pain from being crammed in a seat for 26 hours is well worth it.
