Why fly business? I don't see the value?

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Not being able to afford to pay for Business or First Class, but enjoy being able to rest and relax in the Qantas lounge before a night flight, I try to get Frequent Flyer Business Class seat - from Bangkok to Melbourne, since it is a night flight.
On my last FF trip to and from Bangkok, I could not get a Business Class return flight for my night flight. Why not? There were always seats available in the past? Has Qantas/Jetstar stopped allowing their FF passengers this privilege?
But I was able to purchase an upgrade at Bangkok airport, for around $200.
BUT the staff were not going to allow me the upgraded amount of luggage - still wanted to charge me for excess baggage, and would not give me a refund for food and video pre-paid...
Still waiting to hear from Jetstar!!
I think the value is enjoying the rest beforehand, eating and drinking and free internet, late call to board, and OF COURSE THE BEST SEATS!

 

[rechoboam]

i'm sure his comments were tongue in cheek.

I don't know...with the length of time it takes to serve everyone in J as they spend ten minutes deciding which shiraz to taste and which handmade chocolate they feel like, if you are at the back of the A380 cabin and last to be served, I'm sure you would be getting pretty hungry by the time they reach you, especially if the meals look good!

 

[gumpy]

I don't know...with the length of time it takes to serve everyone in J as they spend ten minutes deciding which shiraz to taste and which handmade chocolate they feel like, if you are at the back of the A380 cabin and last to be served, I'm sure you would be getting pretty hungry by the time they reach you, especially if the meals look good!

This is why i actually prefer J in the 747 upper deck compared to J in the A380 =) but yeah lets not say anything too ridiculous now =)

 

[hotanddusty]

It all depends on your perception of comfort and generally it is allot more peace and quiet up front and hey! then wine is not to be sneezed at

 

[Durin's Bane]

IThe only people I know who pay the extra from their own pockets need the extra leg room or need to have their egos stroked.

Perhaps you need to mix with a different group of people.

 

[Princess Fiona]

You've either not flown economy recently or you're being inflammatory for the sake of it.

Yes I thought he/she might be smoking something

 

[drcam]

As a rule, would not be willing to fork out standard fares in J on the big-name carriers.
I will generally contend with flying whY, but would be willing to occasionally
splurge for a J fare on a second-tier carrier such as Royal Brunei or Garuda
to visit my relatives in Asia. Am also keeping my FF points for J redemptions.

It's interesting that when I finish my training in my profession the government
allows conference expenses up to $20000 a year to be reimbursed up to
business class. As a lowly trainee I will have to cope with steerage.

 

[Ikara]

I haven't been following the thread, and you'll understand why in a moment, but I felt I had to reply.

I DO!

JB

 

[JohnK]

There still appears to be a few people on this thread who choose to put others down for their travel choices.

My thoughts have not changed since I posted in this thread earlier. My preferene is still to fly as often as possible and experiencing "so called" comfort for ~24 hours either side of a trip is a total waste of money/FF points in my opinion. I will, and want to, maximise the points I accumulate to travel more often.

 

[cove]

JohnK I was just like like you travelling in Y everywhere and having money in my pocket to do more flights,buy stuff at the other end or do an activity. Then at 44.7 I had a NDE which stands for Near Death Experience and I worked feverishly after that to travel better classes but effectively paying a Y price by manufacturing points cheaply or free to go places.There is nothing wrong with what you are doing but I do squirm at the thought of some who pay full retail prices for business class whether their company is paying or not.This forum is a huge help in getting it's members travelling at or closer to the wholesale price and it doesn't matter which class a member chooses. The long haul flights to get to a final destination rarely exceed a day in your life of about 30,000 days.

 

[Turbo-g]

The main thing is people have choices and they choose what they want to do. If you want to travel Y then do so, if you choose to travel premium do so, easy. Some peopole will look forward at business class and and say to themselves "what loosers" others in business will look back and say "loosers", really??? big picture- you're on the plane. Pay what you want to to get where you want to. I've been lucky to get into business a few times, other times not so but every time i'm thankfull i've actually arrived in one piece no matter how i got there. Looking forward to sitting next to all of you sometime anyway, safe travels

 

[nonpop]

I'm sort of new to regular J. (though my first J flight was 11 years ago). My new job now sees me flying J international more often than not. Just ticked over to Qantas WP with 6 months still to go (thanks to AFF forum for tips). This has been a mix of QF J hard product to Asia (SIN, HK) and using FJ to the US. I see flying J for business as a nice perk and I actually respect my business travel more than when in Y which I hated as I got older. When I was flying Y long haul I would always fly during the day (on company time) and usually fly up a day earlier and the same returning. Now I try to fly the evening before I need to be where I need to be and the same in return. This way I'm working the very next day vs recovering. So in real terms, my productivity is much higher.

For the right price, J is IMHO how flying should be for long haul. Peaceful check-in, peaceful boarding, nice flight with good service and for me, no long lines for the toilets. I tend to consume a little too many fluids (mmm bubbles) pre flight, pre take-off, during the flight. I hate lining up for toilets. And I really hate the person kicking the back of my chair - oh that gets to me. Or getting on board to find no overhead space. Or an extra large person that spills over into my seat. The list goes on.

I've now booked the mrs & I JQi *Class at Christmas time as this seemed like a good product / price balance. So our personal life will consume a mix of low cost J-type products long haul (SYD - LAX or SYD - HKT or SYD HNL) and Y short (SYD - MEL) with the odd dose of JASA at the right price. The danager becomes the more we get used to J the more it seems the normal way to be. I will also look to spend all these points on a pair of J RTW in the near future. I look to maximise points & SCs but never go out of my way to pay for them, but I always look to maximise the benefit of getting them.

So, as many have said, a product is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. And paying comes in many forms - time, money, health, ego, perception, the experience etc.

Happy & safe travels to all the AFFers.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

and experiencing "so called" comfort for ~24 hours either side of a trip is a total waste of money/FF points in my opinion..

Each to their own of course, including their circumstances.

However I have learnt redeem for J at only 50% more than Y, and to do in on airlines besides QF where J is often cheaper than Y on QF.....whilst also having honed my Points Running skills where I earn more points than I can redeem on a family of 5 flying in J long-haul once or twice per year. Indeed I now often pass up on many opportunities to just focus on the those with the cheapest aquisition cost.

So in my case why not J...with a bit of F thrown in.

 

[cove]

Lovetravellingoz what are you using for the biggest points creation this year? I have read the road warriors make points mostly from flights but credit cards for our family paying taxes and business expenses are the go.

 

[JohnK]

Each to their own of course, including their circumstances.

And just as well we have choice to do what we want.

However I have learnt redeem for J at only 50% more than Y, and to do in on airlines besides QF where J is often cheaper than Y on QF.....

I think that is what we are all trying to achieve but it is not always possible. I know purchasing miles on AA and BMI go a little of the way to assisting people travelling in premium cabins for a small premium on economy.

As for credit card points earn then you really need to push serious business expenses through credit card to make it worthwhile. Someone who earns 6 figures a year is realistically only going to be able to put $30,000-$40.000 through their credit card. At best this is one return flight to Asia in economy.

So in my case why not J...with a bit of F thrown in.

I see no issue in what you are doing. At least you don't rub people's noses into the dirt just because they fly economy.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Lovetravellingoz what are you using for the biggest points creation this year? I have read the road warriors make points mostly from flights but credit cards for our family paying taxes and business expenses are the go.

Well I was once a "road warrior",or rather "sky warrior" as I mainly flew but I earn more points per year now than back years ago when I spent $70K a year on business travel.

You extract many points by having a large business throughput, and this is your boon.

In my case I just have to be alert, though by calling Amex and being friendly it got me into a couple of extra promos that I was not targeted for.

I don't have it recorded, but off the top of my head over the last 12 months:

• 10% bonus on transfer from Amex to SQ. 1.5 million moved to gain 150K
• Normal credit card spend bonus mainly at 1.5, but with some on Visa at 1.0 (now 0,66 to SQ) = say 200/250K
• 40K promo from Amex
• 20K promo from Amex
• Hotel 10 X bonus = 5K
• Loyalty bonus from Amex of an extra 1 point per $. Say 50K
• 75K for plat...though that cost $900, but with proper insurance (handy for 20 year old daughter on her own travels) and flight.
• 30 K from Vodaphone
• Say 2K in CC bonus on KF flight fees.
• Vintage Cellars promo = 30K
• Amex DSE Promo just finished = 100K
• QFF: Everyday..say 30K
• QFF: Everyday credit card = 16K
• QFF: Flights say 6K (domestic as my long hauls are all redeemed in J or F)
• QFF: Hotel stays: say 3K
• 20K to BMI from surveys

There were some others here and there, but I can't recall.

So say almost a million.
While I am on a healthy salary...most of the points come from value adding...or what I call Points Running. Carpe Diem.

 

[cove]

Thanks for your reply on making points so you can travel. You have it as a bit of an art form!

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Someone who earns 6 figures a year is realistically only going to be able to put $30,000-$40.000 through their credit card. At best this is one return flight to Asia in economy.

Well based on my experience, I would have to disagree.

But perhaps I just work the system a weeny bit more than most

 

[Travel_Lover]

I once heard an interview with the quality B rate star Kevin Bacon who said he'll always fly the highest class he can. So if it's good enough for Kev I'd love to give it a go!

 

[justin23]

I'm probably a bit late to the discussion, but got the gist of some of it.

I recently got upgraded to J from SYD-FRA on QF. Far more comfortable in terms of space, but it was impossible for me to sleep, because of the shell seats and the width of my shoulders. Of course other airlines maybe different. Yes i enjoyed the whole experience, but I still arrived tired in Frankfurt. So for me, Unless i get a cheap J fare I'm unlikely to ever pay for J myself.

The return in the exit row in Y was probably just as comfortable. I'm guessing Y+ would be the same, the main gripe is my knees and the seat in front. So maybe Y+ is all I need to get the most comfort possible for me. Of course never going to knock down a J upgrade.