Originally Posted by
jacklee
I'm 5'10", and luckily have the ability to fall asleep standing if need be- and while the food may be better, or i'm more comfy laying flat, if i'm paying 1K+ for an econ return ticket, that's already a lot. I'd rather not spend the 6-8k in Biz, or the 15k+ in first..nor could i afford it. Likewise, when using miles i'd rather pay 32.5k each way vs. the 65-70k for bf/first....
Ten or 15 years ago, flying in First or Business class was far out of my reach. FlyerTalk has allowed me to take what was previously unattainable and make it a regular occurrence.
So, no, I don't have the $6-8K to spend on a Business class ticket. But with the knowledge I've gained here, I can spend the same $1K that you did, yet I can fly in Business class much of the time.
I have no issues flying long haul in Economy class (although I prefer to break up a long trip between NYC and HKG, even when flying in Business or First), but using what I've learned, there's little need to.
And if you have as little vacation time as I used to have (before I retired), it made sense for me to use miles to fly in Business or First, because even though I might save miles by flying in Economy, I didn't have time off to take more trips, anyway.