Originally Posted by
Stoughton
And that's entirely opinion based. It's only 2x the value if you actually value the business class over coach. For someone like me who sees a seat as a seat and a flight as nothing more than a means of transport, there is no additional value to using the miles for business over coach.
To me it's like saying I can buy a Honda for $25k or a Benz for $50k. They're both cars, the MB doesn't have more "value" to me even though it's 2x the cost. It's just a means of transport and both will get me there in a similar fashion.
In my case, being able to go to Europe 2.5x in coach vs once in buisness is the added value. Not the other way around
You are correct. The mileage expended on 1 business class trip will get you 2.5 trips to Europe. However, if you do that, you would be paying 2.5 times the cost would you not? (Lodging, food, transportation, spending money, etc.) So, by this rationale, you can take 2.5 trips to Europe on a budget for the same price as one luxurious trip. To me, this is like choosing to go to Vegas twice in one year and staying at a Motel 6 instead ponying up for a nice hotel on the strip on a single visit. Yes, you initially save money and get to go twice with the former, but what's the allure? If you can afford to swing two trips to Europe why not purchase the coach airfare outright and earn miles instead of expend them?
Your car comparison only holds salt if you can afford the Benz but choose to purchase the Honda. There is NO question that the Benz will have more features and be an overall nicer mode of transportation. On this same line, why go to a nice Tex-Mex restaurant when Taco Bell is so cheap? After all, it's just food and serves the same purpose doesn't it?
To each his own, but I don't see the added value.