Originally Posted by andiamoalplastic

Hi! Looking for some insight on whether or not to try to upgrade on my transatlantic flights to and from ADD during the second half of November.

​​These flights are EMPTY. I am travelling alone and didn't pay anything for my economy seats since this is an educational study tour organized by my work. I am seeing two ways to upgrade:

-45k Sheba Miles (of which I have none but could convert 170k Amex points to Hilton points to Sheba Miles)
-Bid to upgrade (starting at around $1100 for ORD-ADD and $1700 for ADD-IAD)

Will this break the bank for me? No, but I have some social anxiety issues that make me want to attract as little attention as possible around strangers and also ADHD so sometimes I can be a little squirmy. I definitely value privacy and independence which I would get with the empty row.
​​Is it worth it to give that up for a business seat and most likely have a seatmate (website shows 2-2-2 for both flights) on one or both of the below?

ET516 | ORD-ADD | B788 | 13hr, 45min
ET500 | ADD-IAD | A350 | 17hr, 10min (with one hour stop at FCO)

About me: I'm 39 years old, travel internationally 1-3 times a year but always in economy, am a terrible sleeper in all moving vehicles, get cold easily, and I'm 5'3" so legroom isn't a problem for me - usually the bigger issue is my legs getting tired if I don't have a footrest.

I am intrigued by the "Ethiopian national dish" and know for sure that I would love having a good blanket and big pillow.

Thanks!

Edited to add: just shelled our for FR Silver and saw that ADD-IAD has recently been exclusively the A350 Safran Optima style seats for the last month with the exception of one random 777 thrown in so I am leaning more toward upgrading here. ORD-ADD is a complete mixed bag with both 788 styles, some 789s, and 777s.