Greetings! I'm a new frequent flyer and have really learned a lot from lurking on these forums. Many of you talk about frequent trips in first and business class, and I imagine they can't all be earned through upgrades.

I'm trying to buy a pair of business class tickets direct from LAX to HKG. (I'm an AA Gold.) The quote I get is over $8200! I'm buying a month in advance, and I've checked many dates only to get the same price.

This is nearly 7 times the price of a coach class ticket on the same direct route. What I want to know is how it's possible that US$8000+ is the going market price for a business seat?

Do people and companies really pay this much? Would you? I'm just thinking that even if I had an income of $165K per year, I would not spend 5% of it just to eat $40 worth of upgraded food and to sit in a nicer chair.

Surely I must be missing something here! Please enlighten me. There must be a secret to flying business without paying this price.