Wiirachay

Two people I've worked with and I only fly business class when flying abroad for vacation, even if we don't have enough frequent flier miles. We're willing to pay for the tickets with our hard-earned money. If you're like us, care to share a little of your background? I'm curious if there's anyone in my age range who pays for J/C.

I've been wondering about the kinds of people who buy discounted business class tickets for leisure travel. These tickets usually require a 50 day advance purchase, have steep change/cancellation fees, and are booked at the lower business class buckets. They're usually between $3k and $4k.

From my sample size of 3, it seems like we're an interesting breed. We're not "living the life" driving fancy cars or eating at expensive restaurants. We break the stereotypes that I've had growing up about business class passengers, as well as the stereotypes that airline employees have. (This excludes business class passengers using miles or upgrading using miles.)

Person 1: MBA and J.D. degree holder. Around 40 years old. Works for DOT. Single. Owns a condo that she bought as a foreclosure. Lives in the DC area. Recent trips: Egypt/Israel. Quirks: Spends $500/night at fancy hotels when traveling abroad.

Person 2: Educational background unknown. Around 40 years old. Works for a transportation company as a director with 4 people reporting to him. Has a domestic partner. Owns a house. Lives in the DC area. Recent trip: Tahiti. Quirks: Never owned a cell phone in his life.

Me: M.S. in math. Around 30 years old. Works for a transportation company as a manager with 2 direct reports. Single. Owns a condo bought at a fire sale. Lives in the DC area. Recent trip: South Africa. Quirks: Used the subway to get to the airport on his trip to JNB instead of a cab because it was cheaper. Poor fashion sense. Last major fashion purchase was at the beginning of 2008 because of a winter sale. Amount spent: Under $150. Stays at youth hostels when in the mood for that type of atmosphere. Doesn't have cable.

PokerHammy

Does buying miles to redeem for biz tickets count? Assuming 2cpm, it's about $2,000 per trip.

Wiirachay

Yup.

KweezyFlyer

I'm generally fall in this category (although I try to travel on award tickets) and my background/lifestyle is fairly similar to your sample. I subscribe to the rule that you should live better on vacation than you do in real life.

greenery-travel

I have always wondered about people / companies who pay for business class airfare but then stay at mid-level hotels (or even low-end hotels / hostels, as you seem to do). One spends a lot more time in the hotel than on the airplane, so why not save money overall by flying Y / Y+ and staying at 5 star hotels (especially if traveling to places in which Priceline can be used to get luxury hotel rooms relatively cheaply)?

janehoya

For us it's about peace of mind. We pay for international C on our travels because the thought of having to stress about overhead space, ample water, edible food, and being cramped for hours on end just doesn't appeal to us. In C we manage to avoid the annoyances, such as having someone grab our seat back repeatedly, or someone recline into our knees, or policing our son for hours so that he doesn't kick the seat in front of him. In our opinion, we don't find value in higher priced hotels, at least in Athens, Greece, which is our usual international destination.

You--or others--may find our reasons for paying for C ridiculous or a poor use of our resources, but it works for us. Instead of spending months dreading our trip, we actually look forward to it.

PFKMan23

It's all about priorities and what you value. The same could be said about people who drive expensive cars but dress in non designer/premium brands or those who wear expensive watches, have an expensive camera, etc... It's all about personal priorities.

IMOA

While I won't stay at a hostel (or low end hotel unless I'm somewhere like japan and happily stay in business hotels) I generally don't see any value in a 5 star hotel. For me I'm going to a destination not a hotel so as long as it's clean, safe has a bed, shower and toilet I'm happy. For the flight however I am miserable on long haul economy whereas will quite enjoy long haul business so I see a lot of value there.

SFflyer123

I personally will pay for C if it is less than $2500. This is, of course, pretty rare from SFO to Europe, when ussually the cheapest is around $2850. I once bought SFO-FRA c non-stop for around $2100. That was incredible, espeically given how economy fares are now around $1700 or so. But if it is $3000 or higher, I won't do it. I tried to even buy C for $2850, but my wife would not let me...

Jaimito Cartero

I usually buy 2 long haul Biz tickets a year. I try to get a bargain as well as I can, but usually pay in the 2k-3k range per ticket. Normally these are US-Asia, or US-Deep South America.

All my travel comes out of my own pocket, so I really try to watch the costs. I usually buy 1-2 more if I can find a special deal. Otherwise, I buy coach and try to get upgraded on intl tickets or on routes that I have a high probability of free upgrades (such as the US-SJO-US trip I'm on right now. All segments upgraded.)

I'm in my 40's and just don't fit in a coach seat all that well. I wish I could get rid of cable. I haven't had a cell phone in the US for 10 years. I do have a $10 one that I use when traveling. Just pop a local SIM in.

Hotel-wise, I want the best for the least. Of the 75 paid nights this year, my average is about $100 per night. My US nights are usually under $100, and many of my foreign stays are a bit over $100. Hong Kong is usually my most expensive destination, $150 a night or so.

And I've had about 15 free nights this year. Mostly IHG properties.

I would prefer to travel in Biz or FC internationally, but it doesn't always work out. I'd say that in the last year, I've been out of Moo about 80% of the time. More than half the time on an award.

trooper

Wow.. there are some similar folks here... (especially the OP!)

I'm in my 40's, life long bachelor, own my home (worked VERY hard to pay off the cost quickly.. no fire sale/foreclosure for me!!), work in a blue collar job I love having "retired" from a white collar career I had come to hate... (lifestyle choice there!)

Have a cell phone ONLY due to having an elderly Mom I want to be able to contact anytime.. only about 4 people have the number!

Have never had cable.. can't see the point as I rarely watch TV....

No fashion sense whatsoever.. and don't care...

Travel with a buddy in discounted (or upgraded) C.. stay at lower end hotels - or increasingly - with friends across the USA...which is where we routinely travel to 2/3 times a year...

In fact our travels are pretty much "Budget".. except for the air transport!

I strongly suspect I am the only person in my industry with top level status on an airline.... That thought amuses me....

jcbranch

It is strange. I once saw people getting a tax refund, they had about 10 receipts from Louis vuitton, gucci hermes etc. for tens of thousands of dollars and amongst them they accidentally had a receipt for a holiday inn. Really!

BDG8R

That's really what is common (same with some people down below). You guys been working for a while (not with student loan/not so high income two years out of college type), so make a good amount (assumption from the education level). But there is no large cost base (e.g. wife/kids, extra cars/insurance, large home, college fund, etc.). Other than Person 2, you only have to buy 1 ticket all the times. Compare it to someone else around that age (35-40 years), with family of 4. He/she'd have to buy 4 tickets at 3K each, that adds up.

dabears1020

My dad is a scruffy, 50 something computer programmer who lives in a small apartment by himself. Not only does he pay for business, but he's been on trips around the world in a private 757.

From reading this thread it actually does seem like he fits the stereotype, oddly enough.

bniu

if ur single, then paid J isn't so bad. It's the cost of raising a family which eats into many people's salaries. I can't see myself paying for F though, esp when I can pay for the cheapest J fare and upgrade with miles+copay or simply use miles outright.

of course if you pay for J or F consistently, then elite status doesn't matter so much since most of the elite amenities come with J/F tickets.