Help With Crazy First Class Prices?
 

My husband and I need to fly from PDX to San Antonio TX in November (we also could fly from Seattle if need be) and I want to ensure that we fly there and back in first class.

I knew first class would be more than coach but I am shocked how MUCH more it really is. The cheapest deal for 2 round trip first class seats is around $1800 which is many times more than coach seats. Most airlines are actually pricing this out at more than $3,000! Yet we could get coach seats for $200 or so.

We definitely need to fly first class but this is going to hurt. Are there any tips or ways to get a better deal than these extremely high prices? We would fly out on November 5th and return on November 11th.

Any advice is appreciated.

I can't answer your question but i'm curious. Why do you " definitely need" to fly First Class?

Airlines always charge CRAZY prices on 1st class. E.g my recent trip to Asia. RT coach was $1700 while cheapest 1st class was $13k. So it is NOT uncommon for airlines to charge 10x premium over coach.

The only other option would be miles. You pay 25k RT coach and like 75k 1st class. Which is only 3x coach fare. This is why I love miles and it is the only instrument I would be ever willing to use to purchase 1st class tickets. (would never even pay $5k for 1st class)

some people cant handle overhead space hogs, fatties that take 1 and 1/2 of seat etc. That's why they need 1st class. :D:D

You might try local ticket consolidators. I've also seen ads in my paper's travel section which claim 50-70% off F and J fares.

And paraphrasing someone on FT who was, in turn, paraphrasing Nietzsche, "There are no needs only perceptions."

When are you flying? If you're willing to fly to Austin and drive to San Antonio (90 miles), look at rates on Alaska Airlines from Seattle. SEA-AUS in early November is $2,600 RT in F, about half of what AA is charging. If you're looking at taking this flight around Thanksgiving, most flights will be more expensive since the demand is higher.

$450 each way for First Class doesn't seem that high I'm afraid. You could try a good travel agent, but at those sorts of prices, any savings would be eaten up by fees anyway.

There is a reason nearly anyone with premier status on a flight get an upgrade to domestic first in the USA. Domestic "f" is not worth paying for if you don't get a really good fare. If you can get status on an airline you will in many cases be upgraded on domestic flights if you have the highest tier.

Is it possible that you have an overestimation of what domestic F seats and service are like? It's not what it looks like in the movies. :) Depending on what airline you use, one or more of your segments might not even *have* first class at all.

If additional legroom is important, maybe try to book United and buy-up to Economy Plus (more room, but still a coach service).

If additional buttroom is important, buy 3 tickets on Southwest - they'll actually refund the cost of the 3rd ticket if your flights are not sold out.

If liquor is important, just pay by the drink...you're only getting 3-4 rounds max anyway.

If food is important, you're screwed in any cabin: better bring what you want from an airport vendor.

If some sort of soft "first class ambiance" is important, sorry, it just ain't happening on a domestic narrowbody in 2011. (This is especially LOL-worthy if you're on an RJ.)

If carry-on space is important, just check everything or buy a priority access package for a small fee.

In all seriousness: out of PDX I might shoot for a PDX-DEN-SAT/AUS ticket on United metal, assuming they're one of the airlines offering the competitive coach fare. You can always pay for E+ and United tends to offer relatively reasonable first-class upsells when there's availability at check-in time. They also sell a variety of "elite for a day" options that allow you to pick what's important to you and pay a small fee for it.

You could buy three coach tickets and make sure the seat assignments are in a row where the arm rests lift up.

Needing domestic first class
 

As an example, I take my parents on 3 domestic trips a year. First is a must for the access to a bathroom on short notice and short distance to it. When one gets older the "gotta go" alarm can give pretty short notice sometimes. The ratio of passengers to bathrooms is much better in dom first. Also the carts don't block the asiles for long periods.

I also book bulkhead seats to eliminate their grabbing the seatback in front of them when they rise! ;)

$900 ea sounds like a good deal...we pay $5-600 for coach dfw-lga/bdl....

what are the dates.....good luck...

FWIW, I don't think it is reasonable to ask the OP for an explanation as to why 1st class is necessary. I have found it "necessary" to fly FC when there have been medical issues involved.

Have you considered getting award tickets?

If you have enough miles or points for the flights you have eyes on, that will definitely hurt less than paying with real money.

Good luck!

Or, some people ARE overhead space hogs/fatties that take 1.5 seats. That's why they need first class. :D

I concur with pretty much all of what pinniped said about the actual benefits of F vs. the cost involved of "create your own F." A lot of the time, domestic F is mostly replicable in Y with a little creativity and less cash.