[QUOTE=pdsales;30442944]Correlation between income and business and first class? Probably, but that was not the case for me.[QUOTE]

OK, I hope we agree that someone with 15.000,00 € yearly income will rarely travel (paid) Business Class.

That's a hair under $20k which was my PhD student stipend. I did fly AA biz from Washington DC to Beijing on a $450 mistake fare.

There are always excemptions of course. Someone else pays for it, error fares or people who spare there money for luxury travel (if you stay on a non-cost base at your parents home for excample).

If I were to measure this for an academic paper (say a graduate-level assignment for biz school), I'd want to narrow it down. This thread could have covered anything from a US-domestic "tens of dollars" upgrade to something intercontinental F on a top-5 carrier. Intercontinental business class between the top X (30-50) global cities would be an interesting analysis. Dragonair J HKG-HKT will draw a different crowd than BA J JFK-LHR, for example. I'd guess though that SIN-NRT, LAX-SYD, JFK-LHR, HKG-ZRH, etc would be an interesting study.

There's clearly only marginal correlation in the case of those who fly on business - that's tied up with employer travel policies which perhaps are more generous to more senior people - and that's where the marginal correlation exists. However, it's an interesting question as regards those who are paying with real money for their own travel - ie those going on vacation, those who own their own business and retired folk.

Certainly, about ten years ago, the PE cabins were filled by exactly that demographic - PE had not really caught on with companies (staff didn't want to push it as they knew that it was likely that they would be demoted from Business) - and the premium over economy was not large. Then about five years ago, the premium seemed to increase at about the same time as extraordinary Business Class fares started to become available and the Business cabins started to fill with retired folk. Now that those deals are fewer and further between, I'm not sure that there's much correlation at all.

But one thing's for certain, those using discretionary funds are much more careful about how they spend them.

Even with the population on FT who are flyer fanatics, and who so keenly demonstrate their command of gaming miles and points, I'd wager an anonymous poll would reveal a clear trend of earnings/wealth vs % frequency in leisure J/F.
I can't imagine sampling of any 747 on any carrier with 50 in J/F and the remaining 250 in Y where this correlation wouldnt be positive. Statistically speaking.

We still have kids at home, so we aren't buying 5xJ/F to go anywhere. My wife and I occasionally take trips by ourselves in J/F, sometimes paid (if it's a great deal) but more often with miles.

I don't see why I'd buy a lot of J with my own money when I can so keenly demonstrate my command of gaming miles and points. (That really should be our motto!! :D)

I suspect like many companies, mine distinguishes between domestic travel and overseas travel. Domestic travel is economy, Business class is allowed for overseas. This policy is the same for all salary grades, from the secretary to the CEO. But here's the thing: travel patterns mean that there is still a pretty strong correlation between those who end up in business class and those who don't. The lowest grade employees rarely if ever travel for work. Mid-grade employees travel, but mostly domestically. It's only higher grade employees or those on ex-pat assignments that ever end up on international business class. The C-suite and SVPs have access to the corporate jets, so the policy is a bit moot for them. In practice, almost nobody making less than $100k flies business class for work.

I end up traveling a few times a a year overseas for work in business, but I can't wrap my head around paying for business when I travel for fun. A $5k round trip biz fare to Europe doesn't sound so bad when it's just you going to an important business meeting, but a family of 4 paying $20k for a single roundtrip airfare sounds like pretty conspicuous consumption. The only people I know of who take an entire family on paid business overseas on a regular basis make 7 figures. One could theoretically do it making $40k if they live out of a van, but I strongly suspect very very few do so.

As mentioned earlier in the thread, it's a different story if someone is paying a few hundred bucks for a domestic upgrade fare, got lucky with a points redemption, or are traveling with a budget carrier like Norwegian.

95K. Business class not more than 20% of trips, always paid never miles/

I have never taken a seat in business class/ I think it's luxury

It most certainly is a luxury. There are a few circumstances, however, when it's a bit more than that:

1) When you have to be at a meeting first thing in the morning after an overnight flight. A lie flat business seat is often the difference between zero sleep and 4 hours of sleep- at least enough to function. Not being on the ball for an important negotiation can cost a company a lot more than the fare difference.

2) Passengers with special medical needs that cannot be accommodated with an economy seat.

3) Unusually large passengers. For a 7 foot tall basketball player, seating in First/Business is a courtesy to others.

For people with the cirucmstances you mentiond I understand it' but there are so many people that prefer to pay so much money just for luxury.

Low 100s and I've never paid for a business class ticket. I have used miles to fly J/F several times though.