Should I start flying first class?
 

I've just inherited a bunch of money, but I'm not really interested in buying a pile of expensive junk (boat, airplane, vacation house, designer watches, pet tiger, etc). I'd rather upgrade the experiences in my life, and maybe flying first class is something that would be an enjoyable splurge? I've never flown anything but coach, and never upgraded to "economy plus" or anything like that. What are good things to consider when becoming a first class flyer? One thing I know even without having ever flown first class is that first class on some airplanes is crap, so I'll watch for that. I don't fly all that much and typically don't bother with loyalty programs, but if I'm flying first class -- even just two or three times a year -- does it become worthwhile? What else should I know in order to get the most out of becoming a first class flyer?

I view inheritances as something that I mostly keep for the next generation. If I got $1 million, I would treat it that way. If I got $100 million, then I could see spending $500,000 per year (1/2 percent) with some extra allowance for buying a better house or similar unusual purchases. Along that same line, $10 million would be $50,000, hardly a lot. Bumping it up to 1% is also ok, in my opinion.

I would stick with economy unless it is too cramped, then premium economy. An exception might be a red eye from the US to Europe, keeping in mind that a business class JFK-LHR red eye is less comfortable than a daytime economy class JFK-LHR.

I have flown international first class, international business class, international business class where the seat mainly reclines, premium economy, and economy. International business class can make you feel like you have a fat head but is not that much better except better food and you can lie down. The lying down part is nice transpacific and red eyes from the US to Europe.

Frequent flyer and other loyalty programs are worth it, even if it doesn't change your flying behavior. I have gotten a few free car rentals, a few free hotel stays, lots of US domestic trips in economy, and some international economy and international business class trips. (My estimate is 30 round trip airplane trips or equivalent one ways, 15 hotel stays, and 20 free car days so that is not a huge number). I never paid more just to get a certain airline's miles or points. Once my father had to attend a funeral and rather than spend a lot on a last minute trip, I used my miles for a free trip for him.

I guess you are referring to USA domestic first class (on old 2 class aircraft). In some cases is less quality than international long haul business class: more equivalent to international PE. USA domestic first ( lay flat seats) on 3 class aircraft is a lot better.: You need to check what you are flying. Long haul wide body international business class on better airlines can be a step above.

Where would you travel to? USA domestic? USA regional? The other side of the world
As above, suggest you not spend the $$ just because you (now) have the $$$. Once spent you do not get back.

Wow, just checked out some international (west coast to europe) flights, and first class is literally 10X economy. Is that fairly typical? I can't justify that, except maybe for a one-off like a second honeymoon. Should have checked that out before even posting the question. I can easily afford it without even noticing the dip in the checking account, but I just can't wrap my head around spending ten times as much as I need to.

Yes. 10X or more. Routes and aircraft with First class is decreasing.
Look at long haul business class.

Sometimes -- not always -- you can get a decent deal on international Business Class flights by buying miles from the airlines when they have a sale, and then redeeming for Business Class (or First Class, where offered).

Of course, if you plan to spend more on other things with your new-found wealth, you could amass a lot of miles by churning credit cards. Take a look at the several FT credit-card forums for some of the current offers.

Jerry says once you fly first class, you can't go back to coach
 

Cracks me up every time :D

Some years ago, when I first figured out how to upgrade using miles to business, I ran into an incredibly wealthy self-made friend in the same row. I asked him why he was travelling without his wife. He wasn't - it's just that the wife (who lives off his money) refused to slum it in business whereas my friend found it perfectly ok and First not worth the money (and that was in the days before lie flat).

Like in all of these threads, it all depends on what you value. But if you can afford it relatively easily (I assume that the cost is not completely trivial, like you inherited a billion dollars, or else you wouldn't be asking), I would suggest splurging on a few trips, like Emirates A380, Singapore and other Asian airlines, but fly them en route to a first-class vacation not just a flight for the sake of it. The fun is still there (or al least it will be when the COVID restrictions end).

Lol, I love this comment. The moment of realization.

Business class to Europe for $3k is well worth it. First class for $8k isn’t. Also most airlines don’t have a first class offering any more.

Rather than say "some cases" I would say "almost all cases."

It can be, but it's not always that way. Sometimes it's "only" 3-6x more expensive. Which is still a lot. Depends on anything from seasonality to the market you're flying to/from, etc. Suffice to say though, international premium cabin fares can get very expensive very quickly when paying cash.

But don't rule out first class domestic. Which I'll touch on in a minute.

One thing to consider is that right now, in 2021, first class US domestic market is a far less enjoyable experience than it had been a couple years ago - due to pandemic protocols. Typically on a major US carrier flying a ~2+ hour flight in First you'd get a hot meal on actual plates with silverware, drinks in glassware, etc. Currently, you'll likely get a snack bag or bagged sandwich at best, G&T in a plastic cup like a cheap bear - that kinda thing. I'm sure we'll get back to normal at some point, but as it stands right now the in-flight experience isn't all that amazing.

I do think loyalty programs are worthwhile even if you fly a handful of times a year in any class. They don't cost anything, and some (many? most?) don't expire so long as you have some sort of activity every so often. It adds up, even more so if you have a credit card program that transfers to an airline you like to use. Over a ~2-3 year span I've accumulated enough points for several international flights in business or first class. Just need international flying to become a bit more accessible!

When flying becomes a bit more normal with protocols, I'd say give domestic First a try. I fairly often see fares where Economy is say $400 and First is $600 so it's much less of a leap.

Final thought - with more financial means at your disposal, something you could consider is just traveling *more* rather than focusing on class of service on the couple hours it takes to get somewhere. I've been enjoying more quick little weekend getaways to new places, and I find that's really the thing that makes life more of a rich experience.

Just my 2 cents.

depending on your level of wealth and free, there's something called fractional ownership: Netjets/WHeelsup/Jetsmarter

those are mainly for people who want privacy AND/OR time = money, but don't want the hassle of owning a jet

if you have a lot of money AND free time/flexibility, then stuff like empty legs may be useful (empty legs may be cancelled, hence the "a lot of free time/flexibility"
(not advocating this particular provider, just providing an example: https://www.privatefly.com/privateje...mpty-legs.html

see forums below:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/othe...-aviation-754/
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/luxu...ls-travel-220/

I worked in international finance for a long time and got very used to international business and first class. At this point I have the money to travel in whatever class of service I want, but I still don’t shell out for domestic F most of the time. It’s just not worth it. My personal rule is to fly F if the flight is over 3 hours, and if I’m flying by myself (Mr. tm478 never wants to shell out for F regardless of circumstance!).

For me, Business/First class is all about the larger seat. The extra service is nice, too, but the bigger seat and additional personal space is what I value. The longer the flight, obviously, the more value.

My travel preferences:

Less than 2 hours: Coach is fine (but will still price first class to see if it is worth it)
More than 2 hours: First. (Unless the fare is nuts)
Overseas: Business Class

I will fly Jet Blue, but purchase the 'even more room' seats.

I enjoy travel, and have decided to do it well. My best friend thinks paying for anything but basic economy is nuts, so he is fine with the middle seat in coach on a TATL. Different people have different preferences.

I would like to try first on a premium airline to see how it is, but I can't justify the extra money.

The best way to know is to try. Be careful, you might get hooked on it like I am. :)

Until recently I always bought Y cabin tickets and have been on a Y-cabin only business travel policy, but could (and did) get upgrades, both paid out of my own pocket or as part of airline status.

My general rule of thumb for paying for upgrades is flights longer than about 4 hours if I can get it for $60/hr or less. It also depends on how much I'm traveling - If I'm doing 2-day round trip transcons more than once a month, the chance that I'm going to pay for F goes up. If I'm mostly flying less than 2 hour flights, I probably will be fine with an aisle seat in premium economy.

The past 18 months I started buying F on shorter flights for a few reasons:
1) It gives you more space to not get coughed on by other passengers. Most of the year I can count on upgrades, but around busy travel weekends I would just pay for F to get the space.
2) It was super cheap (difference was about the cost of a checked bag 1 way) until about June 2021, and got a lot of EQMs to get status for hopefully more free upgrades in 2022.

It's worth trying if you've never done it, especially if you're flying a lot of long Y cabin flights, but unless you can ignore the price completely, it's generally worth considering the cost/benefit per flight.

Depends on how much money I guess. If you inherited $10M+, it's be fairly silly to not spend it on first class. If you got $500k, well, sure, paying for First is not worth it.

--
That said, I try to avoid much flying not in F.
In fact, even domestic stuff, it's just better in F. Is it worth 5x more? I say usually.

Longhaul? Always, always.
Over 5 hours, totally worth it
Over 2 hours, worth it.
Under say 2 hours or so, prefer it, but not required.

Agree with all that. But I don't buy things that don't have value to me, so I will explain my thinking. I used to fly only Y, including TATL, and mainly for work. And I was younger then and could tolerate sitting in economy for 8 hours, even though I did not enjoy it. But I kept having terrible experiences, mainly due to other passengers. Obnoxious drunks, seat recline complainers, people who had been traveling a week without bathing, couples fighting, argumentative seat poachers, people too big for their seat, you name it. Maybe I am too sensitive, but those things on an 8 hour flight with no sleep would put me in a bad mood for the whole trip. And most of my international travel was for work and I was arriving a wreck. I began thinking that travel was so miserable that I needed to either quit traveling for work or figure out how to do it better. Getting into business class was the start. I thought it was too expensive, so I started reading FT and the blogs to figure out how to upgrade or find cheap tickets. It takes some work, but there are definitely tricks to it. Since then, I have never had an unpleasant international flight. I've been taken well care of in cancellations and re-schedulings. i've spent multi-hour delays in nice lounges with showers, nice food and drink, and napping rooms. But I have never paid more than $3K for a TATL flight, or $3.8K for a TPAC. You just have to look around for cheap business class or upgrade with miles space. Only a few times I have spent $500 for an upgrade at check-in from international business class to First (on BA and AF), just for the experience.

For domestic flying, the same thing has crept in. it seems I am usually flying F either because it is often cheap or I get a cheap upgrade offer or upgrade with miles. I look for those opportunities and take them. The seat is only a little better than coach, but the extra cost is usually only a little more, too..

But the main thing is that it is insurance against having a miserable experience. If saving a little money means there is a decent chance the flying part will be miserable and ruin your whole trip, it is not worth it.

Thanks everyone, I appreciate hearing about the different perspectives and strategies. I'll probably price first/biz class when planning future trips ... 3X-6X coach could be a maybe; at 10X that's a special/out-of-the-ordinary experience. I guess I should learn about the upgrade path as well. You just ask at the counter when checking in? Are purchased upgrades available to the first person who asks, or are they reserved for elite flyers?

And I suppose when flying coach, I will always take the option to upgrade to "premium" economy ... seems like that's always cheap, and few extra inches are better than nothing.

Concerning upgrades from Y to J, for international, you want to try to get them at booking if possible. (That is because you can usually waitlist, but those do not always go through, and I don't like to risk flying international coach, for the reasons above.) The process all depends on the airline - they are all different. But the ones I mostly do that on are UA and BA, where it is easy to check on the website for availability of upgrades at booking. But you will have to hunt for it. Other airlines are a little harder to find available upgrade space. I suggest googling, as there are plenty of articles on blogs out there on "How to Upgrade on X Airline.".

When I am in business already, on BA and AF I just ask what an F upgrade would cost when I am checking the bags. Sometimes it is just a few hundred. If it is too much, that's fine, since business class is good as is.

Asking at the counter no longer works...every frequent flier program has status levels and the higher you are on the food chain, the greater your chances are of being upgraded. If you are flying out of a hub of any of the major airlines, good luck being upgrade unless you are one of their top levels.

If you are wanting to buy-up at the day of travel, when you check in at the kiosk it'll often ask if you'd like to purchase an upgrade and it'll give the price. Simply click yes, insert your card, and you're done.

Unless you're traveling overnight flights where sleep is going to be a priority, paid upgrades rarely make sense. Most domestic business/first is lackluster and rarely worth the upcharge,

To me there's a big in between buying a boat and flying first class.

We don't know how old you are, we don't know how well off you were before. We don't know how much you inherited.

Speaking as an old fogey, I'd make sure my future (retirement) was secure, I'd want to live in a home that I loved. To me that is #1, you spend so much time there.

I'm also a cheapskate when it comes to travel...we fly first when we get upgraded through status, or if the miles needed are reasonable (flying F to Maui for only 40K, to me a deal). I like sitting up front, but won't pay outright for it. Flew ONCE on a lie flat (MIA to LAX) and it was fabulous. But I'd never pay for it. Through even the lowest status with our airline (Alaska) we get exit row seats, to me perfect for any trip.

And I love the thrill of the chase...finding the very, very best deals. My husband jokes that if we ever won the lottery I'd still look for the best deals, or I'd be miserable. And I think he's right.

But sure, give it a try, see if you think it's worth it to you.

Buy the boat. I did and have no regrets

It's better to be in a premium cabin wishing you were in Y, than in Y knowing you could have been in J/F.

I'm comfortably retired and travel is a high priority. (I'm in a United Club on a day pass as I type this.)

Domestic short-hauls- Coach. Not worth the extra bucks for a bigger seat. Domestic longer flights (4+ hours): Business if it isn't too astronomical. I like the bigger seat, the occasional real food and (in evening hours) a glass of wine or two.

Long hauls (International and, most recently, Hawaii): Business. Sometimes you get lounge access, which to me is a major perk, but not always. AA, for example, allows it only on international Business flights and "international" is defined to exclude some airports in Mexico. I like it for the same reason as above for longer domestic flights. There used to be more entertainment options in Business but I'm not sure anymore with Bring Your Own Device in many cabins.

Never paid for First. I was upgraded a few times but IMO not worth it. Even bigger seat, meals stretched out over more courses (but you can ask for all of it at once so you can sleep), nice little drawers near your feet so you don't have to store things in the overhead. Maybe a nicer amenity kit- I forget.

And then there's Australia. I will not fly Coach to Australia but I looked at Business Class and it was extortion. I have my limits of reasonability. Plenty of other good places to visit.

By way of example, I was just looking at a TATL trip in March on the UA website (not the greatest soft product, but okay if the Polaris lounges are open for pre-flight dining, which it should be for my departure airport). I found RT with connections for about $900 economy with PZ space available (the UA code for seats which will immediately upgrade for miles or points) both ways, so in business class for $2000 RT ($900 plus 2x$550 upgrade charge plus 2x20K points (which I have lots of)). Buying it outright would be in the $4K range. And pre-COVID, you would sometimes see $6K-$9K for those flights (which I never paid).

The other aspect of Y vs J - especially on trans-oceanic flights - is the ability to REALLY sleep in J. For the past 7 years, I've made 1-2 annual trips to the MidEast from California. 7 hours sleep on the way there enables me to be functional the day after I land - especially since the flights arrive in the afternoon/evening, and I do nothing but go to my hotel, eat dinner, take a walk, and go to sleep again. If you're doing short trips for long distances, the J seat saves several days of lost productivity.

Like several posters on this thread, flight time and lounge access on international flights are the deciding factors for me. I also agree that domestic F is uninspiring and generally not worth it to me. Lounge access when you have a delay or a layover is quite nice; it gets you out of the cacophony of the gate areas.
You now have the opportunity to choose. Why not choose it sometimes?
Apropos of nothing, Miat, Mongolian Airlines coach is more comfortable than most and you get a hot meal and a movie!

The short answer to your original question is YES, but it also depends. Repeating so many other posts, it really makes sense for US transcon (esp. LAX/SFO to NYC, many other routes depending on where you are) and international long-haul. Also highly depends on where you want to go. Going to London on British Airways? Business class is totally fine. Paris on Air France, I would 100% absolutely pay the premium for first class. Actually look at a connecting flight with Air France so you can experience the first class lounge. Qatar Business class is better than many carriers First class. Emirates First is likely too "blingly" for many people.

Figure out WHERE you want to go first, look at the airlines that fly there and then start googling that airline and first class reviews. Don't trust one source / one blog. Search here on FT, YouTube and the blogs.

I've flown first or business (where first isn't offered) on: British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Thai, United, Virgin Atlantic, Austrian, Turkish, Jet Blue, Alaska, Delta, KLM, Qantas, Lufthansa, Air China, Ethiopian
Business only (missing their first class product) on: Air France, Singapore, Emirates, Etihad
Most of those were on points, business trips or upgrades based on status. How much the paid fare would've been worth it ranges wildly, based on a dozen different factors.

First class wish list: #1 (by a mile) Air France, #2: Qatar (business), tied for #3: everyone else

To repeat myself, choose your destination first. Think about a special trip based on what you will do (or won't do!), who you see, what experiences you have (outdoors/hiking, city/entertainment/eating, historical trip, beach). That is the most important. Only then take a look at the flights and figure out what makes the most sense. I'm 99% sure that wherever you go, at least paying for business class would make sense.

Hope this all helps!

If you think you're going to start flying a lot, pick an airline which meets your requirements (is your local airport a hub? which company flies to the most places you're planning to visit etc.) and then sign up to their free program to build up loyalty. Over the last 12+ years with DL (and I am not suggesting this is the best for you), I have attained high status and annually get free upgrade certificates both for domestic and international travel. I've been flying business for many more years and wish I had not just selected randomly (not even bothering to join some programs).

Two thoughts:

1. What do you dislike most about flying? The answer to that may reveal a lot about whether first will be worth it to you.
2. I think you should go for it at least once without trying to do the cost benefit analysis. I suspect you will pretty quickly figure out if it is worth it to you. Maybe you will realize that you love first class and can't go back to economy. Maybe you will decide it is a total rip off. Regardless of what you ultimately decide, you will have had a new experience, you will have done something differently and tried something new. Isn't that what it is all about?

So I used to travel twice a month on Southwest, always pinching pennies, never even buying Early Bird check-in or any extras. I thought, why waste money on stuff that just enhances an experience I'm going to have anyway? Then, post pandemic, I've ditched Southwest and now fly on AA and AS, always in premium economy or first class. I also bought the lounge membership. Guess what? It's AWESOME and absolutely worth every penny. I can't explain the difference in comfort and experience between going from the Alaska N lounge in Seattle and walking on a first class flight home rather than being treated like a meat cow and crammed in the back of a crappy WN plane on an absurd connection in a godforsaken airport. I'm way less tired, less stressed, and just happier overall. Especially if you have the money and enjoy traveling, I'd spend it and never look back.

I'm perfectly content with J/C over F for international flights. I just need a safe landing, not necessarily a happy landing.

Try a good international business class (I.e., probably not a US carrier), try to get it at a low price or an upgrade at booking, and see if you feel the same way. I do. Question answered.

Yeah the lines are getting blurred on some "Business First" products... like I noted above, I'm perfectly content with a good international J/C product. :)

If you're in e.g. JetBlue Mint, Delta One, or an AA wide-body, the seat in domestic F is very, very much better than coach -- on par with int'l business class... which is not at all unsurprising, since in AA's case at least, many of the planes are actually repurposed from international routes during covid (not sure what will happen with those routes if/when TATL and TPAC traffic rebounds).

Most recently I paid around $750 for a Mint seat JFK-SEA. Coach would have been maybe $200 on that flight. The same Mint seat can be 2x or 3x what I paid though, depending on demand and whatever other mysterious black-box criteria airlines use to concoct their fares.

Similar to AC transcons on widebodies... the same aircraft they use for international flights with lie flat suites and the such... so much better than coach

Yes you should start flying first class. If you haven't done it, even once will be a thrill for you.

I will say this. I travel at least once a week and about 80% of the time I'm either upgraded or take advantage of a generous upfare offer so this isn't a big concern (yet) personally for me. I will say that on every flight I'm on (I fly AA) there's minimally 10 paxs, and usually more, that are so overweight there is no way they can sit in a Y seat without encouraging into a seat mate's personal space. I have a hard time believing these paxs are all being forced to buy a second seat or sitting with family members/friends that don't might them in their space. And over the past few years the number of POS seems to be exploding-no surprise given our obesity rates.

One good reason to buy F (assuming you can afford it) is that you won't have to deal with someone's body matter spilling onto you.

There are plenty of J/C products that also shields one from OPBM.