Do many companies pay for First Class?
 

I've been a salesguy for a Fortune 50 company for about 3 years. Apparently not long before I started everyone flew F, but now it's coach, coach, coach. (although I can book F on international flights *if* I fly int'l more than six times a year) A friend who's been close to the sales field longer says it's pretty much that way everywhere these days.

Is that true? Do only executives fly F now?

Just wondering, because it's horribly addicting up there. :D

Here's my company policy:

Forget about first altogether (unless it is a Business/First like Continental).

For Business class:

Fly one trip greater than 12 hours on the last leg (no layovers over 12 hours) in coach.

If, within 17 days, you need to fly another leg greater then 10 hours (not the return leg of a previous trip, a whol new trip), you may book business. This is called a mid-length flight.
If you, within 17 days, you need to fly another leg greater then 12 hours, you may book business. This is a called a long flight.

I still never figured out what the difference is.

Oh, and also, this is per business quarter. The 'qualifier' rule resets each quarter.

Overiding the policy is the opinion of the VP (the approver), who will demand coach anyway when the price difference is noticeable (and when is it not?)

The Division President (GM) flies nothing but First because he has a 'bad back', which is likely due to his obesity.

There ya have it.

We pay for F when it makes sense.

I booked a premium cabin last month when Y was sold out and I needed to book that specific flight...

I changed a colleague's reservation yesterday, he was in SEA and needed to be back for a morning meeting, so he *had* to take a redeye. When paying the change fee we bought up to F (snagging the last seat).

It depends on seniority over here.

And by "seniority", I mean "how much I like you". :p

My company is a strict we're-only-paying-for-economy-but-if-you-want-to-upgrade-it's-not-our-problem policy... They'll pay the base economy fare, and you pay the rest for first class when on a business trip.

Since you asked for it, here you go. This is what my "company" says:
B. Service Class
1. General. Government policy is that:
a. Members and/or dependents must be provided coach-class (economy) airline accommodations for all official business travel (including PCS, TDY, COT leave, emergency leave, R&R, FEML, flights over 14 hours, personnel evacuation) unless proper documentation/justification is provided (ordinarily before travel, see par. U2000-A2a) and substantiated to justify premium-class transportation.


To justify premius cabin travel we have to sell our mom into slavery and up our first-borns.

the hours matter
 

my company, also fortune 500, does it by total trip length -- anthing over 13 hours goes to a VP and normally is approved -- another nice part of basing in CO -- can't go overseas to PAC or Eur for less than 17-18 hours it seems.

sorry that is C not F tho

Our company's policy is also coach only, except for top management -- no matter how long the trip. However if you have miles or the elite standing to upgrade, that's your own business.

Ed

It is economy for everyone in my company no matter how long the flight is even for the top bosses.

when I worked for IHG, it was whatever was cheapest, whichever carrier was cheapest, whichever time was cheapest. Cheap Cheap Cheap.

Yet our policies forbade discounting rooms for company purposes, so they'd pay full rack rate for a hotel room... even if I was entitled to a discounted room. And I'd get full PC points, with IHG paying for my room :D I miss those days.

I have 24 days to go with my employer, then I'm off to the golf course after working for them, a Fortune 10 company, for 32 years. But this is their policy:

Any segment over 4 hours qualifies for the trip to be F. So, all Intl travel is BE (for me anyway), and anything to the West coast is F.

Any flights where you are immediately going to meet with a client afterwards can be upgraded as well.

Once you make elite status, what you get from the airlines, hotels, etc., is entirely up to you.

Any miles, bump $$, vouchers, etc., are yours to keep.

Dave

Say what? What was the justification for this rather absurd-sounding policy? :confused:

I can book domestic F (or discounted F) if that's all that's available. Sometimes you can work it, by changing times, to where that's all there is.

I am 2 grades below the level where I qualify for BF on international. However, if I fly 4 international RT's a year, the rest can be in BF. I am also allowed BF if a segemnt is >9 hours. Once a year, it's no big deal for me to fly 8-9 hours in coach.

There are 5 preferred airlines: Delta, Continental, Uinted, British Airways & Lufthansa. If a ticket is $200 less on a non-preferred carrier, you may buy it.

We have a fleet of company jets that are especially helpful when visiting small towns without a commercial air carrier. We like to put plants in remote places. The fleet is based by HQ, so I never use them.

Yes. I'm a lawyer and first class seating is one of the last residual benefits of the "good old days" around here. For international travel, business is allowed or first class, depending on whether it is a two or three class seating. At my firm, support staff(non attorneys) are limited to coach, unless the travel is to the West Coast or international.

However, from my home airport, Greensboro, the majority of flight are on regional jets anyhow. We only have 9 mainline flights a day. And, only one flight, AA's late afternoon nonstop to DFW, serves a meal.

So, the benefit is very limited as a result.

I know the rules for a large German chemical company:

Paid F for the executive committee and for division heads (of which there are about 40).

Paid C for the next level down (about 400 employees).

Paid C on flights above 4 hours for the next level down (no idea how many people).

Everyone else flies coach.

Exceptions are made if you're flying with customers and the customers are booked into a higher service class than you. However, your travel then requires approval from higher-ups (including from your division head for travel in F).

If you're travelling on company business with someone from the company who is entitled to a higher class of service than you, you can fly the class they're flying if they approve it and let it be charged to their cost centre.