reference manuals ? that is so 70's. I'd invest in a scanner and a 4GB memory stick.

Can you ship ahead the manuals?

As for carry-on, I've done 2-week trips in carry-on backpacks. Discard old clothes, buy new from time to time (t-shirts, socks, etc.). BUT...most of my travel is recreational, not business.

As for first vs coach...for domestic give me a row of 3 seats in coach over a single seat in a full first cabin. I've downgraded in the past in these situations. The HUGE contrast comes during overseas flights.

Scanner? That is so 90s. Wasn't the document written in electronic format to begin with? It shouldn't need to be scanned.

Cheers.

Probably, but to be clear -

Economy class on any airline for more than a couple of hours is torture for normal- or larger-sized adults. It should be banned by international convention. For a once-a-year flight to see the grandparents it might be ok, as long as it isn't too long a flight. For those of us who fly many times per year, often cross-country or further, it is not.

You have to look out for your health and comfort, even if it costs a little more.

Hello~~

My husband and I both are very tall and somewhat large, so we do not fit in coach. We must book and fly in business or first, or we cannot fly on that flight.

Lana

Discounted first class is the same price as full fare coach. If you book at the last minute and can't get discounted coach, you might as well fly in first for the same money. In fact, when you book your ticket, they will put you in first even if you don't ask for it.

One thing that has sort of been touched on is that most of the people traveling in bus or first class are doing it for work. this is because they probably travel a lot (like flying multiple round-trips per week sometimes). when you fly in Coach once every couple months or so, its not really a big deal how big the seat is, or the crappy meal that they give you (or none at all), etc. Like you said, you just want to get from point A to point B. but if you're flying every week or every other week, it starts to get repetitive, and the tight seats and bad food would start to wear on you.
i don't know how big of a school baylor is, but where i go to school (ohio state), we have classes with 600+ people. taking a couple of these classes is no big deal, but if every one of my classes had this many people, i'd probably go crazy.
and like others have said, they book their tickets in coach, and then either get a free upgrade, or use frequent flyer miles or certificates to get it.

to each their own. i fly ~once a month or so, and have taken quite a few 2/3/4/5 hour flights in coach, and while not necessarily the same comfort as flying in a lazyboy, i wouldn't exactly call it torture. fyi, i'm 5'11" and a decent weight

Back to BaylorGirl's question:

Another consideration for flying F: it makes a quick trip much easier - and can ultimately save $$. If I need to go to New York for just one meeting/one event and I fly in F round trip, I usually eliminate one night hotel. If I fly from the West Coast to East Coast in coach, I need an extra day to rest/re-group/prepare.

I get upgraded to F frequently but I would never pay to fly in F. Frankly it's wasted on me. I'm short and the large seats are uncomfortable. The food's not great and I don't drink when I fly. I'm just as happy in an aisle seat in the front of coach. However, the feeling of having won the lottery when the upgrade comes through and the Zone 1 Boarding while everyone else looks on makes it fun.

Some corporate contracts state that their officers will travel in FC.

For short haul travel, I agree that the benefits of First Class are limited other than the check in (and if you are gold or platinum you get this anyway.

However, the benefits for long haul travel are far more profound and those considering 1st class for routes like LAX Sydney or Hong Kong are generally doing it for business, rather than pleasure. While looking at a 10K round trip fare may seem like a lot (and it is a lot), it may be insignificant if the reason for your trip is to close on a 100 million dollar deal. The benefits of being able to sleep, be spacious and productive far outweigh if the 5 -10 time price multiple if the reason for your trip is bigger.

And I just don't think this way, the carrier do as well. On international routes, fewer airlines offer a true First Class on long haul routes but those that do are luring flyers that contemplate using their own planes vs flying commercially. For this elite group, the cost of a 10K F class ticket is a bargain compared with the cost of flying private which for long haul routes would run $150,000-$300,000 depending on the distance.

In summary, it may not be fore you but there is an elite market for F class travel at any price. It's not a mass product, but a niche

There are various kinds of "first class", ranging from the regional first-class train carriage, where the sole benefit of first class is that nobody will pay anything extra for it, which results in a guaranteed quiet journey, to the Singapore Suites, with lounges (or even terminals!) separate from the business class ones, and food to rival the best restaurants on the ground.
The reality is that very few people use the latter type of service, and that's evidenced by the fact that most long-haul flights don't seem to have a first class cabin; for example IB, KL/NW, SU, DL, AY, and OS all have decent long-haul networks but do not offer any type of long-haul F service. Of those who do fly in F, there will be some top corporate people together with the odd "regular" business traveller who absolutely has to be somewhere but can't find a cheaper alternative. Ticket paid by others. Then, there will be leisure travellers on miles, plus a couple of upgrades if business is full. Ticket covered by airline. Those who actually pay the fare will be some people who want to make a special trip (e.g. honeymooners) as well as those who don't want to be seen (consultancy owner by competitors or international celebrity by a lot of nosy seat neighbours).
Sure, there will be a few "regular" wealthy people just paying more to travel in the most comfortable way possible (but aren't rich enough to buy/charter a whole plane), but they will be in the minority IMHO.

Personally, I haven't flown in proper First and am not really anxious to do it anytime soon. I do like some of the ground benefits (e.g. luxurious lounges and limo transfers). but parts of the inflight service which others seem to value (such as champagne, never-ending meals, personalised service) don't mean anything to me.
If anything, I prefer walking to the galley and asking for a glass of water to the obnoxious routine of using the call button, waiting for someone to appear, being addressed by name and generally in an "approved" way, ordering and waiting for the FA to go back to the galley and bring me the bloody glass.

Business class is great because it usually means breaking free from the prison that WHY is, and arriving somewhat rested and having eaten a meal hopefully better than a Rat Risotto. The difference between the angled-lie-flat seat and the (3cm wider) "extra wide flat bed" or that between a rump steak and a fillet mignon don't really make you more productive or in any way justify an extra �3000 on top of the business class fare. IMHO, privacy is about the only serious benefit that F has over J. If you aren't concerned with it, don't fly in F. I don't.

For me it's all about the space. I'm 6'3" and about 255lbs, a disturbing amount of which is no longer muscle! I hate flying coach as a result. The seats are narrow, the arm rests hard, and the legroom is truly scary for someone my size. My shoulders are so broad that they overflow the center seat in those rare occasions I get stuck there on standby by about 3 inches on either side. I t's not just me that's miserable, it's my seatmates.

Free booze, a quieter ride (farther away from the engines), and the occasional snack don't hurt.

B--

False.

Short list:

* I need to be productive/rested/ready when I arrive at a destination. When I do a day trip, nothing sucks worse than flying in a suit that gets wrinkled/spilled on/smelly from being jammed into a coach seat.

* I need to be productive IN flight - able to pull out my laptop and paperwork and work - very difficult in a coach seat without elbowing a fellow passenger.

* Because I am often daytripping, I sometimes run tight enough that I need to get in and out of the airport quickly (i.e. need to be first off the plane to get to a meeting or I get to the airport late enough that I'm near final boarding)

* In the same vein, sometimes I need to eat on the plane.

* Likewise, sometimes after a long day, its nice to have a drink (or three) too.

* And frankly, because I fly so freaking often (sometimes several of these day trips a week), it would get really old sitting in coach all the time. I've found that the first cabin (for the most part) is not as loud, tends to have less disruption (children, infrequent flyers, traffic in the aisles and over me in the rows), and causes me less "nerve damage" than being in the coach cabin.

* Oh, and because I can.