Hello,
I'm new to FlyerTalk, so I am sorry if I'm doing this wrong, but I'm doing a research project on the travel industry and a friend suggested people on this web site might be able to help me out. Mainly I'm curious why people fly different classes (first, business, etc.). I'm a college student, so it's always coach when I fly, and I get to my final stop just fine. I guess I don't really know why people would pay more when the plane gets there at the same time, you still have to wait for your bags, etc. I'm posting this under a few different airline pages, but if you could let me know some of the reasons you fly first, I would really appreciate it!
Thanks!

For me it could be one or more of the following:

shorter security lines
more space
more leg room
drinks in a glass
somewhat personal service
the ability to lay down and sleep on long flights

The main reason is economy is extremely uncomfortable, especially for sleeping. Many of us here do not pay for upgrades, or pay for them with miles and a lot less cash than it would normally take. In fact, I am a bit unhappy because the plane on my reservation was switched from a 767-300 with lie flat seats, Bose headphones, and a personal entertainment system, to a 757 with standard domestic first class seating, no Bose, and on personal entertainment system. If you have never experience both products, you have no idea of the differences. Until you start flying first class, you will not really be able to understand why it is much more valued over economy.
When the market dove, I stopped flying first and gave up my Admiral's Club membership. Now, I am back to flying first or business class, when possilble, and have an Admiral's Club membership. Until you have experienced them, you have no idea how much you miss them.

Cause flying coach sucks.

Well, Baylorgirl... when I was a BerkeleyBoy I always traveled coach too.
However, it was painful even when I was young, and I think that's true for anyone who is over about 5'9" or over 180lbs.
I travel international several times a year, and the total transit time is from 24 to 36 hours, with in-the-air time as much as 22 hours. It's very hard to sleep in coach and on some airlines hard to use ones laptop, as there is no power outlet. (American is much better for power, but only in some rows)
In addition, I always feel a bit claustrophobic and very tense in long-haul coach seats. Being able to stretch out and sleep is extremely nice!!

Keep in mind though, that I'm one of those very frugal passengers who have never bought a Business Class (let alone First Class) international ticket. I always play the upgrade game. On this forum there are many people who do pay for higher class seats, and they pay a lot!!! I can't imagine paying those fares myself, but many companies will pay.

I don't understand why anyone would pay out of their pocket for first class service? The biggest discomforts of airline travel for me are the engine noise and dry/stale air. Both these problems exist in all classes of the plane . Also all flights between developed countries have a very respectable and well mannered clientèle.

This is not the 18'th century where avoiding the 'uncivilized riff-raff' would be something pleasurable. I know the food is better on first, but is that fillet mignon really $2000 better than your meatloaf ? And with regards to sleeping, the biggest factor is how tired you are , not how much your seat reclines..

I think people just have this romantic fantasy that first-class travel is the solution to everything wrong with plane travel . Kind of like that recent wine-study, where people perceive anything more expensive as inherently better. I have traveled a good deal of first class, but would never pay out of my pocket for it!

Amen - and this coming from someone who thought flying coach wasn't such a bad thing (especially when compared to the cost/effort needed to sit in first). Boy, was I wrong.

Guessing you've never flown F, yeah?

There are many reasons to fly in a class above coach:

-- You are rich and can afford it. If you've got money to burn and hate to be uncomfortable in the slightest, it might be worth it to you.

-- Your company pays for it. Some companies have the policy that if the flight is more than "X" hours, they will pay for some better class than coach. The person arrives more refreshed and able to "hit the ground running" instead of needing 8 hours of sleep. Productivity might justify the extra cost. Employees might be more willing to travel long distances and seek out new business opportunities if the trip itself isn't such a torture. If a person is going to close a million dollar deal, then the company might not care whether it spends $2,000 or $8,000 to get the person from here to there and back.

-- You can get a free or low cost upgrade. Again, this is a balance between the actual cost and the comfort level. Obviously, if the cost is zero, or even if you only have to use up some upgrade coupons that were given to you as a result of other travel, you'd want to use those upgrades before they expire.

I love Southwest and fly them often for destinations under 3 hours. But, if the opportunity comes up to fly another airline and I can fly in domestic first class, business class or international first class at little or no cost to me, then I will.

Traveling internationally, I've had the opportunity to go in business class. For something like a 14 hour trip to Australia or the far east, or even for a 6 hour trip to Europe, I'd very much like to go in business class, if I could buy a coach ticket and use miles to upgrade, or use miles to get a business class ticket with no out-of-pocket cost.

Part of it is just the experience -- like going to a fancy resturant instead of going to McDonalds. Both serve "food" but one is just a lot more fun than the other. Why eat lobster when you get the same number of calories from hamburger?

Some airlines (United, specifically) also will tag your checked bags with a "Priority" sticker and they are supposed to come up first at the baggage claim area. That by itself wouldn't be a reason to fly in first class, but its an added benefit (when it works).

Airlines that fly international have lounges that are a nice place to be between flights, and you get free access to those lounges if you are flying in international business or first class.

In short, if you can fly in greater comfort (and yes, it is a lot more comfortable!) at little or no cost to you, or if you've just got money to burn, the upgraded classes make sense.

(this post moved to TravelBuzz from Southwest Rapid Rewards)

I fly first or business (usually upgraded, once in a while paid, or sometimes a mixture of cash and miles/certs to upgrade) because:

1. Yes, you're just sitting in a seat the whole time, but it's a better seat--domestically, a little better. Internationally, much better and you can lie down, relax, etc. This is the #1 factor for me.

2. The plane may reach the final stop at the same time, but you'll get off the plane and through customs faster because you're at the front of the plane and first to get off. Which, on international flights, can save you a lot of time waiting in the immigration line.

3. Yes, you still have to wait for bags, but your First or Business Class bags usually come out before the economy bags (the priority tag system doesn't always work, but usually it provides some benefit).

4. Also, the food and entertainment are better.

5. You have more personal space and are less cramped.

6. For business travel: If I have work to do, it's easier to be productive in C/F because of the extra space (and laptop power), and I also arrive more relaxed and ready to work when I land.

7. For leisure travel: the people who book C/F for leisure travel tend to be people for whom the flight is not just about getting from Point A to Point B. Rather, the flight is part of the vacation, and the journey is perhaps as important as the destination.

8. Once in a while, it's fun to feel special.

Who says the price is different? That's what complimentary upgrades (with or without certificates) are all about.

Flying in coach for short flights (<2.5 hours) never really bothered me, but once I started flying a lot, it started to make a big difference on the long flights if I could relax. also, from a workspace perspective, if you do need to get laptop work done on a plane, it is night and day trying to write something serious in coach versus business/first class.

Internationally, it's all about productivity at the destination. If I'm flying to australia for work, if it's not in business class (or, dare I dream, first class), I would be a mess on arrival. In business class, I hop off the plane and can go straight to work. I might not care as much if I was going there for a long stretch of time, but sitting on a plane for 20-ish hours from new york to australia, then staying someplace for two or three days, and turning back around and spending 20-ish hours on a plane to get home, it makes all the difference.

The other thing is that, as other posters have thrown around, is that once you fly enough with a particular airline, they start granting you (limited) access to first/business class as a sympathy prize of sorts for spending so much time in the air.

You've been travelling the wrong first class. Or you sleep too well. Or you don't fly redeyes. Or you don't need to work in the morning.

Flying coach class > than 6 hours is a miserable experience in my opinion. I used to do it, without thought, because I grew up poor and always purchased the cheapest available product, without thought. I even flew 10+ hour flights in coach class long after I had the means to purchase better seats, just out of "instinct."

As I've aged, my butt literally doesn't handle that so well, and I also try to use my time on the plane to do something useful: sleep.

At the same time, I'm becoming more and more cognizant of how short life is, and that I can't take what I've earned with me, so I might as well spend it in ways that bring me pleasure (or ways that reduce the misery).

So now for any flight > 2 hours, I pay for first class, or I pay for business class and then (attempt to) upgrade to first. I wouldn't even consider flying in an economy seat for 6 hours again -- every now and then when I'm on a 2-3 hour domestic UA flight in F, and they swap planes with Ted (no first class cabin), my butt aches after the first couple hours. If 2 hours bothers me, why deal with 6? You only live once...

For short hops (< 2 hours), I sometimes purchase coach tickets, but still try to upgrade. And sometimes I just pay for F so that I don't have to worry about it.

Summary: my body feels better if I have a better seat, I sleep better if the seat reclines more (think lay-flat bed on UA's international F), and on intl F flights, I like having the ice cream and video tapes in-flight, and the first-class lounge access at SFO, LAX, NRT, HKG and BKK.

Or you're not 6'0" or taller or you enjoy having your knees digging into the seat in front of you.

Or perhaps you like having a view of the person in the row ahead's dandruff when he reclines.