Etihad airways

[mogandave]

On the face of it it does seem rather insane that some would pay so much extra for 12 hrs of 'relative' comfort.

But the same could be said of eating in a nice restaurant, owning a more luxurious car, owning a larger house etc... we don't need these additional luxuries, some may call them 'trappings'..... its a 'trapping' if you can't afford it, its a 'luxury' if you can....

But....... wait until you have tried it... I've sat in economy in the past and thought whatever the cost, I want to lie flat - business just takes the majority of the stress and discomfort out of travel.

I'm healthy, still play sports etc, but I had a DVT in my 30's... I have no wish to sit for 12 hours in a cramped space and risk another.

My question is: If someone has the money, how could they tolerate sitting in Economy Class for so long?... This is just another opinion from a different side of the fence - every single one of us has different tolerances, different opinions and different financial conditions on travel...

I don't mind economy on a short flight, but an overnighter is a different matter - I don't care for the better service, faster check in etc... Its simply the lie flat seat that I'm after..

I do get it, but when I look at the prices I just cannot see why you would pay that much for comfort, I mean 100K+? sure if it was an extra 10-20k I may consider it, but that is an insane amount of money to be able to lay down for me... I do have that money but I would sooner spend it on other things such as my son or my mother etc, it just doesn't make sense for that... I guess its similar to hotels where some will pay 20k for a nights stay in a hotel, when you can get a perfectly nice hotel for 2k..., but I always come back to the 80k extra could be spent on so much more than that x amount of hours you feel slightly cramped, its alot of money really

I mean some of the business class flights I have seen have been 150k+ as-well, that's just mad to me, Ive flown economy for 15000 direct and it was fine, I guess some people just have alot more money to burn, but even if I was a millionaire I don't think I would pay it!

I don't think you can compare it to a car or a larger house as these will return more if you sell them and hold more value, plus they are objects which you own but I do kind of get your comparison.

I fly to the uk and back to Thailand a good 5-10 times a year, if I was to go business class that would be a serious amount of money, a friend of mine was saying how most business class customers are having it paid for by the company they work for which makes sense a little more when you need to be fresh the next day for a meeting

Each to there own I guess, I do not want to mock anyone spending that as its your own choice but I personally cannot get my head around it

Cheers

Business generally cost 2-3 times what economy costs, not ten times, so a better comparison might be comparing a 6,000 hotel room to a "...perfectly nice hotel..." for 2,000. Where do you find a perfectly nice hotel for 2,000 anyway?

If you're doing 10 round trips a year you are getting all the perks and flying business half the time anyway even if you book economy, yes?

[ryanhull]

Business generally cost 2-3 times what economy costs, not ten times, so a better comparison might be comparing a 6,000 hotel room to a "...perfectly nice hotel..." for 2,000. Where do you find a perfectly nice hotel for 2,000 anyway?

If you're doing 10 round trips a year you are getting all the perks and flying business half the time anyway even if you book economy, yes?

Perfectly nice hotels for 2000 bhat a night all over Thailand? I have stayed in nice hotels in Bangkok for 600 a night, look on agoda....

no I never fly business class, and as I use different airlines most of the times I do not bother with air miles etc in fact I wouldn't even know how to check how many I have got.

[rak sa_ngop]

On the face of it it does seem rather insane that some would pay so much extra for 12 hrs of 'relative' comfort.

But the same could be said of eating in a nice restaurant, owning a more luxurious car, owning a larger house etc... we don't need these additional luxuries, some may call them 'trappings'..... its a 'trapping' if you can't afford it, its a 'luxury' if you can....

But....... wait until you have tried it... I've sat in economy in the past and thought whatever the cost, I want to lie flat - business just takes the majority of the stress and discomfort out of travel.

I'm healthy, still play sports etc, but I had a DVT in my 30's... I have no wish to sit for 12 hours in a cramped space and risk another.

My question is: If someone has the money, how could they tolerate sitting in Economy Class for so long?... This is just another opinion from a different side of the fence - every single one of us has different tolerances, different opinions and different financial conditions on travel...

I don't mind economy on a short flight, but an overnighter is a different matter - I don't care for the better service, faster check in etc... Its simply the lie flat seat that I'm after..

I do get it, but when I look at the prices I just cannot see why you would pay that much for comfort, I mean 100K+? sure if it was an extra 10-20k I may consider it, but that is an insane amount of money to be able to lay down for me... I do have that money but I would sooner spend it on other things such as my son or my mother etc, it just doesn't make sense for that... I guess its similar to hotels where some will pay 20k for a nights stay in a hotel, when you can get a perfectly nice hotel for 2k..., but I always come back to the 80k extra could be spent on so much more than that x amount of hours you feel slightly cramped, its alot of money really

I mean some of the business class flights I have seen have been 150k+ as-well, that's just mad to me, Ive flown economy for 15000 direct and it was fine, I guess some people just have alot more money to burn, but even if I was a millionaire I don't think I would pay it!

I don't think you can compare it to a car or a larger house as these will return more if you sell them and hold more value, plus they are objects which you own but I do kind of get your comparison.

I fly to the uk and back to Thailand a good 5-10 times a year, if I was to go business class that would be a serious amount of money, a friend of mine was saying how most business class customers are having it paid for by the company they work for which makes sense a little more when you need to be fresh the next day for a meeting

Each to there own I guess, I do not want to mock anyone spending that as its your own choice but I personally cannot get my head around it

Cheers

If I was a millionaire I would also not fly business - i'd fly 1st

If I was a millionaire I would also not fly 1st class -i'd fly business

Ist class = farther to walk to the bar (on an A-380)!

[JaiLai]

On the face of it it does seem rather insane that some would pay so much extra for 12 hrs of 'relative' comfort.

But the same could be said of eating in a nice restaurant, owning a more luxurious car, owning a larger house etc... we don't need these additional luxuries, some may call them 'trappings'..... its a 'trapping' if you can't afford it, its a 'luxury' if you can....

But....... wait until you have tried it... I've sat in economy in the past and thought whatever the cost, I want to lie flat - business just takes the majority of the stress and discomfort out of travel.

I'm healthy, still play sports etc, but I had a DVT in my 30's... I have no wish to sit for 12 hours in a cramped space and risk another.

My question is: If someone has the money, how could they tolerate sitting in Economy Class for so long?... This is just another opinion from a different side of the fence - every single one of us has different tolerances, different opinions and different financial conditions on travel...

I don't mind economy on a short flight, but an overnighter is a different matter - I don't care for the better service, faster check in etc... Its simply the lie flat seat that I'm after..

I do get it, but when I look at the prices I just cannot see why you would pay that much for comfort, I mean 100K+? sure if it was an extra 10-20k I may consider it, but that is an insane amount of money to be able to lay down for me... I do have that money but I would sooner spend it on other things such as my son or my mother etc, it just doesn't make sense for that... I guess its similar to hotels where some will pay 20k for a nights stay in a hotel, when you can get a perfectly nice hotel for 2k..., but I always come back to the 80k extra could be spent on so much more than that x amount of hours you feel slightly cramped, its alot of money really

I mean some of the business class flights I have seen have been 150k+ as-well, that's just mad to me, Ive flown economy for 15000 direct and it was fine, I guess some people just have alot more money to burn, but even if I was a millionaire I don't think I would pay it!

I don't think you can compare it to a car or a larger house as these will return more if you sell them and hold more value, plus they are objects which you own but I do kind of get your comparison.

I fly to the uk and back to Thailand a good 5-10 times a year, if I was to go business class that would be a serious amount of money, a friend of mine was saying how most business class customers are having it paid for by the company they work for which makes sense a little more when you need to be fresh the next day for a meeting

Each to there own I guess, I do not want to mock anyone spending that as its your own choice but I personally cannot get my head around it

Cheers

If I was a millionaire I would also not fly business - i'd fly 1st

If I was a millionaire I would also not fly 1st class -i'd fly business

Ist class = farther to walk to the bar (on an A-380)!

Get them to bring it to your 'cubicle'

[richard_smith237]

On the face of it it does seem rather insane that some would pay so much extra for 12 hrs of 'relative' comfort.

But the same could be said of eating in a nice restaurant, owning a more luxurious car, owning a larger house etc... we don't need these additional luxuries, some may call them 'trappings'..... its a 'trapping' if you can't afford it, its a 'luxury' if you can....

But....... wait until you have tried it... I've sat in economy in the past and thought whatever the cost, I want to lie flat - business just takes the majority of the stress and discomfort out of travel.

I'm healthy, still play sports etc, but I had a DVT in my 30's... I have no wish to sit for 12 hours in a cramped space and risk another.

My question is: If someone has the money, how could they tolerate sitting in Economy Class for so long?... This is just another opinion from a different side of the fence - every single one of us has different tolerances, different opinions and different financial conditions on travel...

I don't mind economy on a short flight, but an overnighter is a different matter - I don't care for the better service, faster check in etc... Its simply the lie flat seat that I'm after..

I do get it, but when I look at the prices I just cannot see why you would pay that much for comfort, I mean 100K+? sure if it was an extra 10-20k I may consider it, but that is an insane amount of money to be able to lay down for me... I do have that money but I would sooner spend it on other things such as my son or my mother etc, it just doesn't make sense for that... I guess its similar to hotels where some will pay 20k for a nights stay in a hotel, when you can get a perfectly nice hotel for 2k..., but I always come back to the 80k extra could be spent on so much more than that x amount of hours you feel slightly cramped, its alot of money really

I mean some of the business class flights I have seen have been 150k+ as-well, that's just mad to me, Ive flown economy for 15000 direct and it was fine, I guess some people just have alot more money to burn, but even if I was a millionaire I don't think I would pay it!

I don't think you can compare it to a car or a larger house as these will return more if you sell them and hold more value, plus they are objects which you own but I do kind of get your comparison.

I fly to the uk and back to Thailand a good 5-10 times a year, if I was to go business class that would be a serious amount of money, a friend of mine was saying how most business class customers are having it paid for by the company they work for which makes sense a little more when you need to be fresh the next day for a meeting

Each to there own I guess, I do not want to mock anyone spending that as its your own choice but I personally cannot get my head around it

Cheers

All valid points... I'll have a dilemma soon enough once my Son turns 2... It seems daft to pay for a Business Class seat for him... It seems wrong to let my Wife sit in Economy with him while I sit in Business Class...

The only real solution is to move back to Economy Class and break up the journey with an over stop off in Dubai...

The other alternative is that I just budget the additional business class flight costs into my yearly travel expenses.

That said: I see Finn Air have prices at THB 70,000 to the UK (Via Helsinki - 40 min stop off) its a 14.5 hr trip - this seems more feasible and is half the price of Thai... Etihad is about THB 100,000....

The Business Class flights are generally 3x or 4x the price of an Economy seat.

[rak sa_ngop]

If I was a millionaire I would also not fly business - i'd fly 1st

If I was a millionaire I would also not fly 1st class -i'd fly business

Ist class = farther to walk to the bar (on an A-380)!

Get them to bring it to your 'cubicle'

Having flown the A-380 in Business class with Emirates several times, I find the experience of of being a bar-fly at 30,000 feet one of the few joys left in flying. You meet some really interesting characters, have some nice chats and find that time flies.

I also tried Oman air business class recently and felt really lonely sitting in a near empty cabin with no one to talk to.

One can actually look forward to flying (business class) with the A-380.

[mrtoad]

I got a BKK LHR Biz flight for 100k in April with Etihad, makes Thai look ludicrous

You lot must be minted, why would anyone pay 100k for a flight?

so you get to sleep in a nice bed and get good service, but if you grin and bare it for 12-15 hours in standard you'd save yourself 80k! think of that in beer tokens?

never understood how people can pay so much for a flight business class compared to standard when I look at the prices, end of the day its a flight and if you neck a few beers and do a few xanax your not going to notice it but hey I must be a just a peasant, or you lot have more money than sense!

If you flew as much as some of us here do you would understand.

[mrtoad]

Business generally cost 2-3 times what economy costs, not ten times, so a better comparison might be comparing a 6,000 hotel room to a "...perfectly nice hotel..." for 2,000. Where do you find a perfectly nice hotel for 2,000 anyway?

If you're doing 10 round trips a year you are getting all the perks and flying business half the time anyway even if you book economy, yes?

Perfectly nice hotels for 2000 bhat a night all over Thailand? I have stayed in nice hotels in Bangkok for 600 a night, look on agoda....

no I never fly business class, and as I use different airlines most of the times I do not bother with air miles etc in fact I wouldn't even know how to check how many I have got.

Lol, arent you the guy that banks with Nat West?

[uptheos]

I got a BKK LHR Biz flight for 100k in April with Etihad, makes Thai look ludicrous

TBH I wouldn't take business class if I have to break my journey.

Much prefer BC direct with BA or EVA

[mrtoad]

I got a BKK LHR Biz flight for 100k in April with Etihad, makes Thai look ludicrous

TBH I wouldn't take business class if I have to break my journey.

Much prefer BC direct with BA or EVA

I like the break, plus i fly Etihad to the US as well

[ryanhull]

Lol, arent you the guy that banks with Nat West?

I do have a bank account with natwest

Edited February 1, 2015 by ryanhull

[mrtoad]

Lol, arent you the guy that banks with Nat West?

I do have a bank account with natwest

Yes

[mogandave]

Business generally cost 2-3 times what economy costs, not ten times, so a better comparison might be comparing a 6,000 hotel room to a "...perfectly nice hotel..." for 2,000. Where do you find a perfectly nice hotel for 2,000 anyway?

If you're doing 10 round trips a year you are getting all the perks and flying business half the time anyway even if you book economy, yes?

Perfectly nice hotels for 2000 bhat a night all over Thailand? I have stayed in nice hotels in Bangkok for 600 a night, look on agoda....

no I never fly business class, and as I use different airlines most of the times I do not bother with air miles etc in fact I wouldn't even know how to check how many I have got.

Fly the same route ten times a year and fly a different airline "most" of the times and can't be bothered with the miles.

I'm calling BS.

!'m also calling BS on the "nice" hotels in BKK for 600. A decent room perhaps, but nice? I think not.

[Chivas]

On the face of it it does seem rather insane that some would pay so much extra for 12 hrs of 'relative' comfort.

But the same could be said of eating in a nice restaurant, owning a more luxurious car, owning a larger house etc... we don't need these additional luxuries, some may call them 'trappings'..... its a 'trapping' if you can't afford it, its a 'luxury' if you can....

But....... wait until you have tried it... I've sat in economy in the past and thought whatever the cost, I want to lie flat - business just takes the majority of the stress and discomfort out of travel.

I'm healthy, still play sports etc, but I had a DVT in my 30's... I have no wish to sit for 12 hours in a cramped space and risk another.

My question is: If someone has the money, how could they tolerate sitting in Economy Class for so long?... This is just another opinion from a different side of the fence - every single one of us has different tolerances, different opinions and different financial conditions on travel...

I don't mind economy on a short flight, but an overnighter is a different matter - I don't care for the better service, faster check in etc... Its simply the lie flat seat that I'm after..

I do get it, but when I look at the prices I just cannot see why you would pay that much for comfort, I mean 100K+? sure if it was an extra 10-20k I may consider it, but that is an insane amount of money to be able to lay down for me... I do have that money but I would sooner spend it on other things such as my son or my mother etc, it just doesn't make sense for that... I guess its similar to hotels where some will pay 20k for a nights stay in a hotel, when you can get a perfectly nice hotel for 2k..., but I always come back to the 80k extra could be spent on so much more than that x amount of hours you feel slightly cramped, its alot of money really

I mean some of the business class flights I have seen have been 150k+ as-well, that's just mad to me, Ive flown economy for 15000 direct and it was fine, I guess some people just have alot more money to burn, but even if I was a millionaire I don't think I would pay it!

I don't think you can compare it to a car or a larger house as these will return more if you sell them and hold more value, plus they are objects which you own but I do kind of get your comparison.

I fly to the uk and back to Thailand a good 5-10 times a year, if I was to go business class that would be a serious amount of money, a friend of mine was saying how most business class customers are having it paid for by the company they work for which makes sense a little more when you need to be fresh the next day for a meeting

Each to there own I guess, I do not want to mock anyone spending that as its your own choice but I personally cannot get my head around it

Cheers

+100 and even more..........

80k to spend on entertainment extra is a no brainer..........I'm 6' 3" and quite happily sit in Economy not the slightest problem at all.......

Ridiculous waste of money even if money is not important to you

[ryanhull]

+100 and even more..........

80k to spend on entertainment extra is a no brainer..........I'm 6' 3" and quite happily sit in Economy not the slightest problem at all.......

Ridiculous waste of money even if money is not important to you

100% agree

Fly the same route ten times a year and fly a different airline "most" of the times and can't be bothered with the miles.

I'm calling BS.

!'m also calling BS on the "nice" hotels in BKK for 600. A decent room perhaps, but nice? I think not.

Your calling bullshit? are you saying I am lie`ing about the amount of times I have flown back and forth to the UK? do you want me to dig out my tickets to prove to you? ... I never said I fly the same route, sometimes I go direct, sometimes with stop offs, and yes I have never bothered or neither know how to use air points/miles, yes I have heard of them but do not understand them... why would I lie about that? I'm calling tw@t...

You can get decent hotels for 600, not 5 star or the best locations, I guess it depends on your definition of the world nice but see http://www.agoda.com...POUT08nHla2fPuM for an example of many.

Edited February 1, 2015 by ryanhull

[mogandave]

+100 and even more..........

80k to spend on entertainment extra is a no brainer..........I'm 6' 3" and quite happily sit in Economy not the slightest problem at all.......

Ridiculous waste of money even if money is not important to you

100% agree

Fly the same route ten times a year and fly a different airline "most" of the times and can't be bothered with the miles.

I'm calling BS.

!'m also calling BS on the "nice" hotels in BKK for 600. A decent room perhaps, but nice? I think not.

Your calling bullshit? are you saying I am lie`ing about the amount of times I have flown back and forth to the UK? do you want me to dig out my tickets to prove to you? ... I never said I fly the same route, sometimes I go direct, sometimes with stop offs, and yes I have never bothered or neither know how to use air points/miles, yes I have heard of them but do not understand them... why would I lie about that? I'm calling tw@t...

You can get decent hotels for 600, not 5 star or the best locations, I guess it depends on your definition of the world nice but see http://www.agoda.com...POUT08nHla2fPuM for an example of many.

Yes, that's what I'm calling. You claim you fly back and forth to the UK ten times a year and (almost) never fly the same airline.

You also said a nice hotel in Bangkok for 600, not a decent shoe-box out in the middle of nowhere. And even then the cheapest shoe-box out in the middle of nowhere you found was 675, not 600. Have you stayed there? Did they have hot water in the sink?

Anyways, nothing wrong with flying economy (I often fly economy) or staying in cheap hotels (I occasionally stay in a cheap hotel) but calling people fools for spending more for something nicer seems a little odd to me.

Hey, if you save your miles you can use them to stay in a nice (not a decent shoe-box out in the middle of nowhere) hotel for free. One round trip BKK-LAX-BKK nets two nights in a nice downtown hotel.

[Diplomatico]

ryanhull, understand your "monetary perspective" completely....that said, if you do fly as often as you say, you might want to consider concentrating your flying with one airline alliance. You earn miles which can then be used to upgrade from an economy class ticket to business class for little to no extra charge. Many, many frequent travelers employ this strategy. You might find you enjoy the additional comfort.

[ryanhull]

ryanhull, understand your "monetary perspective" completely....that said, if you do fly as often as you say, you might want to consider concentrating your flying with one airline alliance. You earn miles which can then be used to upgrade from an economy class ticket to business class for little to no extra charge. Many, many frequent travelers employ this strategy. You might find you enjoy the additional comfort.

Thanks for the tip, how do I find out how many points I have? for example I have flown with BA a few times just by booking online but wondered how I can view how many points I earned for those flights? am I right in thinking you have a points account with certain airlines rather than having one overall points account? for example I have flown with various airlines over the time including etihad as well so I will have some points when them and some with BA and so on?

Cheers

[josephbloggs]

On the face of it it does seem rather insane that some would pay so much extra for 12 hrs of 'relative' comfort.

But the same could be said of eating in a nice restaurant, owning a more luxurious car, owning a larger house etc... we don't need these additional luxuries, some may call them 'trappings'..... its a 'trapping' if you can't afford it, its a 'luxury' if you can....

But....... wait until you have tried it... I've sat in economy in the past and thought whatever the cost, I want to lie flat - business just takes the majority of the stress and discomfort out of travel.

I'm healthy, still play sports etc, but I had a DVT in my 30's... I have no wish to sit for 12 hours in a cramped space and risk another.

My question is: If someone has the money, how could they tolerate sitting in Economy Class for so long?... This is just another opinion from a different side of the fence - every single one of us has different tolerances, different opinions and different financial conditions on travel...

I don't mind economy on a short flight, but an overnighter is a different matter - I don't care for the better service, faster check in etc... Its simply the lie flat seat that I'm after..

I do get it, but when I look at the prices I just cannot see why you would pay that much for comfort, I mean 100K+? sure if it was an extra 10-20k I may consider it, but that is an insane amount of money to be able to lay down for me... I do have that money but I would sooner spend it on other things such as my son or my mother etc, it just doesn't make sense for that... I guess its similar to hotels where some will pay 20k for a nights stay in a hotel, when you can get a perfectly nice hotel for 2k..., but I always come back to the 80k extra could be spent on so much more than that x amount of hours you feel slightly cramped, its alot of money really

I mean some of the business class flights I have seen have been 150k+ as-well, that's just mad to me, Ive flown economy for 15000 direct and it was fine, I guess some people just have alot more money to burn, but even if I was a millionaire I don't think I would pay it!

I don't think you can compare it to a car or a larger house as these will return more if you sell them and hold more value, plus they are objects which you own but I do kind of get your comparison.

I fly to the uk and back to Thailand a good 5-10 times a year, if I was to go business class that would be a serious amount of money, a friend of mine was saying how most business class customers are having it paid for by the company they work for which makes sense a little more when you need to be fresh the next day for a meeting

Each to there own I guess, I do not want to mock anyone spending that as its your own choice but I personally cannot get my head around it

Cheers

+100 and even more..........

80k to spend on entertainment extra is a no brainer..........I'm 6' 3" and quite happily sit in Economy not the slightest problem at all.......

Ridiculous waste of money even if money is not important to you

Why does it actually matter to people? It seems some people are openly hostile towards posters who choose business class. If an individual considers the extra cost worth it then it is justified. If they don't then it isn't - it's that simple. But what anybody else chooses to do should not matter to anyone and it should not be called a ridiculous waste of money because to that person it clearly isn't.

I am over 6 foot too and of course I can sit in an economy class seat, but I choose not to unless I'm travelling with the whole family when the cost does become prohibitive. The extra comfort is worth it to me, especially being able to sleep on a properly flat bed. Not having to queue at check in, security or immigration, not having to fight for a taxi at the end of a long flight (Emirates, Qatar, Etihad will pick you up from home and drop you off at the other end), relaxing and being able to work in the lounge pre-flight. Then of course there is the service on board, and the amazing Emirates bar on the A380 makes a massive difference to the journey - the journey actually becomes pleasant rather than something to be endured. In my opinion once you've flown long haul business class on a decent airline it's almost impossible to go back to economy.

So for me it is absolutely worth the extra which I why I choose to pay it. Many people disagree, that's fine, it is their choice entirely and it doesn't upset me.

Edited February 1, 2015 by josephbloggs

[ryanhull]

Yes, that's what I'm calling. You claim you fly back and forth to the UK ten times a year and (almost) never fly the same airline.

You also said a nice hotel in Bangkok for 600, not a decent shoe-box out in the middle of nowhere. And even then the cheapest shoe-box out in the middle of nowhere you found was 675, not 600. Have you stayed there? Did they have hot water in the sink?

Anyways, nothing wrong with flying economy (I often fly economy) or staying in cheap hotels (I occasionally stay in a cheap hotel) but calling people fools for spending more for something nicer seems a little odd to me.

Hey, if you save your miles you can use them to stay in a nice (not a decent shoe-box out in the middle of nowhere) hotel for free. One round trip BKK-LAX-BKK nets two nights in a nice downtown hotel.

When did I call anyone a fool for flying business? I never did at all, I quote directly from my post 'Each to there own I guess, I do not want to mock anyone spending that as its your own choice but I personally cannot get my head around it' is that calling someone a fool?

Also when did I say in my posts I have not flown with the same airline? that is also not true, but generally I fly with the cheapest airline on the date I wish to fly, I have flown with the same airline on more than one occasion as it happens though.

Yes I have stayed at the loft and its not a bad hotel in my opinion especially for around the 600 mark and yes it has hot water.

Anyway, someone has obviously rattled your cage for whatever reason but please do not call me a liar or put words in my mouth.

Cheers

[mogandave]

Yes, that's what I'm calling. You claim you fly back and forth to the UK ten times a year and (almost) never fly the same airline.

You also said a nice hotel in Bangkok for 600, not a decent shoe-box out in the middle of nowhere. And even then the cheapest shoe-box out in the middle of nowhere you found was 675, not 600. Have you stayed there? Did they have hot water in the sink?

Anyways, nothing wrong with flying economy (I often fly economy) or staying in cheap hotels (I occasionally stay in a cheap hotel) but calling people fools for spending more for something nicer seems a little odd to me.

Hey, if you save your miles you can use them to stay in a nice (not a decent shoe-box out in the middle of nowhere) hotel for free. One round trip BKK-LAX-BKK nets two nights in a nice downtown hotel.

When did I call anyone a fool for flying business? I never did at all, I quote directly from my post 'Each to there own I guess, I do not want to mock anyone spending that as its your own choice but I personally cannot get my head around it' is that calling someone a fool?

Also when did I say in my posts I have not flown with the same airline? that is also not true, but generally I fly with the cheapest airline on the date I wish to fly, I have flown with the same airline on more than one occasion as it happens though.

Yes I have stayed at the loft and its not a bad hotel in my opinion especially for around the 600 mark and yes it has hot water.

Anyway, someone has obviously rattled your cage for whatever reason but please do not call me a liar or put words in my mouth.

Cheers

You're right, my bad.

[Sandman77]

Was flying only 2 times with quatar first I come here in tsunami year , was real amazing every hour you got a full warm cooked menû set, not a cold one like on Thai airways!

This year I also come with quatar for 649€ first used the Dreamliner all ok

2 air plain boing 747 less seat space nearly same like swiss air now and aircon not working good , in Doha stuff ask you around 10 times for passport , so for me I not fly with quatar again erihad over Abu dabi was more relaxed!and food quality on quatar also goes down comparing 10 years ago same on nearly every air plain !

I never fly bisness , and spend money for nothing I bring my own soft pillow, and my own food to the cabin!

[Questador]

Etihad is fine, but my experience of Abu Dhabi airport (AUH) was not so good.

Edited February 1, 2015 by Questador

[mogandave]

On the face of it it does seem rather insane that some would pay so much extra for 12 hrs of 'relative' comfort.

But the same could be said of eating in a nice restaurant, owning a more luxurious car, owning a larger house etc... we don't need these additional luxuries, some may call them 'trappings'..... its a 'trapping' if you can't afford it, its a 'luxury' if you can....

But....... wait until you have tried it... I've sat in economy in the past and thought whatever the cost, I want to lie flat - business just takes the majority of the stress and discomfort out of travel.

I'm healthy, still play sports etc, but I had a DVT in my 30's... I have no wish to sit for 12 hours in a cramped space and risk another.

My question is: If someone has the money, how could they tolerate sitting in Economy Class for so long?... This is just another opinion from a different side of the fence - every single one of us has different tolerances, different opinions and different financial conditions on travel...

I don't mind economy on a short flight, but an overnighter is a different matter - I don't care for the better service, faster check in etc... Its simply the lie flat seat that I'm after..

I do get it, but when I look at the prices I just cannot see why you would pay that much for comfort, I mean 100K+? sure if it was an extra 10-20k I may consider it, but that is an insane amount of money to be able to lay down for me... I do have that money but I would sooner spend it on other things such as my son or my mother etc, it just doesn't make sense for that... I guess its similar to hotels where some will pay 20k for a nights stay in a hotel, when you can get a perfectly nice hotel for 2k..., but I always come back to the 80k extra could be spent on so much more than that x amount of hours you feel slightly cramped, its alot of money really

I mean some of the business class flights I have seen have been 150k+ as-well, that's just mad to me, Ive flown economy for 15000 direct and it was fine, I guess some people just have alot more money to burn, but even if I was a millionaire I don't think I would pay it!

I don't think you can compare it to a car or a larger house as these will return more if you sell them and hold more value, plus they are objects which you own but I do kind of get your comparison.

I fly to the uk and back to Thailand a good 5-10 times a year, if I was to go business class that would be a serious amount of money, a friend of mine was saying how most business class customers are having it paid for by the company they work for which makes sense a little more when you need to be fresh the next day for a meeting

Each to there own I guess, I do not want to mock anyone spending that as its your own choice but I personally cannot get my head around it

Cheers

+100 and even more..........

80k to spend on entertainment extra is a no brainer..........I'm 6' 3" and quite happily sit in Economy not the slightest problem at all.......

Ridiculous waste of money even if money is not important to you

Why does it actually matter to people? It seems some people are openly hostile towards posters who choose business class.

I think we all know why.

[mogandave]

ryanhull, understand your "monetary perspective" completely....that said, if you do fly as often as you say, you might want to consider concentrating your flying with one airline alliance. You earn miles which can then be used to upgrade from an economy class ticket to business class for little to no extra charge. Many, many frequent travelers employ this strategy. You might find you enjoy the additional comfort.

Thanks for the tip, how do I find out how many points I have? for example I have flown with BA a few times just by booking online but wondered how I can view how many points I earned for those flights? am I right in thinking you have a points account with certain airlines rather than having one overall points account? for example I have flown with various airlines over the time including etihad as well so I will have some points when them and some with BA and so on?

Cheers

Did you join the carrier's mileage program? If not, then you do not have any miles. If you saved all your boarding passes, you may be able to join and get credit for some of the flights you took.

Miles are generally worth something less than a penny a piece, so if you fly a lot, it adds up.

[ryanhull]

Did you join the carrier's mileage program? If not, then you do not have any miles. If you saved all your boarding passes, you may be able to join and get credit for some of the flights you took.

Miles are generally worth something less than a penny a piece, so if you fly a lot, it adds up.

Hey, no I didn't, problem is I usually book on last minute.com and don't recall seeing the mileage program or maybe I missed it, I have just booked a flight with air India and definitely did not see it (again with last minute), anyhow I will look out for that next time I book so thanks for the info, cheers

[MAZ3]

I believe you can get points up to 6 months(possibly longer?)from the date you flew. If you flew with Thai and/or EVA,both are in the Star Alliance,as is JET and you can combine the points with them.

There's also One World(BA etc) and SKYTEAM(Air France and KLM etc)you can Google them for a list of members. I'm not a member and I only know the outline,hopefully someone can help.

Regards

Edited February 1, 2015 by MAZ3

[Ricardo]

I believe you can get points up to 6 months(possibly longer?)from the date you flew. If you flew with Thai and/or EVA,both are in the Star Alliance,as is JET and you can combine the points with them.

There's also One World(BA etc) and SKYTEAM(Air France and KLM etc)you can Google them for a list of members. I'm not a member and I only know the outline,hopefully someone can help.

Regards

"as is JET"

Sorry, but Jet Airways (of India) is NOT a Star-Alliance member, you are probably thinking of Air India, who joined them recently ?

But Etihad did buy a 25%-share of Jet Airways last year, Etihad-Guest members can earn miles on Jet flights, and Jet-Privilege members earn miles on Etihad flights.

[mogandave]

While Jet is not a "full" member, you can get United miles, don't know about other SA member miles.

[MAZ3]

I believe you can get points up to 6 months(possibly longer?)from the date you flew. If you flew with Thai and/or EVA,both are in the Star Alliance,as is JET and you can combine the points with them.

There's also One World(BA etc) and SKYTEAM(Air France and KLM etc)you can Google them for a list of members. I'm not a member and I only know the outline,hopefully someone can help.

Regards

"as is JET"

Sorry, but Jet Airways (of India) is NOT a Star-Alliance member, you are probably thinking of Air India, who joined them recently ?

But Etihad did buy a 25%-share of Jet Airways last year, Etihad-Guest members can earn miles on Jet flights, and Jet-Privilege members earn miles on Etihad flights.

Ah,yes. I did get confused,should have Googled it myself! ;-).

Cheers