# What % of First Class/Business Travellers....are travelling for business **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 8, 2015, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-first-class-business-travellers-are-travelling-for-business/719579 "2015-05-08T21:24:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-first-class-business-travellers-are-travelling-for-business/719579/21 "2015-05-13T18:04:49Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > My wife just flew to Delhi (for work) with United. The total cost of her business class return flights from Orlando to Newark and from Newark to Delhi was a hair under $10,000. She looked it up last night and it would have cost $1,500 to make the same flights in economy with a week’s notice (her actual flights were booked eight months in advance.) > > IME, flying from Orlando to London (Gatwick) on Virgin or BA usually costs about 4.5 times more in business class (when Dad’s paying) than for economy (when I’m paying.) > > The differential is much smaller on US domestic flights, but then the business class cabins on US flights are much less pleasant (when they’re available at all.) So, inline with my experiences. Both on prices and S Asian parents paying for Business Class tickets (;)). [QUOTE=Francis Vaughan] International first class - try Emirates and you get a private cabin with a bed. (OK it is tiny, but quite real.) The price however is stratospheric. (boom boom) [/QUOTE] [Its…awesome](http://www.emirates.com/us/english/flying/cabin_features/first_class/first_class.aspx). And bloody expensive. Done the Dubai-London jump a few times on business, its great. But, on my own money? Sorry, no fucking way I am paying 10,000 USD for 8 hours in a tube. Or 15. Pay less and spend that on location. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-first-class-business-travellers-are-travelling-for-business/719579/22 "2015-05-14T02:21:57Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > So, inline with my experiences. Both on prices and S Asian parents paying for Business Class tickets (;)). Same here. Delta Shanghai to Detroit is about $10,000, and Economy Plus is about $1500 or so (depending on travel season), round trip. It’s about 14 hours. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-first-class-business-travellers-are-travelling-for-business/719579/23 "2015-05-14T02:40:09Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Australia might be an outlier then…what is the difference in prices? I have seen prices being upto 5-7 times for some Gulf and European airlines. In my experience on the Australia/Europe and Australia/North America routes, the ratio is much more like 3-4 times. Admittedly I tend to travel in low season. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-first-class-business-travellers-are-travelling-for-business/719579/24 "2015-05-14T13:01:33Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > So, inline with my experiences. Both on prices and S Asian parents paying for Business Class tickets (;)). And on S. Asian us paying for economy too, I suspect. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-first-class-business-travellers-are-travelling-for-business/719579/25 "2015-05-14T13:15:47Z")
I don’t get the fuss. I fly international coach several times a year. Since I mostly sleep through the trip I don’t figure it’s worth it to upgrade to business class because, ya know, I’m asleep. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-first-class-business-travellers-are-travelling-for-business/719579/26 "2015-05-14T13:40:24Z")
Perhaps you’re able to sleep sitting up in a coach seat. I’ve never been able to do so satisfactorily. I’m usually awake more than I’m asleep and if it’s an overnight flight, I’m groggy the next day. So if I’m flying for business and I’m expected to be alert the next day, I would much prefer a lie-flat seat. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-first-class-business-travellers-are-travelling-for-business/719579/27 "2015-05-14T14:06:35Z")
> [@UncleRojelio](#): > > I don’t get the fuss. I fly international coach several times a year. Since I mostly sleep through the trip I don’t figure it’s worth it to upgrade to business class because, ya know, I’m asleep. At a guess, the length of your thighs (from rear to knee) is less than the seat pitch of economy seats. Mine is often not, and I absolutely cannot cope with anyone tipping their seat back. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-first-class-business-travellers-are-travelling-for-business/719579/28 "2015-05-15T18:31:38Z")
> [@UncleRojelio](#): > > I don’t get the fuss. I fly international coach several times a year. Since I mostly sleep through the trip I don’t figure it’s worth it to upgrade to business class because, ya know, I’m asleep. I fly it for pleasure because the additional cost is not significant to me. When I’m flying it, it always seems like everyone else is on it for business. It’s rare I meet anyone traveling for pleasure, but I do. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-first-class-business-travellers-are-travelling-for-business/719579/29 "2015-05-15T18:42:13Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > At a guess, the length of your thighs (from rear to knee) is less than the seat pitch of economy seats. Mine is often not, and I absolutely cannot cope with anyone tipping their seat back. I will admit that I’m not the tallest person on the planet. I fit fairly well into a coach seat. I also sleep like a baby on airplanes. I’m usually asleep before the wheels leave the runway. I wake up for meals and sometimes watch a movie or two on longer flights (DFW-SYD, I’m looking a you) but otherwise I’m snoring. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-first-class-business-travellers-are-travelling-for-business/719579/30 "2015-05-16T03:45:09Z")
> [@Francis\_Vaughan](#): > > It probably depends a great deal on the route as well. That affects the general composition of the passage as well. Informal studies based on one year flying each route, both with the same cheap airline: Copenhaguen-Barcelona. The two biggest groups are business travelers and family travel (not tourists but people visiting relatives), followed by tourist groups with guides, last is groups of young idiot males starting the party in advance (or, if on the way back, mercilessly mocking their mate with the worst hangover). Paris-Barcelona. Families and couples on tourist trips, business travelers. Very few larger groups, no drunkards. I expect that flights to Orlando will also have a lot more family groups than, say, Chicago to DC. ---
**Author:** ![D18](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@D18](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D18)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-first-class-business-travellers-are-travelling-for-business/719579/31 "2015-05-16T15:53:50Z")
Another anecdote about it all depending on the route: if you fly from Calgary or Edmonton to Toronto on Air Canada\*, you’ll find a large proportion of business class taken up by oil workers heading back home. Because they come and go from the Atlantic\*\* provinces so frequently, they build up enough points for the upgrades. \*WestJet of course doesn’t have business class \*\*Note I said Atlantic, not Maritime, so NL would be included [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-first-class-business-travellers-are-travelling-for-business/719579.md?page=1)