What are your flying habits?

[iendo]

Has anything changed the way you are flying nowadays compared to how you used to? 

Before Covid, flying was nicely priced and it was never hard to find business class trips from Europe to Asia/Latin America. During COVID the deals got even better. €1200/1300 hundred from Amsterdam to Medellín and Amsterdam to Bangkok €1400/1500. Well, that has clearly changed and a descend business class seat will set you back €2k or more. I have paid more than that in exceptional cases but normally it's just hard to justify.

On my last flight from Bangkok to Amsterdam, I went with Etihad and had a 12 hour long layover in Abu Dhabi. I had a room booked in the Premiere hotel just outside the airport for €60. For me, this is the perfect solution for when you have a long flight, especially overnight. 6 hours per leg is the max I want to sit economy class. Take-off, food service, watch a movie/do some reading, food service again and seat back in the upright position for landing. 

This time I fly with Etihad again from Amsterdam but instead of a 1.5 hour layover, I have selected a 7 hour layover so I can make use of the AU Hotel which is airside and has rooms for max 6 hours. I was lucky with the price €92  

Obviously the trip takes longer, but that only matters if you are strapped for time. Then instead of arriving in the afternoon, I’ll arrive around midnight. These are trade-offs that I happily make, knowing that when I arrive, I'll be fresh and paid a fraction of a price compared to a business class ticket. The days that I let trips like these assault my body are over. My most extreme flight was about seven years ago, when I traveled from Mexico City to Bangkok. The itinerary went from Mexico City to Cancún, then Cancún to Paris Orly. From there I took a bus to Charles de Gaulle, continued on to Moscow, and finally from Moscow to Bangkok. 

 

 

[PeterRS]

I travel in the opposite direction and prices have definitely risen significantly. In 2019 I got a Qatar business return flight to a UK city for 77,000 baht. It was a special limited time offer and had to be booked a few months in advance. But it was perfect for me. Now it is virtually impossible to get a basic Qatar ticket for under 120,000 - this despite their having 5 daily flights ex BKK including one A380. Whereas prior to Covid the price included seat selection and lounge access, now these are extra costs if you choose the cheapest fare. So that 120,000 becomes closer to 135,000. There was an offer the other week for 12% off if booked within a very short 5-day period period giving validity up to end March.

EVA and Finnair have better prices but my destination is not London and having to transit Heathrow with a separately purchased BA ticket can be very expensive if flights are missed due to late arrivals etc.

I have a desire to spend a few days in Oman. Reviewers give Oman Air's business class high marks but it is expensive. I may decide to try Emirates new Premium Economy and then change aircraft for economy on the short extension to Muscat. Price has certainly become more of a factor now that my stock of free miles is close to zero.

[vinapu]

If I find flying economy to tiring I will just stop. No way I'd be willing to pay extra for dubious ( for me) benefits of premium economy or , God forbid , business class.

Breaking trip somewhere mid way is great idea and I  did it few times. Costs more but brings benefits of seeing some new places. Last year Munich stopover gave me opportunity to get to the peak of Zugspitze- Germany's highest mountain. This year one in Madrid afforded me to see Prado and Cordoba on my way there and Toledo on way back. I wouldn't break my trip just to have good night sleep in hotel yet but can envision doing it in the future. I had 2 such stopovers involuntarily because late aircraft missing connection , in Tokyo and Shanghai and liked it quite a lot.

[tm_nyc]

5 minutes ago, vinapu said:

Breaking trip somewhere mid way is great idea

I have done stops in London (twice), Vienna & Istanbul (also Seoul) on trips from NY to BKK & I agree that it is a better value than flying direct.

[PeterRS]

1 hour ago, vinapu said:

This year one in Madrid afforded me to see Prado and Cordoba on my way there and Toledo on way back.

That was a great choice (although I know that there were family reasons). The Mezquita in Cordoba is surely one of the world's great buildings, a large double arched mosque into the middle of which the Christians placed a Cathedral after they kicked the Muslims out of Spain. In the 16th century Spain's King Charles V lamented, "You have destroyed something unique to make something commonplace." Although today it is certainly not comonplace. It is totally unique.

The first time I based myself in Madrid for a week, I would go to out of city towns in the mornings like Segovia and Toledo and then spend the rest of the days exploring Madrid. In Toledo it started to rain and so I got a slightly earlier train back to the city. Seeing a cute Chinese guy, I sat across from him. At one point I opened a conversation by saying "I see we have the same Guide Book." Hearing a slight Singapore accent, I added, "I can tell you are probably from Singapore." To which he replied, "I know you come from Hong Kong!" I was floored! It turned out he had been a young civil servant in Singapore, part of a team with which I had held negotiations some years earlier. Since then, he had left the government, grown his hair a bit and was spending a few months travelling around Europe! Amazed at this coincidence, I invited him for dinner, but he said his girlfriend was waiting for him in Madrid. Bummer!

[TMax]

My flying habits have changed numerous times, used to be economy flights when flying overseas but my last several years working for a big mining company I splashed and went business class (economy to Bali from my old home town then business class onward). Since retirement and before covid it was economy from Perth WA to Thailand but my last trip and where possible from here on it will be business class, had enough of sitting in cattle class down the back. Partly to do with that I find the extra bit of comfort on direct flights from Perth much easier on the back and spine and I do like that extra bit of service up front enjoyable. Whenever I flew Perth to either Vietnam or the Philippines I would transit through Singapore (making sure I had a 3 hour stop in transit to help break up the flights) but on the return flight I would always stay in Singapore for at least 3 nights. Domestic flights in Australia I would never ever pay their bloated business class bullshit prices, they're just a blatant rip off on domestic flights and the so called 'extra service' on those flights are a load of bollocks.

[FunFifties]

I prefer direct flights as it minimizes the time I have to be bored and uncomfortable. From my city to Bangkok, a business class ticket is almost three times as expensive as economy. I dont think it's worth it just to be bored and uncomfortable in a slightly bigger, softer and more reclinable seat. 

On arrival in bangkok, I find that a two hour massage is the perfect remedy for any soreness or stiffness caused by 11-hours in economy class.

[iendo]

6 hours ago, FunFifties said:

I prefer direct flights as it minimizes the time I have to be bored and uncomfortable. From my city to Bangkok, a business class ticket is almost three times as expensive as economy. I dont think it's worth it just to be bored and uncomfortable in a slightly bigger, softer and more reclinable seat. 

On arrival in bangkok, I find that a two hour massage is the perfect remedy for any soreness or stiffness caused by 11-hours in economy class.

That makes a lot of sense and is exactly what I would do if my body allowed it. These days I need a couple of days to recover from long overnight trips.

I used to look at it as if I was working. An 11-hour flight each way is 22 hours total. By not paying the extra 1,100 for business, I was basically making about 50 an hour sitting in the back. Sadly I am not able to gaslight myself into that anymore.

[vinapu]

30 minutes ago, iendo said:

 

I used to look at it as if I was working. An 11-hour flight each way is 22 hours total. By not paying the extra 1,100 for business, I was basically making about 50 an hour sitting in the back. Sadly I am not able to gaslight myself into that anymore.

reminded me boy I asked in the morning if he managed to catch some sleep. his answer was " no, but you not paying me to sleep"

[Suckrates]

THIS is my flying habit.........