Reasons to not fly business?

Hey AusBT,

It is very hard to go back, especially if it’s an award ticket..... recently travelled on a mix of QF F and (789) J seats. Felt a bit of a letdown when I got into the J seats (even though there was absolutely nothing wrong with it)..... It’s so hard to go back to economy for long haul now....

Just depends on how your points balance is and of you have another trip planned.

I did it once years ago in Business(1989 with Continental thanks to my aunt)but years later when I went on my own to America Air New Zealand in Economy returning to Cattle Class felt weird.

The only reason is $$$$!

Retirees will have often flown business while they were working, and could afford it. Once they retire, it comes down to dollars. They can often get two overseas trips economy for the price of one trip business.

There are times when booking economy with points makes a lot more sense than booking business class: not so much to LAX in my book (expecially when the co-payment amounts through some frequent flyer programs can be close to purchasing a retail fare), but it's something I do from time to time on routes that are relatively short (so not a great deal of time to enjoy a business class experience in any case) yet relatively expensive if purchasing a ticket (giving you a good 'cents per point' value even booking economy). Brisbane-Canberra is one that comes to mind due to limited competition from low-cost carriers, where paid fares generally start above $200 each way, but the flight can be booked at the lowest rung of points through Qantas (8000), Velocity (7800), Etihad Guest (6900), Skywards (8000) etc etc, plus about $35-40 on the side.

I wouldn't do that on something like Brisbane-Sydney as there are a lot more seats available which means planning ahead can deliver much better prices, but it's something that works well for Brisbane-Canberra at least! Also works reasonably well for flights between Hong Kong and Taipei (QFF on Cathay Pacific, Velocity on Hong Kong Airlines) which are again quite short but often expensive if purchased with dollars.

I fly for work business class but I regularly get economy when I am with my family. My son is 4 years old and does not take up much of a seat. It seems a waste using extra points when I have an artificially enlarged seat. Being Qantas platinum and Singapore PPS Solitaire I almost always get lounge access when flying in economy. I will save my points for when he is bigger.

Ha. I mix it up between Y, J and F regularly. Just know what you're getting into and adjust your expectations accordingly. Recently I flew LH long haul in F, SQ long haul in J and Y, and then Tiger. All in the space of two weeks.

I think to be honest, if money was no object we would all want to turn left when we got on an aeroplane (a well known British socialite, Tara Palmer Tomkinson, was once asked if there was anyone she wouldn’t date, to which she replied “anyone who turns right after they get on an aeroplane”), but being serious, as others have pointed out, then it’s often just much more sensible to book different classes. I’ve certainly had a renewed sense of value since working for myself, with me paying for flights as opposed to an employer. With FF status, if you can access lounges, reserve seats at time of booking, etc, it does make a short flight in economy entirely reasonable. Chris’s point above about sensible use of miles for bookings is also very valid, I’ve found that to be especially true of short haul flights in Europe.