Flying economy class may be less than comfortable – more so, when flying long distances. The seat is rather small (17 inches of space to squeeze into) and the leg room is scanty, making it difficult to stretch one’s limbs. If you were to compare it with business class, you will have a whole 70 inches commodious seat with enormous leg room in which to stretch and recline. In fact, several business class cabins include seats that can comfortably go fully flat for you to lie.
There is also greater room to walk about in business class as the aisles tend to be wider than those in economy and less risk of knocking your head against the underside of low-slung baggage compartments. Moreover, business class flyers also enjoy the luxury of getting to leave the plane first upon landing, making the checking out process quicker. The food that is served in economy class is quite often insipid and if the flight is crowded, there will be too much of noise pollution. The economy class is therefore condemned by many air travelers as the ‘cattle class.’ Business class quite often provides you high-quality booze and the food is fabulous. The food is served on attractive plates with real silverware, as opposed to flimsy foil trays in economy class.
As there are fewer passengers in first-class than in economy class, air stewards and stewardesses are able to devote more time to serving the passengers. Most economy class air passengers knowingly suffer discomfort as the general perception is business class is too costly and unaffordable.
It need not always be the case and you can travel business class much cheaper if only you know some of the secrets of upgrading your ticket without paying much. If you happen to know any airline employee, you can try to influence him/her into getting you an upgrade for a song. Remember some airlines also give their employees upgrade vouchers that will virtually buy you an upgrade if there is a business class seatavailable.
If you have a respectable title -Dr, Professor, Judge, Councilor or you are a well-recognized VIP and a prestige flyer, then you have a strong chance of getting an upgrade. You have to publicize the fact among senior airline officials for the trick to work. Make it a point to use your title/ and background information when booking your tickets. Another distinct possibility of getting a business class is when you travel alone. Lone travelers are much more likely to be upgraded than a group or family - as individual travelers can be easily accommodated if a couple of business class seats go empty. Couples – particularly if on a honeymoon trip -may have fair chances of an upgrade while large groups and families with kids can simply forget about upgrades.
The more assured way to get regular upgrades is to join a frequent flyer scheme and diligently build up your points/miles. You will be seen by the airline as a valued customer and this will boost your treatment at check-in and priority for any spare business class seats.
Another trick to get an upgrade is by carefully choosing your flight. You have a bright chance of finding a spare seat in a business cabin that has forty seats than one that has twenty - so it's worth doing some pre-study about the aircraft. Sites SeatGuru & SeatExpert detail the seating plans of all planes used by major airlines.
Arriving late at the airport has an advantage - check-in staff may upgrade you at the desk if you make a request and if the possibility exists. When you turn up late, there is a greater chance of all the economy seats getting filled and so you might get an upgrade straightaway.
These are only a few tips and there is a host of different ways you can successfully flying business class with an economy class ticket.
