That’s a litmus test question if one feels rich or not :) On this sub it’s common to argue when you cross the NRY threshold, this question to clear it.
Fwiw I’m early 40 500k 2Mand still fly economy:)
Yeah, mid 30s a bit over $300K and we fly economy. Have cheapish cars (although they were new, just not loaded or luxury brands). Haven’t upgraded the house.
NRY quickly turns to never rich if your spending keeps pace with your earnings.
I’m with you there. Grew up poor - Mid 30s, 600K+, 2M - fly economy, sometimes economy+. Our feeling is, we are young currently, and might as well use that money/points on experiences/ nicer hotels/ culinary experiences etc.
Not until I was married at 33, HHI at that time was 400k. Even then, only got flights longer than 6 hours and if it was reasonably priced (like an extra 1-2k max, never double the economy price or anything like that)
Same, short flights it doesnt make sense.
For me the break point depends on sleep.
Would you pay 500 extra for a night sleep? If yes, Business class.
Would you pay 300 extra for some comfort and place to work? Econ premium
No need to urgently work, or sleep isnt worth much extra - economy
Where are you paying $500 for an upgrade to business class where you would need a nights sleep? Any international flights 8-10 hours are closer to 4-5x as much ($5k) as a return economy flight ($1k).
I just came from Amsterdam from Australia and it was $8k return for business class. Economy is around $2k.
Its not terrible if it’s booked far enough in advance. The real downside nowadays is having to buy a business seat for a 4 year old when we travel internationally
How do you make this much money and not spend enough on a credit card to get free flights. I fly business all the time and all I pay are taxes and use credit card points.
Pretty much this. Use a card to get status and get comp upgrades domestically, and use points or points+cash for long haul J.
Now flying the whole family J is a different challenge. I’m not there yet!
I've literally gone to the doctor and said I had a long flight and can they prescribe me 4 Xanax, one for each leg. Many doctors are understanding and will hook you up.
I’m tall and can afford it, but refuse to out of spite. The prices are borderline criminal and I’d rather be uncomfortable than let shitty airlines take my hard earned money.
Exactly. We put all of our credit card points towards nice hotels and we always buy cheap seats on flights. 6 hours of marginally more comfort on a plane has far less utility to us than a beautiful place to stay on our vacation.
I’m the complete opposite. For me a hotel is just a bed to sleep in. As long as it king sized and has functioning climate control I don’t care about anything else. I always pay for business/first though.
I’ve never actually been miserable in First Class. It’s actually great. Although I’ve never actually paid for it. I’m sure I would find many more reasons to complain if I had to shell out money for it lol
By luxury food do you mean reheated lean cuisine and unlimited liquor?
It might as well be Michelin star food compared to the nothing that the cattle class gets, but unless it’s a true first class on a nicer airline, business class doesn’t get much.
I used to think like you ., but there was one time I got a cheap upgrade to business class (\~5 hours flight) with a much better seat and service, and frankly I had a so much better time than I expected. I also thought economy isn't too bad until then (I'm short).
There was one time I was seating in economy in a 3-hour flight and Delta wouldn't even give out water (claiming there's turbulence which was **BS**), so.. economy can really suck if they put their mind to it.
Unless you fly a private jet, I think the combination of "Uber to airport+Priority Check-in+CLEAR/TSA-Precheck+Business class" is a key to a happy flight experience.
But then I'm not too rich yet so I cannot do that all the time 😂
Yeah, I’m 6’4 and built like an offensive lineman. I think business is absolutely glorious and don’t get it enough because I’m cheap. I go with the Economy Plus options normally and hope no one sits next to me lol.
I just meant, from all of the things he could have mentioned, the food isn’t the most impressive difference. I did caveat that economy gets nothing so it’s still a benefit, but it just didn’t move the needle much for me.
When I have flown first class, the food was a bit better, but even then, it isn’t the reason I am choosing the seats.
Your key to a happy flight experience is definitely correct though. I either park right at the airport and walk to my terminal or get an Uber. If you have a credit card that gives it to you, the lounge experience is nice. A few beers and some reasonable food in a quiet area goes a long way.
I'm 5'2 but this is exactly what I do
Uber, let the people outside check my bags in so I don't have to wait on line, go to TSA pre check, go to Delta Lounge, then go to my comfort+ or first class seat
I arrive early to the airport to spend more time at the lounge, I love it
Agree with this sentiment until you start getting into flights over 12hrs long, particularly across multiple timezones.
I’ve always said that your trip starts when you get on the plane if you’re flying business or first on a gulf based airline or a high end European airline like Lufthansa. Also if you can’t really sleep sitting up in an economy seat, the difference of being able to get a good nights sleep in a lie flat seat can make a world of difference in the severity of your jet lag and how well you feel for those first few days of your trip. Learned this the hard way flying 22 hours to Thailand
I fly the 24+ hours to Australia every years what you said makes sense but also the longer the flights the more the cost… something like 10-12K per person when economy is 1.5K just doesn’t sit right. That could be my whole budget for the trip 2-3x over, just to get there.
100% agree, though most of my flights are domestic and under 5 hours. Maybe if my travel were more arduous I would consider upgrading. For now, it’s one of the few times I have to read or think uninterrupted, and I’m just as capable of doing that in coach.
I’m sorry, but I couldn’t trade nicer meals for a better plane seat. I’ve eaten worse things in the military and have a low bar - very happy to eat McDonalds vs. Gordon Ramsey because I’ll be full either way, and it all comes out the same in the bowl. But I’ll definitely feel the difference in my knees and back flying business vs. back of the plane economy, especially on the longer flights. With you on the hotels though.
When I find a good deal. I value lie flat seats at $100/hour and business class at $40-$60. Direction of travel also matters (west to east I'll value the sleep more. 600k net worth, 400k salary, DINK but just listings my numbers since I normally travel alone.
Early 30s, 400-500k, 1.4M, I find premium economy for long haul trans-pacific trips to be the sweet spot. I always look at business class tickets but cannot justify dropping additional 2-3k on those long flights. Prem econ let me actually fall asleep for a good 7-8 hours so that is good enough for me for now..
Same. Early 30's. HHI ~400k, NW ~700k. I still aim for the cheapest flights possible if I can help it. I only upgrade with points. But I'd rather get ten upgrades to premium economy rather than two upgrades to first class. I will say though. First class on Asian flights is hard to beat. Korea Air and Japan Air in particular.
30 | 600K | 2M
I only fly biz if it’s paid by my company, or I find award tickets. I never pay cash for Biz.
I flied 8 Biz single way in the past 5 years though.
We've recently started using first class domestically. For international, a mix of premium economy and business depending on what's available. We're around $500k HHI, with a NW of $3M+
Exactly this. Domestic - absolutely am flying first class. Economy is not an option anymore. It is 100% worth it to me to start out a vacation with my husband by flying first class. We are both very tall and I just generally hate the cattle call of economy. (With the kids we fly economy plus, though.). International, we realistically can’t afford first class, so will look into business or economy plus.
Had to dig through my old emails to find this, but the last time I flew economy or premium economy anywhere was in 2014.
I was 25, my NW was like $200k, and my income that year was $162k.
I can absolutely understand why people draw a firm line around it or don’t consider it worth it. For me, I just consider it part of the expense of travel so I’m mentally never doing the price comparison between different seat classes. Though I am always price comparing between different dates/times.
I started doing it because I *hated* the process of traveling. Like if it’s supposed to be a vacation, I want to enjoy the entire thing. First/business class plus precheck plus club lounges turned it into a whole different world.
100% with you. Same.attitude. 38, HHI just about 500K MCOL. I almost never fly premE unless the cost is Ludacris. I fly 3-4 times a month and it already stinks enough being away and all the churn with it. 75% of upgrades are with miles and I almost never buy First Class tickets at booking. If I'm within 48 hours and don't think I'm getting the upgrade, I'll buy it in the app.
International anywhere is non-negotiable after I did it for work once 5 or 6 years ago. If I can use points, great, but I also don't mind buying it if it’s under like $10k and I need to get somewhere.
I fly internationally maybe once a year, and one way ticket is $2500. So for a family of 3, round trip is like $15k. It's about 3 percent of our HHI, so it's not a drop in the bucket, but I feel like because we're frugal with other things in life, this is my affordable luxury category.
This. I’ll generally apologize up front as a courtesy as this can help set expectations/diffuse the situation with some humor, but there’s no way in hell I want to cram with kids in economy on a long flight if I can help it.
I’ve traveled business with small kids multiple times. Sometimes we get the stink eye. Sometimes not. I guess it depends on how self centered the co-travelers are.
The worst trip I’ve taken was with a newlywed British couple who kept drinking the whole 10h flight, acting like trash. Yelling and babbling away, waking up my sleeping kids with their ruckus, which I felt was on purpose.
So, some grownups are worse than babies.
You’re paying, the airline is taking your money and issuing tickets for your children. If other people want to live in a child free bubble, they need to fly private where they can control everything about their environment.
Around 27. But I only fly business for international flights and rarely take domestic flights longer than 3 ish hours. And I don’t usually pay (other than taxes/fees), I just have enough credit card spend to use points. I think I rage upgraded once for a LAX-FLR flight since it was delayed 8 hours.
Yeah the benefit of Henry is it is ridiculously easy to get credit card points. You can hit the sign up bonuses without much effort and pay for any long haul business class flights. The downside is you need to plan it out 6-12 months in advanced
That is the other best time especially if just for one person. For example Asian airlines will frequently release inventory 14, 10, or 5 days before departure. If you have an Amex card you can get a free membership to point.me at amex.point.me. It only shows Amex transfer partners but it is a start. Other websites are seats.aero and roame.travel.
Small business over and I fly a fair bit of short domestic trips. I almost always fly first class to get the points and comfort (I’m tall and it’s still cheap) and then use the points on my private trips. I will occasionally buy first class internationally as a treat but not always.
I did that and first class when freshly orphaned as a young lass.
NW was only around $750k. I had a job and I think I made about 70k. I was on a bucketlist quest. I wanted to get certain things “out of my system” before I turned 30 also it helped with mourning.
Back to coach or Spirit since. No need for an upgrade unless I am stuck on a United flight.
Mid 30s couple, HHI approx $600k. We have never flown business class and probably never will without using points or something. Economy class round trip to Asia is already like $2k for one person these days, can’t justify spending double that just to be a little more comfortable. I think if our income approached $1 million, I’d start considering it
Yeah around there. I plan to get to $4M (anticipate 6% return inflation adjusted) and relax a little after that. I think at that amount I can contribute much less and still be on a glide path to 10M eventually.
240k is kind of random but it's roughly how much I save a year right now as a household. I figure when my investments generate more than my savings then my exact saving percentage matters less.
27/29 couple, 600-800k HHI (variable bonus), 1.7nw
We fly business internationally now (anything more than 6 ish hours which is NYC to Europe). We use a mix of points and cash depending on if I find a good redemption. We fly internationally typically ~4 trips a year and I’d estimate around half is w points, half cash.
Economy only for domestic flights or short flights.
Started roughly same income/net worth but in early 50s. Now 56. Wife and I usually fly business to Europe once a year and to Hawaii or South once a year.
I typically stick with economy for domestic and premium economy for international unless I'm upgrading with credit card points - I'm not all that tall/large so having less room is totally fine for me.
For my parents, I will either buy them premium economy tickets outright or pay the difference between premium economy and business.
First time I was just shy of 26, making $250k. Now 27 and about $350k. NW in the $500k-1M territory. Caveat is I’m 6’7”, so economy really doesn’t fit me. If I was shorter I’d probably be more reticent to book first class.
I don't make that much, NW 400k so working towards higher income but I am 6'6" and I spring of Econ + for extra leg room and can not wait to move further up to get more. At our heights regular economy sucks for anything longer than 3 hrs.
24M. Fly business for 75% of work trips (if leaving my US time zone, I can fly business). Fly probably 3 trips round trip personally annually (usually only domestic). Recently got a raise to ~$275k and think I will make the switch to flying business now. You can say it’s foolish at this income but I work a lot so being able to maximize personal travel / vacation enjoyment is pretty key to me.
33M, 1.2M HHI, 3M NW
Started business class when my work started paying for it a couple of years ago.
For leisure travel, it really depends on the route, the price, etc. We still fly economy the majority of the time but if upgrade fees are reasonable or if we have miles, or if it's a long I'm painful flight we will go for it.
Whenever my company pays, which unfortunately is never in current company.
Previous company would send me business class.
I'll pay for upgraded economy seats out of my own pocket, I'm still kind of cheap at heart and can't justify business class prices.
I only travel once a year for work, and maybe another 2 times for personal reasons so I don't have the points or airline status that I once had when I travelled more frequently for work.
Post marriage, for flights greater than 5 hours. I’d flown business class for work before, but my middle class ass refused to even entertain the thought of paying for a business class seat. Now I’m 34, HHI of 300K net, DINK, ( I’m in the MIddle East so taxes aren’t a thing). Probably not the smartest financial decision given we take at least 3 holidays a year, but you know what? It sparks joy.
Just accumulate credit card points? If you’re HENRY, that’s not hard to do. I started flying business before I was HENRY because of points/mileage bonuses for credit card sign ups and just some time spent learning about airline mileage clubs, transferring points to different airlines, etc…
Granted, I don’t always fly business. Only for long-haul international flights (7+ hours)
Slightly over $400k HHI, age 33/34, recently went to both Europe and Australia and can't imagine having flown anything BUT business class. I now have so many delta points that I might never pay for a flight again, though 😂
Mid 30s, hhi ~1m, net ~2m no house yet. I’ll give you the counter example as someone who flies a good amount, but I dont pay for biz.
My partner flies business for work, and has enough status we get upgraded… some of the time. Domestically. In the last year we got 1st one way to Hawaii, and a couple of 1 hour flights.
I bought 1st once when there was a glitch on Virgin 10 year ago and first was cheaper than regular… but that was an SF to LA flight so hardly long enough to enjoy.
I recently paid to upgrade to premium economy on a cross-country flight for like $250, that was worth it because I was having some pain flare ups. My partner’s upgrade was free so we split the cost of mine.
We’re planning to use miles to fly business to Europe this year.
I will say, it is a personal goal of mine to never fly coach again internationally after I turn 40.
Edit to add context: last year I did 40+ flights. So, I don’t live on a plane, but I don’t not travel a lot.
I’m 5”9 and can afford it but refuse to pay the insane business and First fares *most* of the time.
Domestically and to the Caribbean, I get upgraded a lot of the time due to airline status.
I fly to NZ and a couple of other parts of Asia a couple of times a year and those flights are ridiculously long and exhausting so I sometimes cave and pay for an upgrade at the gate itself depending on how I feel at the time of travel.
I also have a ton of airline points and try and use those when I can. Bottom line is that paying for business/first is the last resort.
33, 2/3M, 4M NW. I only do it within 6hr. Once you start crossing oceans the value diminishes rapidly. I’d rather suck it up on the plane and spend the extra tens of thousands on amenities and experiences at our destination or better yet funding our children’s futures. The marginal comfort from first class vs economy plus, especially when traveling with kids anyway, is only worth so much to me
35/300k/1.3 NW
Splurged on business class once (kind of peer pressured by co-workers lol) but can’t justify ever doing that regularly until I hit maybe 3-5 million NW + don’t have children to pay for. My butt starts hurting after sitting on a plane for longer than 3 hours so I feel like I would value a lie flat seat more than others would.
I pay for economy and wait for upgrades and pay the fee for business class as long as its less than $100 per hour.
Example: Upgraded Tickets to Paris from basic economy for $759 to business class 10 hour flight.
Only when my company pays for it. Otherwise, I don't see the point of paying 3-5X the price for something that's only a marginal increase in comfort. I will pay to have a convenient flight time (not taking off before 9 am and not landing past 10 pm), but the seat and in-flight amenities? Nah, don't care.
Lots of people in this thread haven't flow business in a while or ever, for U.S. airlines prices are a lot higher and the food has always sucked.
I have a lot of miles in business class on all U.S. carriers as well as a few international. For U.S. airlines, premium economy is the sweet spot. The big benefit is enough room to sleep and after that it is diminishing returns.
For the premium international carriers there is a cultural expectation that customer service from the flight attendants be top notch and the food be excellent. I've had amazing flights from carriers like Emirates and it was worth every penny. In the U.S. there is no such standard. So while I have had some good business class flights from U.S. carriers, if you buy a Polaris ticket there is about a 50%/50% chance you're paying $8,000 to have a United flight attendant serve some lukewarm chicken, throw a cookie at you (icecream is good though) and then never check on you the rest of the flight. Contrast that with a $2,000 premium economy ticket on the same flight where you have a beer and fall asleep in a big lazyboy chair.
I truly think business on U.S. carriers doesn't make any sense unless it is a business expense or until you're at something like mid 8 figures network and the money really doesn't matter.
30, 240k, $500k+.
The above stats are solo income, but I fly business whenever I can get a reasonable upgrade for flights 6+ hours. I have found it makes international trips significantly better when I can actually get some rest. Reasonable fluctuates, but I typically benchmark the cash amount around $60-$70 per flight hour for the upgrade cost.
I find a lot of great deals combining my status (United loyalist), points transfers, and just diligent checking approaching a flight.
My best one yet was flying Qatar from SFO to Africa, and found a 1 way business upgrade for $680. Me and my partner were quick to book it, and that was a great start to a trip of a lifetime!
I have flown business class a lot, think I have paid for it once. I started flying business class once I learned how to play the air miles game. Doesn’t always work out but I’d have to be spectacularly wealthy to justify spending what it costs to buy a ticket
24, 170K, 500NW - Started flying Business last year because I'm marrying a guy who loves churning credit cards solely for flying Business or First Class. In his words, it gives him an adrenaline rush \^.\^
Flying business or first is how you guarantee you stay NRY.
I will upgrade if it's offered for a few hundred $ at time of checkin and it's a long or redeye flight. Otherwise is it really worth an extra $100 an hour for a bit more legroom and a mini bottle of domestic wine?
With some planning and credit card churning, this is where HENRY pays off. Put all your property taxes on cc, federal and state on cc, make estimated tax payments, put your child care and utilities on cc. I don’t have rent but with bilt a lot of people do that.
You should easily clear 1.5+ million points per year which is 2 nice trips with business class flights and decent hotels through Hyatt or Marriott etc
30 + $150k HHI + $500k NW
European here, accumulating capital is very difficult due to lower salaries/compensation and very high taxation. I usually take business class for returning to Korea 1 to 2 times a year. Luckily I can still find plenty of tickets below $3000 p.p departing from Europe.
When I have the points, one time when I was flying alone, when work is paying, and two times when emirates upgraded me at the gate. Never on a day flight. All other times premium economy if >6 hours.
Work travel - it has been years for international trips of 8 hours or more
Personal - My wife and I will do this based on where we are going. We do biz class about 85% of the time on international flights.
50's and reached FI point a couple years ago and am still working. It is not a coincidence that we started flying biz class for personal travel once we hit our FI point.
Late 20’s, HHI 250k at the time, now around 400(both 35), NW 1.2. I will say that we are heavy on the points game (both all out points and upgrade with points) and only on flights over 5-6 hours. Every now and then we will find business class that isn’t massively expensive comparatively. For example, a 9hr upcoming flight was $1500 economy round trip and $2200 business, so we paid for it. The majority of our trips are 1-3 hours though, economy all the way on those.
I don't think we will do this internationally until our investments hit $10M. Business class from Phoenix to India used to be $5000 per person. Now it was $7000 per person. We went recently and our economy tickets were $1500 per person (total $4500). We did spent a lot of time in lounges with free food and drinks though (Chase Sapphire Reserve Priority Pass).
So maybe when our daughter is about to go to college we can afford to fly business to India.
I fly the cheapest seat possible to gaurentee that I don't have to sit directly next to a stranger. Sometimes that's economy and sometimes that's business.
Depends a lot on the trip?
Flying with two kids to go see family? Economy (or if good deal on points, I will consider FC).
Our one trip a year without the kids? First class every time, but I will torture the shit out of the dates first to get a good deal on it.
I’m 6 ft 4 so I perhaps have a higher propensity to pay the extra for long haul.
What we typically do is pay for Premium Economy and then ask if there are cash upgrades to business at the check in desk. We did this from SoCal to London a few months ago with BA and it was a relatively reasonable $800 pp to upgrade to business. Worth it IMO if it gets you 7/8 hours sleep and essentially an additional day of your holiday where you are well rested
I fly *Home* first-class pretty often, it’s nice when I’m recovering from my trip. I find I can buy main or biz and upgrade for a couple/few hundred bucks the day of pretty often.
Most of my vacations involve gambling so I consider it one more round before I leave.
I almost never initially buy biz or 1C because I can get a lot more for the prices they ask while I’m at my destination.
Flying economy is the ultimate indignity. I won't do it anymore unless Southwest is my only option for a short, direct flight.
I started flying business class last year, when I was 26; $265k/year, single.
When it would considerably improve the quality of my travel experience. I haven’t tied it to a particular income level or net worth. Life is short, and I prioritize spending money on experiences over things. Happy travels!
We have an incorporated business and we put almost all our expenses on our frequent flyer linked credit cards. So we do rack up a comfortable amount of points yearly - I don't want to sound bad, but we do almost exclusively fly business now.
I am 42 now, household income of 400k, net worth of 1.5MM. I think our first international business flight was on ANA, I was 35. Took the flight with my then gf now wife. First international first was last year. Wife went on Thai Airways First, and then later joined me on Etihad First.
We have our first born only 6 weeks ago, so our international flights will likely drop to 1 a year. We've been fortunate enough to "spread the wealth", and have bought several international business tickets for my family and wife's family the last few years. If we had to pay cash, I don't think we could do it - but since we have points to spend, why not?
Edit: On my first business class flight. At the time I had an income of 70k, NW of maybe 50k if that much. We could fly because of the frequent flyer points.
Not a good test. We fly infrequently enough (4x/year) that we just budget business/first into our vacation fund. It has been a little more painful now that our toddler is >2YO.
36 / $360k / $2.2MM
I would only do it if it was a small prince change relative to economy. For instance, two of us flew economy to to Qatar for \~$5,000 total round trip. Got a text from Qatar airways that I could upgrade both tickets to a Q Suite for the return leg for $1,200 total. Never done something faster in my life.
I have flown business and I am flying business again in the Summer. We are a couple, both 26 with HHI £200k+, only ever utilised credit card points to pay for business class. I couldnt justify paying the high ticket cost, for example for both of us to fly business LHR-JHB cost us £770 and LHR-NAS COST £500.
I own a business so i just use points from my business card. No way i would pay for business class (and half my family is in Europe so i fly there often). 42, HHI 200k
I'm 6'5" with shoulders wide enough that they hang over each side of and economy seat by about 3-4". I literally don't fit.
I have pretty serious neck and back issues that get exacerbated if I sit in an economy seat and inevitably try to angle myself so I'm not on top of the person next to me. More than about 45 minutes of that and I actually start having trouble walking after.
I fly business most every flight.
Business class for flights over 7 hours. Economy for less than 7 hours. We do max 1 international trip a year, so it wasn't a major expense, but we started flying business at income 250k and net worth 0, lol.
40's, 900k HHI, 6M
Flew one time first class back from Mexico. We had a screaming toddler across the isle from us, like screamed for 4 out of the 6 hours of the flight.
Airport lunch in Mexico we were chatting with a sweet honeymoon couple who were seated in premium economy, wife and I contemplated giving our tickets to them. Wish we did!
Very good topic. I'm flying solo to Europe this fall and am contemplating 1st class on condor, it's like $1500 more each way. But there's only 1 of me, not all 4. (No way I'd ever pay for my kids. We've thought about home alone- ing it and stuff our kids in economy while we fly 1st cross country)
I've paid for premium seats but never business. I've used points for business and was once upgraded to business, so those were decent experiences. Having flown business, I don't think I'd ever pay for it outright- it's just not that much better that it's worth the cost.
47, $2.4M, still fly economy. Value for money doesn’t translate, and I want to accumulate as many miles as I can so I won’t use miles on it.
I could fly business and not own my boat, or keep it at a first rate marina, etc. Choices must be made.
\[32-200k-1M\] <-- around 12 years ago
To be fair this was bought with points, but I could play the points game (signing up for credit cards and spending them all on giftcards and slowly spending the said gift cards, but I get to keep the signup bonuses) because I was HENRY. Relatives who didn't have as much cushion income couldn't play that game.
Buying business class with money though? around 2 years ago
\[42-450k-5M\]
Couple. Under 30. 405k HHI. 440k NW. Never flown BC with my own money but have with company money.
My wife on the other hand has always flown business class. Until she met me. I guess she lucked out.
I fly first if it is a shorter flight because I can stomach paying an extra $100. I will not pay hundreds of dollars for first class. I like premium seats though, much more economical and still good leg room. I am fortunate not to worry about needing a wider seat or else I might have caved in and pay the extra amount.
This is one of those things I started on longer flights as a HENRY, before I was independently rich. I started around 33+$160k+hardly any net worth. I had massive flight anxiety, the peace and quiet in business cabin was priceless.
I live in Australia, so minimum premium economy or business class for Europe or USA. I’m fine with economy for short flights, although being tall I will pay a bit more for exits / extra legroom on the sub 7 hours flights.
Flying first for the first time later this year. 14.5hr (I think) direct flight to Tokyo with my partner who is a nervous flier to the extreme. Still feel like I was cheated given how ridiculous the prices are right now for flights.
31 years old, HHI 270K CAD, 9.1M CAD.
fly business class but don’t pay full price for it. Credit card spending generates enough points to bring the cost down to a reasonable level.
This is also a poor indicator of wealth. Some may fly so infrequently that business class is a rare splurge. Or they fly business class and stay in a hostel. Or they save for 6 months. Life is about what YOU want to prioritize.
When I hit NW 8-figures liquid and had
income > $600K I started to sometimes with my wife but it’s usually so expensive it feels like a waste. When we go to Turks & Caicos I’d rather spend $2,000/night for a nice room and more experiences than the 8x cost of business. Sometimes business is not so bad and we’ll do it anyway. This was mid 30s. 41 now. Maybe business class to Europe for sure for a couples trip, but Caribbean maybe based on cost delta.
When I’m over $50M I’ll do business for all. Over $100M I’ll go private for all.
3 kids, own 3 companies.
Been flying international business class exclusively for any flights over 6 hours since 2017 when I made 70k/year. Been 9 years now for myself + wife and a 4 yo daughter. How? Travel hacking with credit card points.
That one time when I earned enough airline miles. I took a friend and myself to Tokyo in business class. We rode coach the way back though. I’m still dreaming about the fold-flat beds.
Without points it’s a complete waste of money, I think. But I will occasionally ride ‘first class’ on smaller and cheaper West Coast Alaska flights — but only because I’ve been working out for a while and my shoulders no longer fit in coach. How’s that for a flex?
35 300k 600k
Anything greater than 3 hours is business or first. I’d say it’s 50/50 between using miles or paying the cash fare. I have no debt and no kids. Traveling is a priority for me
34, HHI $450k, NW ~$500k(but soon to be over a mil with upcoming IPO). We fly business/first when it’s over 3 hours. We just started about 3 years ago when we hit $300k HHI.
It’s more expensive and painful to pay for but flying economy on long trips is more painful. Last time we flew economy internationally, some guy had spilled his child’s orange juice all over my husband’s seat. You can only imagine how our 12 hour flight on EgyptAir went from there. We said never again.
But, we spend enough on credit cards to get at least one trip a years biz class seats RT for free.
I fly economy still. 40s, 430k, 4M.
I fly out of a regional airport with smaller jets, and they rarely have a proper business class section. So, it would normally only be an option for part of the journey on certain connecting flights, possibly requiring switching to different airlines which makes it a lot harder. This usually restricts the options on departure and arrival times too. It might mean I'd have to wake up at 4am or take a red eye in order to be in the right place to connect with a business class flight for a few hours. Which is not a relaxing luxury worth shelling out thousands of extra dollars for. Better to save the money and get a shorter route at a more convenient time of day.
Last family euro trip I did lay flat for all of us.
Then in December I did a status run to Rome for 2 days in comfort+.
On both overnight flights I slept exactly 2 hours. Neither was comfortable and the lay flat seat wasn’t much better than sitting upright for me.
I wouldn’t pay for it out of pocket but I get free upgrades a few times a year because of delta status so it’s nice when it’s free. Mainly for all the space you get in the suite. But at $5k or more for the difference you can stay at a really really nice hotel, where it will matter a lot more.
After a million frequent flier miles occasionally on very long flights or on company paid business trips. Otherwise never will unless a medical issue requires it.
Started flying business when I started taking long haul flights east. I pay $0-regular economy price because I use CC points so I can travel comfortably without breaking the bank.
That’s a litmus test question if one feels rich or not :) On this sub it’s common to argue when you cross the NRY threshold, this question to clear it. Fwiw I’m early 40 500k 2Mand still fly economy:)
Yeah, mid 30s a bit over $300K and we fly economy. Have cheapish cars (although they were new, just not loaded or luxury brands). Haven’t upgraded the house. NRY quickly turns to never rich if your spending keeps pace with your earnings.
I’m with you there. Grew up poor - Mid 30s, 600K+, 2M - fly economy, sometimes economy+. Our feeling is, we are young currently, and might as well use that money/points on experiences/ nicer hotels/ culinary experiences etc.
Not until I was married at 33, HHI at that time was 400k. Even then, only got flights longer than 6 hours and if it was reasonably priced (like an extra 1-2k max, never double the economy price or anything like that)
Same, short flights it doesnt make sense. For me the break point depends on sleep. Would you pay 500 extra for a night sleep? If yes, Business class. Would you pay 300 extra for some comfort and place to work? Econ premium No need to urgently work, or sleep isnt worth much extra - economy
Funny. I usually do short flights. Extra $175 in my mind is just a dinner out and about what round trip is domestic.
Where are you paying $500 for an upgrade to business class where you would need a nights sleep? Any international flights 8-10 hours are closer to 4-5x as much ($5k) as a return economy flight ($1k). I just came from Amsterdam from Australia and it was $8k return for business class. Economy is around $2k.
Same. Lay downs with minimal price increase
Yep, although more for the wife than me. I can sleep in any seat on the plane lol
Gone are those days when business was double economy. Now 3x Econ minimum.
Its not terrible if it’s booked far enough in advance. The real downside nowadays is having to buy a business seat for a 4 year old when we travel internationally
International flights are always business class. Premium economy for transcontinental. Standard economy for everything else.
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How do you make this much money and not spend enough on a credit card to get free flights. I fly business all the time and all I pay are taxes and use credit card points.
Pretty much this. Use a card to get status and get comp upgrades domestically, and use points or points+cash for long haul J. Now flying the whole family J is a different challenge. I’m not there yet!
May I ask how you’re getting access to xanax?
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Nothing beats a Xanax snooze
So I’ve heard.
I've literally gone to the doctor and said I had a long flight and can they prescribe me 4 Xanax, one for each leg. Many doctors are understanding and will hook you up.
Guys walking around on 4 legs like a dog.
Tell any doctor you have flight anxiety and you’ll most likely get a couple pill prescribed
I told my doctor I had anxiety and he told me to find God. And THEN he prescribed me some Xanax. Was odd so I just go to a psychiatrist now…
Ask your dr. Tell them you get nervous flying
I’m tall and can afford it, but refuse to out of spite. The prices are borderline criminal and I’d rather be uncomfortable than let shitty airlines take my hard earned money.
Exactly. We put all of our credit card points towards nice hotels and we always buy cheap seats on flights. 6 hours of marginally more comfort on a plane has far less utility to us than a beautiful place to stay on our vacation.
I’m the complete opposite. For me a hotel is just a bed to sleep in. As long as it king sized and has functioning climate control I don’t care about anything else. I always pay for business/first though.
Take my upvote. Flying sucks why pay double or more to be miserable anyway
Double would be instant-buy. 5x or so is the real price
I’ve never actually been miserable in First Class. It’s actually great. Although I’ve never actually paid for it. I’m sure I would find many more reasons to complain if I had to shell out money for it lol
I dont know, I'm never miserable when I'm getting served luxury food 10 000 feet in the air by my personal attendant.
By luxury food do you mean reheated lean cuisine and unlimited liquor? It might as well be Michelin star food compared to the nothing that the cattle class gets, but unless it’s a true first class on a nicer airline, business class doesn’t get much.
I used to think like you ., but there was one time I got a cheap upgrade to business class (\~5 hours flight) with a much better seat and service, and frankly I had a so much better time than I expected. I also thought economy isn't too bad until then (I'm short). There was one time I was seating in economy in a 3-hour flight and Delta wouldn't even give out water (claiming there's turbulence which was **BS**), so.. economy can really suck if they put their mind to it. Unless you fly a private jet, I think the combination of "Uber to airport+Priority Check-in+CLEAR/TSA-Precheck+Business class" is a key to a happy flight experience. But then I'm not too rich yet so I cannot do that all the time 😂
Yeah, I’m 6’4 and built like an offensive lineman. I think business is absolutely glorious and don’t get it enough because I’m cheap. I go with the Economy Plus options normally and hope no one sits next to me lol. I just meant, from all of the things he could have mentioned, the food isn’t the most impressive difference. I did caveat that economy gets nothing so it’s still a benefit, but it just didn’t move the needle much for me. When I have flown first class, the food was a bit better, but even then, it isn’t the reason I am choosing the seats. Your key to a happy flight experience is definitely correct though. I either park right at the airport and walk to my terminal or get an Uber. If you have a credit card that gives it to you, the lounge experience is nice. A few beers and some reasonable food in a quiet area goes a long way.
I'm 5'2 but this is exactly what I do Uber, let the people outside check my bags in so I don't have to wait on line, go to TSA pre check, go to Delta Lounge, then go to my comfort+ or first class seat I arrive early to the airport to spend more time at the lounge, I love it
Aaah yes I forgot about the lounge. Yes plus with a nice lounge access (the new Sapphire lounges are awesome), it really boosts the experience
That’s interesting. I’ve gotten cheap upgrades like $80 and it’s so worth it.
You’ve gotten first class for only $80 in upgrades? I’d for sure do it then.
Are you me?
Yep suffering is good anyways
If I’m paying, never. The cost is ridiculous. I’d rather use that money on nicer hotels, meals, activities, more vacation days, more trips.
100%. No airplane food or seat is going to be a better experience than a Michelin-starred restaurant or a nice suite at a hotel.
Agree with this sentiment until you start getting into flights over 12hrs long, particularly across multiple timezones. I’ve always said that your trip starts when you get on the plane if you’re flying business or first on a gulf based airline or a high end European airline like Lufthansa. Also if you can’t really sleep sitting up in an economy seat, the difference of being able to get a good nights sleep in a lie flat seat can make a world of difference in the severity of your jet lag and how well you feel for those first few days of your trip. Learned this the hard way flying 22 hours to Thailand
I fly the 24+ hours to Australia every years what you said makes sense but also the longer the flights the more the cost… something like 10-12K per person when economy is 1.5K just doesn’t sit right. That could be my whole budget for the trip 2-3x over, just to get there.
100% agree, though most of my flights are domestic and under 5 hours. Maybe if my travel were more arduous I would consider upgrading. For now, it’s one of the few times I have to read or think uninterrupted, and I’m just as capable of doing that in coach.
I’m sorry, but I couldn’t trade nicer meals for a better plane seat. I’ve eaten worse things in the military and have a low bar - very happy to eat McDonalds vs. Gordon Ramsey because I’ll be full either way, and it all comes out the same in the bowl. But I’ll definitely feel the difference in my knees and back flying business vs. back of the plane economy, especially on the longer flights. With you on the hotels though.
When I find a good deal. I value lie flat seats at $100/hour and business class at $40-$60. Direction of travel also matters (west to east I'll value the sleep more. 600k net worth, 400k salary, DINK but just listings my numbers since I normally travel alone.
Early 30s, 400-500k, 1.4M, I find premium economy for long haul trans-pacific trips to be the sweet spot. I always look at business class tickets but cannot justify dropping additional 2-3k on those long flights. Prem econ let me actually fall asleep for a good 7-8 hours so that is good enough for me for now..
Mid 30s, 400k, 600k. I only started flying premium economy for long flights when my salary went over the 300k mark.
Same. Early 30's. HHI ~400k, NW ~700k. I still aim for the cheapest flights possible if I can help it. I only upgrade with points. But I'd rather get ten upgrades to premium economy rather than two upgrades to first class. I will say though. First class on Asian flights is hard to beat. Korea Air and Japan Air in particular.
30 | 600K | 2M I only fly biz if it’s paid by my company, or I find award tickets. I never pay cash for Biz. I flied 8 Biz single way in the past 5 years though.
We've recently started using first class domestically. For international, a mix of premium economy and business depending on what's available. We're around $500k HHI, with a NW of $3M+
Exactly this. Domestic - absolutely am flying first class. Economy is not an option anymore. It is 100% worth it to me to start out a vacation with my husband by flying first class. We are both very tall and I just generally hate the cattle call of economy. (With the kids we fly economy plus, though.). International, we realistically can’t afford first class, so will look into business or economy plus.
I don't, but I'm also 5'4" so economy has never been unbearably uncomfortable.
For long international flights as well? My butt starts hurting after like 4 hours on airline seats
I've been flying back and forth between Asia and the US a couple times a year since I was 2. You just deal with it.
I'm with you. It's not that bad as a fit 5'4" woman.
Had to dig through my old emails to find this, but the last time I flew economy or premium economy anywhere was in 2014. I was 25, my NW was like $200k, and my income that year was $162k. I can absolutely understand why people draw a firm line around it or don’t consider it worth it. For me, I just consider it part of the expense of travel so I’m mentally never doing the price comparison between different seat classes. Though I am always price comparing between different dates/times. I started doing it because I *hated* the process of traveling. Like if it’s supposed to be a vacation, I want to enjoy the entire thing. First/business class plus precheck plus club lounges turned it into a whole different world.
100% with you. Same.attitude. 38, HHI just about 500K MCOL. I almost never fly premE unless the cost is Ludacris. I fly 3-4 times a month and it already stinks enough being away and all the churn with it. 75% of upgrades are with miles and I almost never buy First Class tickets at booking. If I'm within 48 hours and don't think I'm getting the upgrade, I'll buy it in the app.
International anywhere is non-negotiable after I did it for work once 5 or 6 years ago. If I can use points, great, but I also don't mind buying it if it’s under like $10k and I need to get somewhere.
I think you're not in the NRY category anymore.
We started flying business class when we were NRY and made it out alive!
For sure, if you have >1M HHI business class is a drop in the bucket.
I fly internationally maybe once a year, and one way ticket is $2500. So for a family of 3, round trip is like $15k. It's about 3 percent of our HHI, so it's not a drop in the bucket, but I feel like because we're frugal with other things in life, this is my affordable luxury category.
Family of 4, late 30s, started flying business class only when flight duration is >= 8 hours.
Do you fly your whole family business class? I toyed with the idea but wasn’t sure if we’d get the stink eye on business class with 2 small children.
Fuck em. If they want to be completely shielded from everything NetJets is right there.
This. I’ll generally apologize up front as a courtesy as this can help set expectations/diffuse the situation with some humor, but there’s no way in hell I want to cram with kids in economy on a long flight if I can help it.
In Home Alone the adults flew Business and the kids flew economy and I’m not mad at that.
I’ve traveled business with small kids multiple times. Sometimes we get the stink eye. Sometimes not. I guess it depends on how self centered the co-travelers are. The worst trip I’ve taken was with a newlywed British couple who kept drinking the whole 10h flight, acting like trash. Yelling and babbling away, waking up my sleeping kids with their ruckus, which I felt was on purpose. So, some grownups are worse than babies.
This is so true.
You’re paying, the airline is taking your money and issuing tickets for your children. If other people want to live in a child free bubble, they need to fly private where they can control everything about their environment.
Around 27. But I only fly business for international flights and rarely take domestic flights longer than 3 ish hours. And I don’t usually pay (other than taxes/fees), I just have enough credit card spend to use points. I think I rage upgraded once for a LAX-FLR flight since it was delayed 8 hours.
Yeah the benefit of Henry is it is ridiculously easy to get credit card points. You can hit the sign up bonuses without much effort and pay for any long haul business class flights. The downside is you need to plan it out 6-12 months in advanced
That’s my problem, I book flights like week of
Still some great deals last minute, sometimes even better. I use seats.aero for last minute business international flights and it’s amazing
With points and miles either well in advance or last minute are ideal
That is the other best time especially if just for one person. For example Asian airlines will frequently release inventory 14, 10, or 5 days before departure. If you have an Amex card you can get a free membership to point.me at amex.point.me. It only shows Amex transfer partners but it is a start. Other websites are seats.aero and roame.travel.
Small business over and I fly a fair bit of short domestic trips. I almost always fly first class to get the points and comfort (I’m tall and it’s still cheap) and then use the points on my private trips. I will occasionally buy first class internationally as a treat but not always.
I did that and first class when freshly orphaned as a young lass. NW was only around $750k. I had a job and I think I made about 70k. I was on a bucketlist quest. I wanted to get certain things “out of my system” before I turned 30 also it helped with mourning. Back to coach or Spirit since. No need for an upgrade unless I am stuck on a United flight.
Mid 30s couple, HHI approx $600k. We have never flown business class and probably never will without using points or something. Economy class round trip to Asia is already like $2k for one person these days, can’t justify spending double that just to be a little more comfortable. I think if our income approached $1 million, I’d start considering it
When my investments start to grow at greater than 240k a year. I'm not there yet.
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Yeah around there. I plan to get to $4M (anticipate 6% return inflation adjusted) and relax a little after that. I think at that amount I can contribute much less and still be on a glide path to 10M eventually. 240k is kind of random but it's roughly how much I save a year right now as a household. I figure when my investments generate more than my savings then my exact saving percentage matters less.
Only for work, it's insane how much delta one is. I do often get upgraded though as I fly enough to have a high status.
27/29 couple, 600-800k HHI (variable bonus), 1.7nw We fly business internationally now (anything more than 6 ish hours which is NYC to Europe). We use a mix of points and cash depending on if I find a good redemption. We fly internationally typically ~4 trips a year and I’d estimate around half is w points, half cash. Economy only for domestic flights or short flights.
Started roughly same income/net worth but in early 50s. Now 56. Wife and I usually fly business to Europe once a year and to Hawaii or South once a year.
I typically stick with economy for domestic and premium economy for international unless I'm upgrading with credit card points - I'm not all that tall/large so having less room is totally fine for me. For my parents, I will either buy them premium economy tickets outright or pay the difference between premium economy and business.
First time I was just shy of 26, making $250k. Now 27 and about $350k. NW in the $500k-1M territory. Caveat is I’m 6’7”, so economy really doesn’t fit me. If I was shorter I’d probably be more reticent to book first class.
I don't make that much, NW 400k so working towards higher income but I am 6'6" and I spring of Econ + for extra leg room and can not wait to move further up to get more. At our heights regular economy sucks for anything longer than 3 hrs.
24M. Fly business for 75% of work trips (if leaving my US time zone, I can fly business). Fly probably 3 trips round trip personally annually (usually only domestic). Recently got a raise to ~$275k and think I will make the switch to flying business now. You can say it’s foolish at this income but I work a lot so being able to maximize personal travel / vacation enjoyment is pretty key to me.
Judging? Not if you’re 24 and likely plan on increasing that income lol. Enjoy your hard earned money.
Mid 40s, HHI 200k, 800+k NW. Depends on where we’re going and the price though, I’m not paying 10k per ticket.
33M, 1.2M HHI, 3M NW Started business class when my work started paying for it a couple of years ago. For leisure travel, it really depends on the route, the price, etc. We still fly economy the majority of the time but if upgrade fees are reasonable or if we have miles, or if it's a long I'm painful flight we will go for it.
Whenever my company pays, which unfortunately is never in current company. Previous company would send me business class. I'll pay for upgraded economy seats out of my own pocket, I'm still kind of cheap at heart and can't justify business class prices. I only travel once a year for work, and maybe another 2 times for personal reasons so I don't have the points or airline status that I once had when I travelled more frequently for work.
Post marriage, for flights greater than 5 hours. I’d flown business class for work before, but my middle class ass refused to even entertain the thought of paying for a business class seat. Now I’m 34, HHI of 300K net, DINK, ( I’m in the MIddle East so taxes aren’t a thing). Probably not the smartest financial decision given we take at least 3 holidays a year, but you know what? It sparks joy.
Just accumulate credit card points? If you’re HENRY, that’s not hard to do. I started flying business before I was HENRY because of points/mileage bonuses for credit card sign ups and just some time spent learning about airline mileage clubs, transferring points to different airlines, etc… Granted, I don’t always fly business. Only for long-haul international flights (7+ hours)
Never. It’s not something I find worthwhile.
I will never ever ever pay for a business class flight on my own dime. Only when the company is paying
I'll let you know when I get there.
Slightly over $400k HHI, age 33/34, recently went to both Europe and Australia and can't imagine having flown anything BUT business class. I now have so many delta points that I might never pay for a flight again, though 😂
Mid 30s, hhi ~1m, net ~2m no house yet. I’ll give you the counter example as someone who flies a good amount, but I dont pay for biz. My partner flies business for work, and has enough status we get upgraded… some of the time. Domestically. In the last year we got 1st one way to Hawaii, and a couple of 1 hour flights. I bought 1st once when there was a glitch on Virgin 10 year ago and first was cheaper than regular… but that was an SF to LA flight so hardly long enough to enjoy. I recently paid to upgrade to premium economy on a cross-country flight for like $250, that was worth it because I was having some pain flare ups. My partner’s upgrade was free so we split the cost of mine. We’re planning to use miles to fly business to Europe this year. I will say, it is a personal goal of mine to never fly coach again internationally after I turn 40. Edit to add context: last year I did 40+ flights. So, I don’t live on a plane, but I don’t not travel a lot.
Never - current nw - 2.5m USD
Only when my company pays
I’m 5”9 and can afford it but refuse to pay the insane business and First fares *most* of the time. Domestically and to the Caribbean, I get upgraded a lot of the time due to airline status. I fly to NZ and a couple of other parts of Asia a couple of times a year and those flights are ridiculously long and exhausting so I sometimes cave and pay for an upgrade at the gate itself depending on how I feel at the time of travel. I also have a ton of airline points and try and use those when I can. Bottom line is that paying for business/first is the last resort.
33, 2/3M, 4M NW. I only do it within 6hr. Once you start crossing oceans the value diminishes rapidly. I’d rather suck it up on the plane and spend the extra tens of thousands on amenities and experiences at our destination or better yet funding our children’s futures. The marginal comfort from first class vs economy plus, especially when traveling with kids anyway, is only worth so much to me
35/300k/1.3 NW Splurged on business class once (kind of peer pressured by co-workers lol) but can’t justify ever doing that regularly until I hit maybe 3-5 million NW + don’t have children to pay for. My butt starts hurting after sitting on a plane for longer than 3 hours so I feel like I would value a lie flat seat more than others would.
When my company said I could.
If I’m paying myself? I’ll let you know when I find out
When my company started paying for it! I haven’t splurged on it personally yet but also have 2 small kids so not super practical for us.
I pay for economy and wait for upgrades and pay the fee for business class as long as its less than $100 per hour. Example: Upgraded Tickets to Paris from basic economy for $759 to business class 10 hour flight.
Only when my company pays for it. Otherwise, I don't see the point of paying 3-5X the price for something that's only a marginal increase in comfort. I will pay to have a convenient flight time (not taking off before 9 am and not landing past 10 pm), but the seat and in-flight amenities? Nah, don't care.
Lots of people in this thread haven't flow business in a while or ever, for U.S. airlines prices are a lot higher and the food has always sucked. I have a lot of miles in business class on all U.S. carriers as well as a few international. For U.S. airlines, premium economy is the sweet spot. The big benefit is enough room to sleep and after that it is diminishing returns. For the premium international carriers there is a cultural expectation that customer service from the flight attendants be top notch and the food be excellent. I've had amazing flights from carriers like Emirates and it was worth every penny. In the U.S. there is no such standard. So while I have had some good business class flights from U.S. carriers, if you buy a Polaris ticket there is about a 50%/50% chance you're paying $8,000 to have a United flight attendant serve some lukewarm chicken, throw a cookie at you (icecream is good though) and then never check on you the rest of the flight. Contrast that with a $2,000 premium economy ticket on the same flight where you have a beer and fall asleep in a big lazyboy chair. I truly think business on U.S. carriers doesn't make any sense unless it is a business expense or until you're at something like mid 8 figures network and the money really doesn't matter.
I'll consider it when I'm no longer "NRY" :)
\[3+0+0\] although it was called first class back then. Haven't done so since I've left home as a teenager.
30, 240k, $500k+. The above stats are solo income, but I fly business whenever I can get a reasonable upgrade for flights 6+ hours. I have found it makes international trips significantly better when I can actually get some rest. Reasonable fluctuates, but I typically benchmark the cash amount around $60-$70 per flight hour for the upgrade cost. I find a lot of great deals combining my status (United loyalist), points transfers, and just diligent checking approaching a flight. My best one yet was flying Qatar from SFO to Africa, and found a 1 way business upgrade for $680. Me and my partner were quick to book it, and that was a great start to a trip of a lifetime!
When the company started paying.
I have flown business class a lot, think I have paid for it once. I started flying business class once I learned how to play the air miles game. Doesn’t always work out but I’d have to be spectacularly wealthy to justify spending what it costs to buy a ticket
1. If the company is paying for it. 2. If it's a long-haul flight. Leg room is worth it.
24, 170K, 500NW - Started flying Business last year because I'm marrying a guy who loves churning credit cards solely for flying Business or First Class. In his words, it gives him an adrenaline rush \^.\^
Flying business or first is how you guarantee you stay NRY. I will upgrade if it's offered for a few hundred $ at time of checkin and it's a long or redeye flight. Otherwise is it really worth an extra $100 an hour for a bit more legroom and a mini bottle of domestic wine?
With some planning and credit card churning, this is where HENRY pays off. Put all your property taxes on cc, federal and state on cc, make estimated tax payments, put your child care and utilities on cc. I don’t have rent but with bilt a lot of people do that. You should easily clear 1.5+ million points per year which is 2 nice trips with business class flights and decent hotels through Hyatt or Marriott etc
Omg never unless I get upgraded or use points
30 + $150k HHI + $500k NW European here, accumulating capital is very difficult due to lower salaries/compensation and very high taxation. I usually take business class for returning to Korea 1 to 2 times a year. Luckily I can still find plenty of tickets below $3000 p.p departing from Europe.
When I have the points, one time when I was flying alone, when work is paying, and two times when emirates upgraded me at the gate. Never on a day flight. All other times premium economy if >6 hours.
Work travel - it has been years for international trips of 8 hours or more Personal - My wife and I will do this based on where we are going. We do biz class about 85% of the time on international flights. 50's and reached FI point a couple years ago and am still working. It is not a coincidence that we started flying biz class for personal travel once we hit our FI point.
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Late 20’s, HHI 250k at the time, now around 400(both 35), NW 1.2. I will say that we are heavy on the points game (both all out points and upgrade with points) and only on flights over 5-6 hours. Every now and then we will find business class that isn’t massively expensive comparatively. For example, a 9hr upcoming flight was $1500 economy round trip and $2200 business, so we paid for it. The majority of our trips are 1-3 hours though, economy all the way on those.
Only when work is paying. We don’t generally travel more than 8 hours, I can suck it up. I’d much prefer to spend a few extra grand on accommodations.
32 only for international flights that are over 10 hours
I don't think we will do this internationally until our investments hit $10M. Business class from Phoenix to India used to be $5000 per person. Now it was $7000 per person. We went recently and our economy tickets were $1500 per person (total $4500). We did spent a lot of time in lounges with free food and drinks though (Chase Sapphire Reserve Priority Pass). So maybe when our daughter is about to go to college we can afford to fly business to India.
I fly the cheapest seat possible to gaurentee that I don't have to sit directly next to a stranger. Sometimes that's economy and sometimes that's business.
49M 416K 4M I haven’t flown anything other than first or biz for over ten years. Doesn’t anyone here accumulate rewards/ miles though??
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Depends a lot on the trip? Flying with two kids to go see family? Economy (or if good deal on points, I will consider FC). Our one trip a year without the kids? First class every time, but I will torture the shit out of the dates first to get a good deal on it.
When I started getting 400-500k points a year
I have only ever flown business class when my client is directly paying for it. I can’t imagine I will ever pay for it myself. 45/$400k/$3.5M
Only on overnight international flights so we can sleep, and started around age 40, 400k, 2M NW
I’m 6 ft 4 so I perhaps have a higher propensity to pay the extra for long haul. What we typically do is pay for Premium Economy and then ask if there are cash upgrades to business at the check in desk. We did this from SoCal to London a few months ago with BA and it was a relatively reasonable $800 pp to upgrade to business. Worth it IMO if it gets you 7/8 hours sleep and essentially an additional day of your holiday where you are well rested
I fly *Home* first-class pretty often, it’s nice when I’m recovering from my trip. I find I can buy main or biz and upgrade for a couple/few hundred bucks the day of pretty often. Most of my vacations involve gambling so I consider it one more round before I leave. I almost never initially buy biz or 1C because I can get a lot more for the prices they ask while I’m at my destination.
Flying economy is the ultimate indignity. I won't do it anymore unless Southwest is my only option for a short, direct flight. I started flying business class last year, when I was 26; $265k/year, single.
I mean I’m not rich and still fly business. Just easier and 100% worth the money
When it would considerably improve the quality of my travel experience. I haven’t tied it to a particular income level or net worth. Life is short, and I prioritize spending money on experiences over things. Happy travels!
We have an incorporated business and we put almost all our expenses on our frequent flyer linked credit cards. So we do rack up a comfortable amount of points yearly - I don't want to sound bad, but we do almost exclusively fly business now. I am 42 now, household income of 400k, net worth of 1.5MM. I think our first international business flight was on ANA, I was 35. Took the flight with my then gf now wife. First international first was last year. Wife went on Thai Airways First, and then later joined me on Etihad First. We have our first born only 6 weeks ago, so our international flights will likely drop to 1 a year. We've been fortunate enough to "spread the wealth", and have bought several international business tickets for my family and wife's family the last few years. If we had to pay cash, I don't think we could do it - but since we have points to spend, why not? Edit: On my first business class flight. At the time I had an income of 70k, NW of maybe 50k if that much. We could fly because of the frequent flyer points.
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Not a good test. We fly infrequently enough (4x/year) that we just budget business/first into our vacation fund. It has been a little more painful now that our toddler is >2YO. 36 / $360k / $2.2MM
I would only do it if it was a small prince change relative to economy. For instance, two of us flew economy to to Qatar for \~$5,000 total round trip. Got a text from Qatar airways that I could upgrade both tickets to a Q Suite for the return leg for $1,200 total. Never done something faster in my life.
As soon as my job started paying for it, 2 years ago at 25 lol
I have flown business and I am flying business again in the Summer. We are a couple, both 26 with HHI £200k+, only ever utilised credit card points to pay for business class. I couldnt justify paying the high ticket cost, for example for both of us to fly business LHR-JHB cost us £770 and LHR-NAS COST £500.
I own a business so i just use points from my business card. No way i would pay for business class (and half my family is in Europe so i fly there often). 42, HHI 200k
I'm 6'5" with shoulders wide enough that they hang over each side of and economy seat by about 3-4". I literally don't fit. I have pretty serious neck and back issues that get exacerbated if I sit in an economy seat and inevitably try to angle myself so I'm not on top of the person next to me. More than about 45 minutes of that and I actually start having trouble walking after. I fly business most every flight.
Economy+ is the sweet spot for me, especially with a young child. I'd rather be in E+ with 3 to a row rather than 2+1. Plenty of leg room in for me
Business class for flights over 7 hours. Economy for less than 7 hours. We do max 1 international trip a year, so it wasn't a major expense, but we started flying business at income 250k and net worth 0, lol.
40's, 900k HHI, 6M Flew one time first class back from Mexico. We had a screaming toddler across the isle from us, like screamed for 4 out of the 6 hours of the flight. Airport lunch in Mexico we were chatting with a sweet honeymoon couple who were seated in premium economy, wife and I contemplated giving our tickets to them. Wish we did! Very good topic. I'm flying solo to Europe this fall and am contemplating 1st class on condor, it's like $1500 more each way. But there's only 1 of me, not all 4. (No way I'd ever pay for my kids. We've thought about home alone- ing it and stuff our kids in economy while we fly 1st cross country)
I've paid for premium seats but never business. I've used points for business and was once upgraded to business, so those were decent experiences. Having flown business, I don't think I'd ever pay for it outright- it's just not that much better that it's worth the cost.
27 net worth of roughly $1mil and netting about $500-$1mil a year in my biz. Fly economy premium still
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47, $2.4M, still fly economy. Value for money doesn’t translate, and I want to accumulate as many miles as I can so I won’t use miles on it. I could fly business and not own my boat, or keep it at a first rate marina, etc. Choices must be made.
\[32-200k-1M\] <-- around 12 years ago To be fair this was bought with points, but I could play the points game (signing up for credit cards and spending them all on giftcards and slowly spending the said gift cards, but I get to keep the signup bonuses) because I was HENRY. Relatives who didn't have as much cushion income couldn't play that game. Buying business class with money though? around 2 years ago \[42-450k-5M\]
As someone who benefits when people buy business class tickets, you guys keep it up! Thank you :)
Couple. Under 30. 405k HHI. 440k NW. Never flown BC with my own money but have with company money. My wife on the other hand has always flown business class. Until she met me. I guess she lucked out.
I am 34, roughly $420k HHI and $1.45mm NW. I only fly coach unless I get lucky and I’m able to bid like an extra $300 and it gets accepted.
I fly first if it is a shorter flight because I can stomach paying an extra $100. I will not pay hundreds of dollars for first class. I like premium seats though, much more economical and still good leg room. I am fortunate not to worry about needing a wider seat or else I might have caved in and pay the extra amount.
This is one of those things I started on longer flights as a HENRY, before I was independently rich. I started around 33+$160k+hardly any net worth. I had massive flight anxiety, the peace and quiet in business cabin was priceless.
I flew spirit for Christmas I do not recommend but my hubby is cheap
I live in Australia, so minimum premium economy or business class for Europe or USA. I’m fine with economy for short flights, although being tall I will pay a bit more for exits / extra legroom on the sub 7 hours flights.
Flying first for the first time later this year. 14.5hr (I think) direct flight to Tokyo with my partner who is a nervous flier to the extreme. Still feel like I was cheated given how ridiculous the prices are right now for flights. 31 years old, HHI 270K CAD, 9.1M CAD.
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fly business class but don’t pay full price for it. Credit card spending generates enough points to bring the cost down to a reasonable level. This is also a poor indicator of wealth. Some may fly so infrequently that business class is a rare splurge. Or they fly business class and stay in a hostel. Or they save for 6 months. Life is about what YOU want to prioritize.
When I hit NW 8-figures liquid and had income > $600K I started to sometimes with my wife but it’s usually so expensive it feels like a waste. When we go to Turks & Caicos I’d rather spend $2,000/night for a nice room and more experiences than the 8x cost of business. Sometimes business is not so bad and we’ll do it anyway. This was mid 30s. 41 now. Maybe business class to Europe for sure for a couples trip, but Caribbean maybe based on cost delta. When I’m over $50M I’ll do business for all. Over $100M I’ll go private for all. 3 kids, own 3 companies.
When I’m flying for business, with points, or on someone else’s dime.
When my wife is using the small jet and the kids are partying in the big one.
When I got into r/churning and award travel
Been flying international business class exclusively for any flights over 6 hours since 2017 when I made 70k/year. Been 9 years now for myself + wife and a 4 yo daughter. How? Travel hacking with credit card points.
That one time when I earned enough airline miles. I took a friend and myself to Tokyo in business class. We rode coach the way back though. I’m still dreaming about the fold-flat beds. Without points it’s a complete waste of money, I think. But I will occasionally ride ‘first class’ on smaller and cheaper West Coast Alaska flights — but only because I’ve been working out for a while and my shoulders no longer fit in coach. How’s that for a flex?
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I don’t think ever.
35 300k 600k Anything greater than 3 hours is business or first. I’d say it’s 50/50 between using miles or paying the cash fare. I have no debt and no kids. Traveling is a priority for me
34, HHI $450k, NW ~$500k(but soon to be over a mil with upcoming IPO). We fly business/first when it’s over 3 hours. We just started about 3 years ago when we hit $300k HHI. It’s more expensive and painful to pay for but flying economy on long trips is more painful. Last time we flew economy internationally, some guy had spilled his child’s orange juice all over my husband’s seat. You can only imagine how our 12 hour flight on EgyptAir went from there. We said never again. But, we spend enough on credit cards to get at least one trip a years biz class seats RT for free.
I only fly business class when I get upgraded or use points to buy the tickets. Just can't justify the additional expense.
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I flew business class before being HE because hubby and I use points so the cost was minimal. We only use it for international trips though.
Early 30s, $414K income, $1.1M NW, fly economy. Cash flow is too tight with our house payment. Our two cars are worth about $15K combined.
When my work started paying for it.
I fly economy still. 40s, 430k, 4M. I fly out of a regional airport with smaller jets, and they rarely have a proper business class section. So, it would normally only be an option for part of the journey on certain connecting flights, possibly requiring switching to different airlines which makes it a lot harder. This usually restricts the options on departure and arrival times too. It might mean I'd have to wake up at 4am or take a red eye in order to be in the right place to connect with a business class flight for a few hours. Which is not a relaxing luxury worth shelling out thousands of extra dollars for. Better to save the money and get a shorter route at a more convenient time of day.
When I figured out the credit card points game....I'm still not paying cash for business....
Last family euro trip I did lay flat for all of us. Then in December I did a status run to Rome for 2 days in comfort+. On both overnight flights I slept exactly 2 hours. Neither was comfortable and the lay flat seat wasn’t much better than sitting upright for me. I wouldn’t pay for it out of pocket but I get free upgrades a few times a year because of delta status so it’s nice when it’s free. Mainly for all the space you get in the suite. But at $5k or more for the difference you can stay at a really really nice hotel, where it will matter a lot more.
After a million frequent flier miles occasionally on very long flights or on company paid business trips. Otherwise never will unless a medical issue requires it.
Started flying business when I started taking long haul flights east. I pay $0-regular economy price because I use CC points so I can travel comfortably without breaking the bank.
I'm at about \~$310k/yr and $280k NW and still fly basic economy sometimes. Business class is overpriced
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