Over the years, my opinion about flying business class from the East Coast to Europe has evolved. On our first trips, we flew economy class—back when I’m pretty sure it was still called “coach.” What did it matter? We were young and just thrilled to visit London and Paris.
Discovering Points and Miles
I eventually learned about points and miles, which opened up new travel possibilities. Our first major redemption was a business-class flight to Japan with lie-flat seats. Since then, we’ve flown in business class to Australia, Japan and Singapore. But when it comes to Western Europe, we’ve questioned whether the extra cost is worth it.
On one occasion, we even chose a longer route home from Paris, connecting through Houston, just to secure a lie-flat seat. Looking back, we wonder if it would have been better to take a more direct flight home to Florida, getting us home a few hours earlier but without the extra comfort. Sure, lie-flat seats are nice, but are they worth the premium on a five- to eight-hour flight?
Recent Premium Economy and Economy Experiences
In recent trips, we’ve opted for premium economy and even economy on shorter transatlantic flights. We flew premium economy to London on Virgin Atlantic, returned from London in Norse’s premium recliner seats, and took an economy flight to Iceland with Icelandair. Given the flight durations, we didn’t mind skipping lie-flat seats.
The Dilemma: Miles vs. Comfort
Now, as I plan a trip back to London this fall, I face the same debate: splurge on business class or stick with economy? Economy flights are incredibly cheap, sometimes as low as 20,000 miles, whereas business-class seats start at around 100,000 miles.
And then there’s the added frustration of British Airways’ hefty surcharges on award tickets. These fees can make using Avios or AAdvantage miles a poor redemption choice.
Is Business Class Really Worth It?
Even with a stockpile of miles, spending significantly more for business class feels like a big decision. The flight is too short to get proper sleep, and if I’m going to be tired anyway, I could book a hotel room upon arrival rather than pay for a lie-flat seat.
What’s your approach? Do you book business class for shorter transatlantic flights, or do you find economy sufficient? Let me know in the comments!
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