Long Haul Flights - Different classes of cabin

Bes · 26 Jul 2010 at 15:15

MrLOL said:
is it ?

This is Orlando remember.

Its actually about £200 cheaper (each!) to fly all the way to LAX for petes sake. Just because of how popular disney is with british holidaymakers.

Ah my bad I had £3,200 in my head for some reason.

Point still stands though,- that is way too much. Carnival season is about the most expensive time to fly to Brazil too by the way. So the 'popular' thing doesn't really make any odds. You overpaid by miles, simple as that

Lonz · 26 Jul 2010 at 15:17

Having just flown to and from Florida direct from Newcastle on "Premium Economy", it's certainly not worth £150 more per seat. At the airport they were offering people free upgrades if you at first didn't buy the half price upgrade. Granted it was with Thomson, not Virgin or anything, and it was only separated by a curtain, but even at "only" £75 it's not worth it at all.

Compare that to a flight back from San Fransisco, overnight, for 12 hours or something. The old man had to be back at work the next day and thus had to get his night's sleep on the plane and so bought (still not the full price) the Business/Club Class upgrade. The service was very nice, treated like you were in an expensive restaurant etc. and more importantly, the seats inclined to a level you could easily sleep on. I can't sleep upright on planes either.

For £1200 each I don't think I would pay for it myself, but given the circumstances, it's not a bad solution at all. I don't they had "First Class" per se on that flight, but I don't think flat bed is worth the £5000 on top of that either.

Rotty · 26 Jul 2010 at 15:20

Lonz said:
Having just flown to and from Florida direct from Newcastle on "Premium Economy", it's certainly not worth £150 more per seat. At the airport they were offering people free upgrades if you at first didn't buy the half price upgrade. Granted it was with Thomson, not Virgin or anything, and it was only separated by a curtain, but even at "only" £75 it's not worth it at all.

.

I like Thomson PE and think it is great for the money, the only thing that probably detracts is that their long haul economy is actually quite good, especially if you get a First Choice 767 as opposed to a Thomson one

Westyfield2 · 26 Jul 2010 at 15:26

[TW]Fox;17024388 said:
LA has a Disney.

That's the only thing going for LA! Went there at the end of a few weeks in California and LA is a complete dump in comparison.

Lonz · 26 Jul 2010 at 15:34

Rotty said:
I like Thomson PE and think it is great for the money, the only thing that probably detracts is that their long haul economy is actually quite good, especially if you get a First Choice 767 as opposed to a Thomson one

Can I ask why you think it's good value for money? I know it's not as large an excess as some of the other airlines, but it's still £150 on top of what you're already paying for a very similar seat and experience.

My TV didn't work either

I'd be asking for some money back had I paid for it!

Scuzi · 26 Jul 2010 at 15:40

memyselfandi said:
I've flown business class to and from Japan on JAL a couple of times.

For me it was worth the extra money for reduction of hassle at check-in and security (10mins from arriving at Heathrow we were through and in the lounge), the larger more adjustable seats which made it possible to actually get some sleep (JAL business class has extremely adjustable seats which almost go completely flat), the extra leg room (I could not even touch the seat in front stretching my leg out as much as possible ... the person in the non-aisle seat could get past without the aisle person moving) and the improvement in onboard catering.

Also depends on whether you see the flight as part of the holiday or if it's just your transportation to the holiday.

Edit: Not that I had that much problem flying Virgin Economy to the US, but that was 8 years ago ....

Ferquent flyer programmes are awesome. You get all that (although sometimes not the seat) for the price of an economy class ticket

Begbie · 26 Jul 2010 at 15:43

Meh I'll sleep anywhere after 2-3 pints.

k3v · 26 Jul 2010 at 17:16

Beansprout said:
You bet

And the Tesco card, the BA card AND the Starwood card...(parents are starwood gold members anyhow so got them one)

And quidco on all which have a cost...

So far at least 100k miles for nearly nothing, and £lots saved!

I have a similar amount, mostly gained from tesco. I have enough miles for another return trip in F to the U.S. when i have triggered my 241 early with a little help from the paypal topup card. Im waiting till i can pretty much gaurantee the new F suite before i book it though.

Baz · 26 Jul 2010 at 17:20

Rotty said:
I like Thomson PE and think it is great for the money, the only thing that probably detracts is that their long haul economy is actually quite good, especially if you get a First Choice 767 as opposed to a Thomson one

Not flown Thomson PE, but have done Thomascook twice to Cuba, and it was worth every penny, way more leg room, width, endless booze and the fact I could sleep

Rotty · 26 Jul 2010 at 17:24

Lonz said:
Can I ask why you think it's good value for money? I know it's not as large an excess as some of the other airlines, but it's still £150 on top of what you're already paying for a very similar seat and experience.

My TV didn't work either I'd be asking for some money back had I paid for it!

more comfort, no check in queues , free booze , better IFE system

we have paid £230 each ret for next time, more than usual but it is worth it not to have to sit cramped up for hours and worth it for my missus not to have me being grumpy

Beansprout · 26 Jul 2010 at 17:35

k3v said:
I have a similar amount, mostly gained from tesco. I have enough miles for another return trip in F to the U.S. when i have triggered my 241 early with a little help from the paypal topup card. Im waiting till i can pretty much gaurantee the new F suite before i book it though.

Me too...I totally love the new F....need to find a worthwhile trip to use a 2for1 on, maybe san fran if there's availability....

Was in old F recently and wasn't too impressed really except for the more comfy bed. Sadly I wasn't "in" F just visiting my sis who got an op-up at the gate crafty thing!!

[TW]Fox · 26 Jul 2010 at 17:43

Rotty said:
more comfort, no check in queues , free booze , better IFE system

Seems like economy is deliberately made crap then?

Last time I flew Economy I checked in online, walked straight to the Fast Bag Drop area with zero queue, dropped my bag, and went through security. I didnt queue at any point before security. Once onboard the plane I had full IFE and free alcohol should I have wished.

I also had a 34" seat pitch.

It's not economy thats the problem, its crap airlines. I guess the problem is that most of the airlines on Transat routes are crap

Rotty · 26 Jul 2010 at 17:49

[TW]Fox;17025911 said:
Seems like economy is deliberately made crap then?

Last time I flew Economy I checked in online, walked straight to the Fast Bag Drop area with zero queue, dropped my bag, and went through security. I didnt queue at any point before security. Once onboard the plane I had full IFE and free alcohol should I have wished.

I also had a 34" seat pitch.

It's not economy thats the problem, its crap airlines. I guess the problem is that most of the airlines on Transat routes are crap

You don't get that experience with Virgin in Economy

Bag drop often has a bigger queue than check in

The IFE is not on demand on the older planes and they pretend to have run out of booze 2-3 hours into the flight

oh and 31 inch pitch too

Virgin have become real penny pinchers recently right down to removeing the cheese and biscuits with your meal

[TW]Fox · 26 Jul 2010 at 17:50

Sounds like I've picked the wrong airline

Sigh.

How do I know if I get one of the older planes? It's an A340-600...

Rotty · 26 Jul 2010 at 17:50

[TW]Fox;17025962 said:
Sounds like I've picked the wrong airline Sigh.

How do I know if I get one of the older planes? It's an A340-600...

the older ones are all 747s

TBH most transatlantic airlines are crap. VA are no worse then the others

[TW]Fox · 26 Jul 2010 at 17:52

Is the IFE on the A340-600 on demand?

This is what I found, they all sucked compared to Asian carriers. I wanted to book with Air New Zealand but the flight timings were sucky

POB · 26 Jul 2010 at 17:53

[TW]Fox;17023367 said:
Just think, had you flown Economy instead (I've paid £900 for two economy tickets to LA with Virgin)

***** Tip of the day ***** Don't even let them put the "breakfast" anywhere near you.

Its basically two bad choices, and either will make you want to vomit from the smell.

Its something like a Cheese Egg Ham Croissant, made in the USA, all catering is much worse for any flight leaving the USA.

Rotty · 26 Jul 2010 at 17:54

[TW]Fox;17025984 said:
Is the IFE on the A340-600 on demand?

I think it is

POB · 26 Jul 2010 at 17:54

[TW]Fox;17025984 said:
Is the IFE on the A340-600 on demand?

Yes, all of them. but Vport is not amazing anymore, fuzzy screens and not much choice, but its better then nothing.

Rotty · 26 Jul 2010 at 17:55

just found this which confirms

Most aircraft (some 747-400s, one A340-300, and all A340-600s) have an Audio/Video on Demand (AVOD) system called V

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