Live your best travel life by booking Business Class as a low-cost upgrade over settling for Premium Economy
Ok class, welcome back to Upgrade Economics 101, the subject where getting an A has nothing to do with well-written term papers and everything to do with scoring great premium cabin deals.
Er, excuse me, Kevin, could you please put down your Hawaii travel guide? I know our Hula Loophole lecture got all of you excited, but you can read that on the plane.
OK class, let’s go back to the basics: What is an “upgrade” again?
Students: An upgrade is an option where the total benefits outweigh its drawbacks. It can be a better seat, a bonus destination, or better value-per-mile, for free or substantially less than rack rate. We’re upgrade open-minded.
Very good. And one way that value can be measured is the cost-per-flight hour to upgrade.
Cost-per-flight hour becomes so much more relevant on the plane when a kid is kicking your seat from behind, and then that mystery beef-slash-chicken meal arrives that’s a little on the chewy side. At that moment, you’d pay a ransom to “upgrade” your experience, wouldn’t you? But you can’t because it’s too darn late.
So this month, we’re talking about paying a little more per flight hour to maximize your comfort hour by hour — by searching for a good Business Class fare over settling for Premium Economy. I’m quietly confident we’ll see an upgrade stamp handed out today.
May’s Upgrade Economics Example #1
Fly in Business Class on Delta to Tokyo
Instead of Premium Economy for $15 More per Flight Hour
Instead of flying in Premium Economy on Delta to Tokyo in July and August you can upgrade to Business Class for just $15 an hour more. 15 bucks? That’s half as much as a movie, drink, and popcorn. Don’t wait to arrive at this no-brainer decision while elbow wrestling with Hans next to you in seat 22A somewhere over the Pacific. The time to snag this upgrade is now. Grab the latest special Business Class fares to Asia while they last.
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Altogether, class:
May’s Upgrade Economics Example #2
Fly in Business Class on Emirates to Delhi
Instead of Premium Economy for Just $28 More per Flight Hour
Or how about this? Instead of flying in Premium Economy on Emirates from San Francisco to Delhi in September for $3,374, you can upgrade to Business Class for $1,220 – just $28 an hour more. So for a fraction of the price of a meal at Karim’s in Old Delhi per flight hour, you get a way better flight experience to Delhi and back. Almost 43 seat-kicking hours. Is that worth $28 an hour?
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Once again…
May’s Upgrade Economics 101 Example #3
Fly in Business Class on Lufthansa to Frankfurt
Instead of Premium Economy for $316 More R/T
Instead of flying in Premium Economy on Lufthansa from New York to Frankfurt in August, you can “upgrade” to Business Class for just $19 per hour more. 19 bucks? Once again, that’s a movie, drink, and popcorn. For $19 per hour, it’s not worth risking getting stuck in the middle seat between two annoying kids.
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Strategy Tool Links:
First Class: How Anyone Can Save Up to 58% from 50+ U.S. Cities to 100+ Cities in Europe
New Lufthansa First Class Ticketing Strategy to Europe from $1,722 Each Way
One final time, class, with gusto!…
There were several stamps handed out today. Cost per flight hour is a great metric to measure the overall value of a flight experience. Rather than glancing at a disembodied total extra cost and dismissing it, put yourself into your future seat and imagine sitting on that plane for 6…12…20 hours. And imagine what you would give to be sitting about 20 yards farther forward in the plane. Now, if that kid kicks my seat ONE MORE TIME…..
Further Reading For Diligent Upgrade Students
For those cramming for extra marks, last month’s lesson: Upgrade Economics 101, Part 4 takes you into the much overlooked realm of buying miles when they’re on sale to take advantage of amazing miles deals.
Upgrade Economics 101, Part 3 looks at a very interesting, and somewhat underrated, economic indicator that we looked at again this month: the cost of upgrading per flight mile.
Upgrade Economics 101, Part 2 considers upgrades to better situations for both flights and hotels, while paying even less to do so (crazy, right?), or not a lot more.
Upgrade Economics 101, Part 1 the first lecture looked at three different ways to upgrade — the perfect introduction to our course.
Opportunity travel is a prime trait of the brightest Upgrade Mindset student. Discover it here.
One savvy traveler secret is knowing that there are lots of free flights you can take advantage of, which is why you need to read The Art of Skipping Stones & What We Can All Learn from the Boise to Budapest Premium Traveler.
Most flyers, i.e., probably you, dream of a trip, plan it, then book it. This report outlines why you may have that order all wrong.
It’s the best of both worlds: Happily, you’re faced with a good cash deal and a good miles deal, so which one should you choose?
Buying points can be a lucrative way of saving money. We show you how to do it with American Express.
And while we’re on that topic, sometimes there are only so many points and miles you’re allowed to buy. Learn how to hack that “limited” system.
And finally, this report is required reading for all students of Upgrade Economics 101: our examination and definition of the word “upgrade.”