What's So Great
About Business Class?

by Amanda
(Brisbane)

On a recent red-eye flight from Brisbane to Perth, I sat in cattle-class; row Z, seat b (without the view of the window seat, without the easy access of the aisle seat and without at least one dedicated arm-rest, yet well within wafting distance of the toilet aroma).

As I was struggling to adjust my cracked air-conditioning nozzle and politely jostling with my neighbour for the majority of one of my shared armrests, I caught a glimpse of a well-groomed woman, dressed in a stylish toffee-coloured suit, breeze onto the plane and through those curtains separating economy from business class.

As I watched Madame Toffee-Suit disappear, I pondered a question that often enters my head on long-haul flights… “What’s so great about Business Class?” What is it that makes a traveler pass up the cheap and cheerful economy class ticket, in favour of a not so cheap business class flight? In my mind, both tickets will get you from A to B in exactly the same time and in the very same plane, however the business class version comes with an often far steeper price tag than its poorer yet equally capable cousin, the economy.

What's the Big Deal?

So, what is so damned good about Business Class that travelers such as my toffee-suit wearing friend, are willing to cough up double, sometimes triple, the cost of the average economy seat?

As it turns out… plenty! The fountain of knowledge that is a Google search of business class airlines, combined with a-handful-of-my-friends-who-regularly-travel-business-class-for-work provides quite a few very convincing reasons to become a business class convert. Business class perks:

Before You Board

Ditch the taxi: Etihad offer its Pearl Business Class guests a door-to-door luxury limousine service, complete with personal chauffeur and complimentary mineral water and newspaper. And you won’t have to worry about the driver messing with the meter!

Check-in then Chillax:

Most business class airlines, including QANTAS, offer their customers the option of checking-in an hour or two before their flight leaves so they can head straight to the business class lounge for a refreshing beverage and the chance to tweet their great fortune to all their followers.

On Board

More room: Much, much more room. So much so that once you’ve gone business class, the thought of regressing to economy makes your knees ache and your veins contract. Your seat is not only a seat, it is also a bed; and this very fact makes the two dedicated arm-rests per business class traveler seem less exciting than it really is. Check out the seat/beds on offer at Singapore Airlines; each leather seat unfolds to reveal the largest full-flat bed in business class, with more room to stretch, providing you a rejuvenating night’s rest... unheard of in the world of economy class.

Better Food and Booze

Flying with a business class airline such as QANTAS, means you not only get top-quality food prepared by chefs, but you also get to choose when you dine. Business class guests are also offered “award winning” wines, as opposed to the cheap and nasty plonk they serve in cattle class.

Less screaming babies and bratty kids: Now I am a parent myself, so I realize that parents might take offence at the suggestion that a business class traveler may indeed cough up a little extra purely for the pleasure of NOT having to sit next to their little darling on a flight… but that is the reality of it. A recent survey (of a handful of my friends who regularly fly business class for work) actually claimed this perk to be their most revered.

Photo provided by Eric Bréchemier - Flickr