Are the added benefits of flying business worth the upgrade?

The average price for an international business class ticket is $3000 to $5000 and that’s a lot of money for most people. Flying business class is expensive and if you don’t agree with that statement, congratulations. There’s no doubt that you’re rich and have a lot of money to spare.

Travel restrictions of the past few years made business travel a non-issue, but with the world reopening, many entrepreneurs must now consider flying and travel for the first time in a long time. As a busy entrepreneur, is the upgrade to business class going to be worth it for you? 

Only you can answer that question but here are some of the benefits of upgrading to business class that will hopefully help you make the best decision. 

1. You get access to a bunch of comforts you can’t get anywhere else but business class.  

Club lounges.

Waiting to board your flight at the airport is usually not a good time because of how few seats are available at airport waiting areas and how huge the crowds of people are. If you fly business class though, you’re going to gain access to club lounges which make your airport experience much more comfortable. 

Club lounges have comfortable seats, cleaner toilets that usually have showers as well as much smaller crowds of people. Also, there’s free snacks and drinks available for you if you’re feeling peckish. Some business lounges even have free full meals available for business class ticket holders.

Fancy drinks.

Usually if you fly economy, you can get a free bottle of water or maybe half a can of Cola on your flight. 

That’s not the case if you fly in business class.

Business class flyers get welcome drinks when they board the plane, on-demand drinks while in-flight and a bigger as well as fancier drink selection to choose from. That last part bears repeating and elaboration. Instead of tea, coffee or Cola, you can get champagne, wine, whisky or even sparkling water.  

You should always stay hydrated no matter where you are. If you fly in business class, you can hydrate yourself with the fancy stuff.

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Nicer food.

Speaking of fancy stuff, your food options also improve when you upgrade to business class.

You can usually get something simple like a sandwich or some noodles for a meal if you’re flying economy. When you fly business, you literally get to eat full course meals that are prepared by skilled chefs.

That’s not an exaggeration, business class flyers usually get a starter dish, a main dish and a dessert for their in-flight meals. And they’re usually given better options. For example, instead of choosing between chicken or vegetarian, you get to choose between salmon or a steak if you fly in business class.

PS: Even your snack options are better in business class. Instead of just being entitled to one cookie or tiny bag of chips, you have access to free flow snacks like chocolate bars or biscuits. You just need to ask!

Amenity kits.

Airlines give amenity kits to business class flyers during the flight. 

Amenity kits are kits that have things that will help make long flights more comfortable for you. Usually you get an eye mask and earplugs to help you sleep as well as moist towelettes, lotions or lip balms to help you stay fresh.

Flying can get uncomfortable quickly, especially on longer flights. Getting an amenity kit can make things just a bit better and more comfortable.

Comfortable flight seats… or beds.

Falling asleep on a plane is usually a challenge to say the least. But that’s only a problem if you don’t have a business class ticket. 

When you fly in business class, your seats are much more comfortable by default but you also get to recline your seat much further compared to if you were flying economy. You have a lot more room to stretch your legs and drift off to sleep. 

But some business class seats take it even further. You don’t just get a reclining seat, you get a full-on bed.

That’s right. 

You can get a completely flat bed to lie on and sleep in if you get a business class ticket. Amenity kits can significantly enhance a long-haul flight experience, helping passengers arrive refreshed and ready to tackle their destinations.

All of the above doesn’t mention the fact that you can get nicer eye masks, blankets and pillows compared to if you were flying economy.

2. You get a bunch of perks that make flying much more convenient

Early boarding.

Business class flyers get to board the plane first. This is great because you don’t need to worry about standing in a queue for a long time to get on your plane. You get to board the plane quickly, get settled in before everyone else and get started on whatever you feel like doing on your flight. 

Also, you get to board quickly because business class flyers get what’s called priority check-in. You get to use a separate line that’s away from the regular queues and economy class flyers. Priority check-in also has a shorter security queue as well since there are much fewer business class flyers compared to economy class travellers.

Continue working while in-flight. 

If you really need to make as much use of your time as you possibly can, working while you’re flying in business class is a lot more conducive compared to if you were flying economy. For one thing, you have more space to put your laptop as well as other work material on and you get multiple power supply options to make sure that your work devices don’t run out of juice. Business class flyers also tend to have in-flight WiFi by default but this depends on the flight and plane that you’re taking.

Business class only toilets!

Going to the toilet on planes is… not a good time. They have to be small and cramped by design since they have to fit the plane. But the worst part of going to the toilet while you’re in-flight are the lines. 

If you’re unlucky and on a bigger flight, it’s not rare to have a line of 10 people waiting for one toilet stall to open up. 

If you fly business class though, you get access to the business class toilets. There are usually much fewer people that are going to be fighting over the business class toilet since economy flyers don’t get to use them. These toilets are also usually nicer than the toilets you use if you were flying in economy.

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3. You get to check-in more luggage and bring more stuff with you

Another often overlooked benefit of buying a business class ticket is that passengers receive a higher baggage allowance compared to economy class. You get to avoid the usual headache of weighing out your bags to avoid the penalties of going over the weight limit and are free to bring as much of your stuff as you need on your travels. 

It’s not just an increased weight limit on your checked-in luggage that you’re looking at here. If you fly in business class, you get to bring more carry-on luggage as well. Usually, you get a full backpacks worth of extra allowance compared to if you bought an economy class ticket instead.

The benefits of flying in business class aren’t just for before and during your flight. The benefits even extend to after your flight is over. 

Business class flyers get priority baggage which means that your checked-in luggage gets priority on the luggage carousels. If you fly business, you get your checked-in luggage before everyone else on your flight and you can get out of the airport as fast as possible. You can get on with your business quickly since you skip the wait for your luggage.

Closing 

Flying business is costly but if you’ve got the means to pay for it and you would greatly benefit from the upsides of business class, you should go for it. Saving time and being in the best condition you can possibly be in will help you make more money in the long run. 

If you’re constantly travelling and always taking flights, it’s definitely worth it to get a credit card that lets you rack up points from all the travelling you do. There are a bunch of credit cards and frequent flyer programs out there that help you lower the cost of upgrading your ticket, among other benefits.

We hope you have a safe flight wherever you’re going!