Why don’t we fly Business Class for these long flights?…One day and counting…Packing almost done..

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 2 Comments
Business Class seat configurations vary from airline to airline and type of aircraft. Often, paying so much more only provides a configuration such as this.

Note: Due to WiFi issues, we are unable to format the paragraphs in today’s post properly.

We are often asked why we don’t fly Business Class when flying to and from South Africa. Below, I’ve posted the best price I could find for the itinerary, per person, one way from Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Nelspruit, South Africa. These prices were obtained from Expedia.com, representing today’s prices for a date further into the future, as short-notice flights can be higher priced.

“Minneapolis (MSP) – Mbombela (MQP)
Multiple airlines operated by Discover Airlines, Lufthansa, and Airlink
41h 50m • 2 stops
14h 15m in FRA • 7h 20m in JNB
One way per traveler”
If we’d opted for business class, the price might not have doubled, but it’d typically be around US $11,000 per person, totaling US $22,000 for this one round-trip from South Africa to the USA and back.
 
We decided, long ago in our world travels, that flying Business Class would not be an option when we’d much rather spend money on quality accommodations, adventures, dining out, high-quality groceries, and rental cars. 
Moments ago, Tom calculated that the total cost for our upcoming four cruises is $21,273.80, including deposits but excluding WiFi on the ships, always booking a balcony cabin. Neither of us has ever been interested in booking a lower-priced interior cabin when we enjoy having the sliding doors open to a veranda so much. 
Additionally, interior cabins lack windows, and although we don’t spend much time in the cabin, we appreciate the extra space and the exterior views. 
Thus, if we’d opted for Business Class for this one round trip from South Africa to the US and back, we’d have incurred an additional cost of about $18,000 over and above what we paid for our coach round-trip flights. 
Without question, flying Business Class makes the flying time much more comfortable when we can lie down to sleep. However, twice when we secured deals on Business Class, we were able to fly in Business Class, and even then, neither of us was able to sleep for more than three hours while lying down. When doing the math, it’s just not worth it.
On most coach flights, Tom can doze for a total of three hours sitting straight up, while I am lucky to get two hours of sleep, nodding off now and then while watching movies. Considering that our upcoming layover times are almost as long as flight times, it makes no sense. There’s no sleep expected during the nine-hour layover in London on the first leg. 
Upgrading to Business Class can often allow unlimited cocktails, beer, and wine for passengers. But, they are included on our upcoming flights with Virgin Atlantic. Besides, neither of us cares to drink alcohol when flying since it can have an impact on one’s ability to sleep.
One more day and tomorrow, we’ll head to the airport for our 11:00 pm start to the long journey. Leaving on Sunday, we’ll arrive in Marloth Park on Tuesday. Our hotel here in Minnesota, the Residence Inn by Marriott, provided us with a late check-out, as late as we needed for our 11:00 pm flight.
Most likely, we’ll leave the hotel tomorrow by 7:30 pm, as most international flights require arriving at the airport three hours before the scheduled flight. We’ll have to go through immigration, which may result in a long wait at times. 
Tonight, we’ll dine on the last of our Costco meats, along with egg salad I made this morning. We’ll be back with more tomorrow. 
Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, June 14, 2015:

This was the kitchen in the Trinity Beach, Australia house. The only workspace in the kitchen was near the sink. But, as long as I had room for the cutting board as shown, I could cook any meals. For more photos, please click here.

Comments and responses Why don’t we fly Business Class for these long flights?…One day and counting…Packing almost done..

  1. Thelma May Reply

    Safe travels my dear friends! Looking forward to your first post from Marloth Park. I am so excited to see what animals will visit you when you return! Thanks for taking me along with your posts all these years!

    Thelma May

    • worldwide-admin Post authorReply

      Thelma May, thank you darling! We are safe and sound in the bush. Taking photos now and will begin doing the post soon.

      Much love,
      Jess & Tom

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