6 ms·

Can I ask what you do and how to get into your line of work?

blhack 8y ago
There are lots of sales jobs that are going to be this way.
namdnay 8y ago
Nothing special, just manager in a software dev shop that works with a lot of airlines/airports. As soon as your customers are abroad there is a lot of international travel involved for the management levels of any company. Although more and more companies are cutting back and making people fly coach :/
- Aeolun 8y ago
  It’s a bit crazy if you are asked to fly pretty much every month. The least they can do is make it comfortable.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
  - zymhan 8y ago
    Yeah, the older I get, the more I realize the need to be comfortable on a flight, especially if you want to be productive after you arrive.
    - CIPHERSTONE 8y ago
      If you ever get to fly first class (I have only twice), the entire flight experience is starkly different. I am 6'4", even with an economy plus upgrade the experience is horrible. I don't want to be catered to, I just want leg room. I shouldn't be in constant leg pain you know?
      - ghaff 8y ago
        I was traveling cross-country with a friend a few weeks back. Between being able to go through TSA Pre with me, my club membership, and an upgrade to Polaris she was somewhat in awe of how the experience didn’t suck like it usually did.
      - Scoundreller 8y ago
        Exit row seats should meet your needs. Check on seatguru before booking any flights.
        donretag 8y ago
        Exit row seats are now premium seats that have a surcharge.
        Scoundreller 8y ago
        And far cheaper (last I saw was $50 for an overnight transatlantic flight) than an upgrade to the premium economy/business/first class seats (double fare or more).
        dzhiurgis 8y ago
        Still only half of my femur fits on that economy seat. On 17-20 hour flight it's still major pain.
      - solotronics 8y ago
        At what point will people be able to sue airlines in the US for causing health issues with how cramped seats are?
        ghaff 8y ago
        Do you think that the situation in most of Europe, especially with budget airlines, is much different?
    - deepGem 8y ago
      "if you want to be productive after you arrive" Many people who don't travel for work do not seem to understand this. Unlike leisure travelers, there is no time to rejuvenate. If you fly coach, which in my experience is not all that terrible on international flights, you do end up weary and jet lagged. The one time I flew business, the difference post landing was quite noticable. So yeah, while I don't really crave for the business class comforts during the flight, the reward post landing is worth the premium.
      - Scoundreller 8y ago
        I wonder how much evidence there is for this effect. How much is “wow, my employer spent money on me, i must be important and valued” vs actual physical function improvement. A cheque (or flexible per firm) could do the job of the former. For the latter, if I’m going somewhere nice, i’d Rather they book me a hotel room for a couple nights instead of a lie flat seat.
        Malician 8y ago
        Business is a lot less stress (they take care of everything for you the entire way; you get what you want, when you want it.) Being bunched up in an uncomfortable position for that long in coach vs being able to lie down is a huge difference. For an overnight flight, it's the difference between just sleeping through it and (however many) hours of hell staring blearly forward in a pained stupor, losing consciousness for a few minutes before waking up to shrieking pains from your neck and shoulder, trying unsuccessfully to sleep in a more ergonomic position before you are so tired you cradle against the window again for that precious ten minutes before the strain and impingement shake you awake.. I've tried a couple different neck pillows and they don't work for me. My head has got to be tilted downward or to the side, no matter how sleep deprived I am. Oh, and if I go a night w/out sleep, I'm going to be 100% useless the next day and have a major impact for the next couple days while I recover.
        ryanlol 8y ago
        I'm tall and employ myself. The actual physical function improvement between coach and business is just incredible, especially for long haul flights.
    - kcmastrpc 8y ago
      So I can pay several thousand more for business class, or I can arrive a day early and pay <1k for an additional night + expenses. The math here is simple.
      - majewsky 8y ago
        Only if you don't value your employee's time.
        Scoundreller 8y ago
        If they cut me in on the savings, I’d be willing to deal with a lot. +$100/hr to sit with reduced leg room on any non-overnight flight? Sign me up. The same for flights requiring a connection. Want me to sit in an airport reading HN for +$20/hr? Ok.
        treadventures 8y ago
        You might want to look into Rocketrip (https://www.rocketrip.com https://www.rocketrip.com). Their product is pretty much what you just described - you don't get straight cash, but you can get prepaid visa cards that get close.
        Scoundreller 8y ago
        Cool product. My flights are generally personally booked, and I basically compare as I described. What I would like is an engine where I can punch in the various kinds of pain per hour I can tolerate and book that.
      - kcmastrpc 8y ago
        > Only if you don't value your employee's time. I don't understand this logic. Time == money. Unless your presence is crucial and you must minimize your time away from your home office this approach seems the most logical and cost effective. I'm already 100% remote, so I can contribute effectively whether I'm at home or in a hotel recuperating from a 12 hour APAC flight in coach.
  - namdnay 8y ago
    Definitely. I fly once or twice a month, often for very short periods (2-3 days). I wouldn't be of any use whatsoever if I ahd just spent 9 hours in an economy cabin... I used to organise my trips to stay the weekend and do a bit of tourism, but since I've had children I feel too guilty :)
    - deleted 8y ago
      [deleted]
- seanmcdirmid 8y ago
  If you have to fly more than a few long hauls a year, business class is necessary to preserve your sanity.
  - close04 8y ago
    I used to fly twice per week (round trip, basically every ~3 days, just over 2h each way) for years, mostly coach. Not nearly long haul but I still wonder if that's responsible for the current state of my sanity :). Also I got to witness the shrink of leg room, as a person at 1.95m/6'4". My legs fared a lot worse than my mind.
    - retzkek 8y ago
      > as a person at 1.95m/6'4". My legs fared a lot worse than my mind. As a fellow tall person, I've idly wondered (but no more than that) if there could be cause to petition for people above some height (6'2" maybe? hard to say since it's really hip height and femur length that matter) to be considered a protected class, requiring a free upgrade if a certain minimum leg room was not available in a standard seat. I've had to do trans-Atlantic flights with my knees smashed, surviving only by frequent standeeism and my wife's good graces letting me take up part of her seat space. I've seen some people use devices to block the person in front of them from reclining, but I'd rather not be that level of asshole. On the other hand often on domestic flights my knees are that device.
      - close04 8y ago
        I go through the same every time. But being tall (intrinsically by birth, with no "fix") is always considered a blessing. It will never be seen as a protected class. You will never even get much sympathy because of this. Don't expect it to ever trigger the same reaction as obesity does, which is treated as a curse and an illness (regardless of the underlying cause and whether it can be fixed or not), and is much more likely to fall into a protected class via the "physical impairment that significantly limits your ability in one or more major areas of life" legal definition. There is no fear of public backlash, bad PR, etc. pushing companies into giving you any (positive) special treatment so you'll just have to deal with it. To be honest I'll more than gladly live with the disadvantages of being tall (mostly related to seating situations) given the advantages. :)
- neoflex 8y ago
  My company makes me fly coach. However, when booking business trips I tried to stick to one airline, and made sure to use my personal frequent flyer number I just kept raking up points until I hit platinum membership, then I can use the points to upgrade to business.
- Tistel 8y ago
  I fly coach for work. One time I got upgraded (by one of the C-Level people with a ton of frequent flyer points card) be to business class. Oh my god! So much room. I kind of wish it had not happened. Now coach feels worse than before. Lol. need to find a better company.
statictype 8y ago
Getting platinum on Emirates is not terribly difficult. We don't as a policy fly business or first class but we do frequently enough that we get the status and access to the lounge which is great. You can even bring along a fellow passenger with you.
- namdnay 8y ago
  More than that actually. You can nominate someone to be gold once a year, so they get access + a guest to the business lounge. And you yourself can invite on adult and two children as guests to the first lounge ... it's quite generous

There are lots of sales jobs that are going to be this way.

Nothing special, just manager in a software dev shop that works with a lot of airlines/airports. As soon as your customers are abroad there is a lot of international travel involved for the management levels of any company. Although more and more companies are cutting back and making people fly coach :/

Aeolun 8y ago
It’s a bit crazy if you are asked to fly pretty much every month. The least they can do is make it comfortable.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- zymhan 8y ago
  Yeah, the older I get, the more I realize the need to be comfortable on a flight, especially if you want to be productive after you arrive.
  - CIPHERSTONE 8y ago
    If you ever get to fly first class (I have only twice), the entire flight experience is starkly different. I am 6'4", even with an economy plus upgrade the experience is horrible. I don't want to be catered to, I just want leg room. I shouldn't be in constant leg pain you know?
    - ghaff 8y ago
      I was traveling cross-country with a friend a few weeks back. Between being able to go through TSA Pre with me, my club membership, and an upgrade to Polaris she was somewhat in awe of how the experience didn’t suck like it usually did.
    - Scoundreller 8y ago
      Exit row seats should meet your needs. Check on seatguru before booking any flights.
      - donretag 8y ago
        Exit row seats are now premium seats that have a surcharge.
        Scoundreller 8y ago
        And far cheaper (last I saw was $50 for an overnight transatlantic flight) than an upgrade to the premium economy/business/first class seats (double fare or more).
        dzhiurgis 8y ago
        Still only half of my femur fits on that economy seat. On 17-20 hour flight it's still major pain.
    - solotronics 8y ago
      At what point will people be able to sue airlines in the US for causing health issues with how cramped seats are?
      - ghaff 8y ago
        Do you think that the situation in most of Europe, especially with budget airlines, is much different?
  - deepGem 8y ago
    "if you want to be productive after you arrive" Many people who don't travel for work do not seem to understand this. Unlike leisure travelers, there is no time to rejuvenate. If you fly coach, which in my experience is not all that terrible on international flights, you do end up weary and jet lagged. The one time I flew business, the difference post landing was quite noticable. So yeah, while I don't really crave for the business class comforts during the flight, the reward post landing is worth the premium.
    - Scoundreller 8y ago
      I wonder how much evidence there is for this effect. How much is “wow, my employer spent money on me, i must be important and valued” vs actual physical function improvement. A cheque (or flexible per firm) could do the job of the former. For the latter, if I’m going somewhere nice, i’d Rather they book me a hotel room for a couple nights instead of a lie flat seat.
      - Malician 8y ago
        Business is a lot less stress (they take care of everything for you the entire way; you get what you want, when you want it.) Being bunched up in an uncomfortable position for that long in coach vs being able to lie down is a huge difference. For an overnight flight, it's the difference between just sleeping through it and (however many) hours of hell staring blearly forward in a pained stupor, losing consciousness for a few minutes before waking up to shrieking pains from your neck and shoulder, trying unsuccessfully to sleep in a more ergonomic position before you are so tired you cradle against the window again for that precious ten minutes before the strain and impingement shake you awake.. I've tried a couple different neck pillows and they don't work for me. My head has got to be tilted downward or to the side, no matter how sleep deprived I am. Oh, and if I go a night w/out sleep, I'm going to be 100% useless the next day and have a major impact for the next couple days while I recover.
      - ryanlol 8y ago
        I'm tall and employ myself. The actual physical function improvement between coach and business is just incredible, especially for long haul flights.
  - kcmastrpc 8y ago
    So I can pay several thousand more for business class, or I can arrive a day early and pay <1k for an additional night + expenses. The math here is simple.
    - majewsky 8y ago
      Only if you don't value your employee's time.
      - Scoundreller 8y ago
        If they cut me in on the savings, I’d be willing to deal with a lot. +$100/hr to sit with reduced leg room on any non-overnight flight? Sign me up. The same for flights requiring a connection. Want me to sit in an airport reading HN for +$20/hr? Ok.
        treadventures 8y ago
        You might want to look into Rocketrip (https://www.rocketrip.com https://www.rocketrip.com). Their product is pretty much what you just described - you don't get straight cash, but you can get prepaid visa cards that get close.
        Scoundreller 8y ago
        Cool product. My flights are generally personally booked, and I basically compare as I described. What I would like is an engine where I can punch in the various kinds of pain per hour I can tolerate and book that.
    - kcmastrpc 8y ago
      > Only if you don't value your employee's time. I don't understand this logic. Time == money. Unless your presence is crucial and you must minimize your time away from your home office this approach seems the most logical and cost effective. I'm already 100% remote, so I can contribute effectively whether I'm at home or in a hotel recuperating from a 12 hour APAC flight in coach.
- namdnay 8y ago
  Definitely. I fly once or twice a month, often for very short periods (2-3 days). I wouldn't be of any use whatsoever if I ahd just spent 9 hours in an economy cabin... I used to organise my trips to stay the weekend and do a bit of tourism, but since I've had children I feel too guilty :)
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
seanmcdirmid 8y ago
If you have to fly more than a few long hauls a year, business class is necessary to preserve your sanity.
- close04 8y ago
  I used to fly twice per week (round trip, basically every ~3 days, just over 2h each way) for years, mostly coach. Not nearly long haul but I still wonder if that's responsible for the current state of my sanity :). Also I got to witness the shrink of leg room, as a person at 1.95m/6'4". My legs fared a lot worse than my mind.
  - retzkek 8y ago
    > as a person at 1.95m/6'4". My legs fared a lot worse than my mind. As a fellow tall person, I've idly wondered (but no more than that) if there could be cause to petition for people above some height (6'2" maybe? hard to say since it's really hip height and femur length that matter) to be considered a protected class, requiring a free upgrade if a certain minimum leg room was not available in a standard seat. I've had to do trans-Atlantic flights with my knees smashed, surviving only by frequent standeeism and my wife's good graces letting me take up part of her seat space. I've seen some people use devices to block the person in front of them from reclining, but I'd rather not be that level of asshole. On the other hand often on domestic flights my knees are that device.
    - close04 8y ago
      I go through the same every time. But being tall (intrinsically by birth, with no "fix") is always considered a blessing. It will never be seen as a protected class. You will never even get much sympathy because of this. Don't expect it to ever trigger the same reaction as obesity does, which is treated as a curse and an illness (regardless of the underlying cause and whether it can be fixed or not), and is much more likely to fall into a protected class via the "physical impairment that significantly limits your ability in one or more major areas of life" legal definition. There is no fear of public backlash, bad PR, etc. pushing companies into giving you any (positive) special treatment so you'll just have to deal with it. To be honest I'll more than gladly live with the disadvantages of being tall (mostly related to seating situations) given the advantages. :)
neoflex 8y ago
My company makes me fly coach. However, when booking business trips I tried to stick to one airline, and made sure to use my personal frequent flyer number I just kept raking up points until I hit platinum membership, then I can use the points to upgrade to business.
Tistel 8y ago
I fly coach for work. One time I got upgraded (by one of the C-Level people with a ton of frequent flyer points card) be to business class. Oh my god! So much room. I kind of wish it had not happened. Now coach feels worse than before. Lol. need to find a better company.

statictype 8y ago

Getting platinum on Emirates is not terribly difficult. We don't as a policy fly business or first class but we do frequently enough that we get the status and access to the lounge which is great. You can even bring along a fellow passenger with you.

namdnay 8y ago
More than that actually. You can nominate someone to be gold once a year, so they get access + a guest to the business lounge. And you yourself can invite on adult and two children as guests to the first lounge ... it's quite generous