4 ms·

Even Exxon only pays business class. I don't think I have heard of any companies giving first class tickets.

namdnay 8y ago
Indeed. Although of course for a company like Exxon the top mgmt are probably flying private jets... The rare times I fly first it's just upgrades due to frequent flyer status
- samfisher83 8y ago
  I know people with global services who have never got a first class upgrade. Any secret on how to get first class? Any airline to pick?
  - unexpected 8y ago
    I am Executive Platinum on American. I fly business class a lot, and have been able to get first class upgrades pretty easily. The first class product is very similar to business class - just slightly "fancier" food. I actually prefer the business class seat on AA's long haul flights (way more storage space for ipad, headphones, etc. - at the cost of a slightly narrower seat). The trick to getting most upgrades from business to first is to request the upgrade as soon as you book the biz class flight. You're not likely to get it if you try to do it at the airport.
  - namdnay 8y ago
    The real secret is to pick the right flight! There are certain flights that are always jam-packed in business, this gives you two opportunities. The first step is to check-in last minute at the desk. The next step depends on your situation: 1) You don't have any holidays coming up: Go to the dedicated desk for first/platinum, about 2h before departure. Just check in and if business is full your status will get you pushed up 2) You do plan on taking holidays: Same, but the first question you ask is "do you need volunteers for downgrade?". Trust me, on Emirates they make it worth your while :) Edit: the protip is the weekday Emirates India-Dubai flights that leave in the small hours of the morning (e.g. 2am). I guarantee the business section will always be overbooked
CPLX 8y ago
It’s common in the entertainment business, like it’ll be in the contract for movie stars, top producers, people like that.
- samfisher83 8y ago
  Are there companies that give first class for normal employees? I know a lot of companies have a private jet for their C suite.
- saryant 8y ago
  Didn't SAG's contract renegotiation a few years back end that? I thought now it was business class only. That was the impetus for United killing first class on their LAX-NYC service.
  - joshcain 8y ago
    It's also rumored that United lost a lot of entertainment business when they killed their LAX-JFK service and moved everything to Newark. AA still flies a 3-class plane on LAX/SFO-JFK with lie-flat seats in business and first.
gadders 8y ago
Fog Creek? "When developers go to a conference, do they fly first class? (I don’t care if that seems like a waste of money. Stars go first class. Get used to it.) " https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2006/09/07/a-field-guide-to-developers-2/ https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2006/09/07/a-field-guide-to-d...
- jdsully 8y ago
  I think he was talking about domestic first class. Tech was even more americentric back then.
- nitrogen 8y ago
  What I learned from that article is that he helped kill a visual programming language project at Microsoft that could have revolutionized the way non-programmers interact with computers (the rest is interesting, of course).
  - dzhiurgis 8y ago
    Visual programming is an oxymoron
    - nitrogen 8y ago
      Programmers often get this idea that programming has to be "hard" to be "programming". Perl vs. C++, Visual Basic vs C++, Ruby vs. Java, etc. Check out these: - Pure Data (http://puredata.info/ http://puredata.info/) - Max (https://cycling74.com/products/max-features https://cycling74.com/products/max-features) - My own (discontinued): http://www.nitrogenlogic.com/docs/palace/ http://www.nitrogenlogic.com/docs/palace/ My MO with technology is that easy things should be automated, and hard things should be made easier. Visual programming is one tool in the toolbox for leveling up technology and people's access to it.
      - dzhiurgis 8y ago
        It doesn’t but it is hard to do it right, see my comment here https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19350721 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19350721

Indeed. Although of course for a company like Exxon the top mgmt are probably flying private jets... The rare times I fly first it's just upgrades due to frequent flyer status

samfisher83 8y ago
I know people with global services who have never got a first class upgrade. Any secret on how to get first class? Any airline to pick?
- unexpected 8y ago
  I am Executive Platinum on American. I fly business class a lot, and have been able to get first class upgrades pretty easily. The first class product is very similar to business class - just slightly "fancier" food. I actually prefer the business class seat on AA's long haul flights (way more storage space for ipad, headphones, etc. - at the cost of a slightly narrower seat). The trick to getting most upgrades from business to first is to request the upgrade as soon as you book the biz class flight. You're not likely to get it if you try to do it at the airport.
- namdnay 8y ago
  The real secret is to pick the right flight! There are certain flights that are always jam-packed in business, this gives you two opportunities. The first step is to check-in last minute at the desk. The next step depends on your situation: 1) You don't have any holidays coming up: Go to the dedicated desk for first/platinum, about 2h before departure. Just check in and if business is full your status will get you pushed up 2) You do plan on taking holidays: Same, but the first question you ask is "do you need volunteers for downgrade?". Trust me, on Emirates they make it worth your while :) Edit: the protip is the weekday Emirates India-Dubai flights that leave in the small hours of the morning (e.g. 2am). I guarantee the business section will always be overbooked

CPLX 8y ago

It’s common in the entertainment business, like it’ll be in the contract for movie stars, top producers, people like that.

samfisher83 8y ago
Are there companies that give first class for normal employees? I know a lot of companies have a private jet for their C suite.
saryant 8y ago
Didn't SAG's contract renegotiation a few years back end that? I thought now it was business class only. That was the impetus for United killing first class on their LAX-NYC service.
- joshcain 8y ago
  It's also rumored that United lost a lot of entertainment business when they killed their LAX-JFK service and moved everything to Newark. AA still flies a 3-class plane on LAX/SFO-JFK with lie-flat seats in business and first.

gadders 8y ago

Fog Creek? "When developers go to a conference, do they fly first class? (I don’t care if that seems like a waste of money. Stars go first class. Get used to it.) " https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2006/09/07/a-field-guide-to-developers-2/ https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2006/09/07/a-field-guide-to-d...

jdsully 8y ago
I think he was talking about domestic first class. Tech was even more americentric back then.
nitrogen 8y ago
What I learned from that article is that he helped kill a visual programming language project at Microsoft that could have revolutionized the way non-programmers interact with computers (the rest is interesting, of course).
- dzhiurgis 8y ago
  Visual programming is an oxymoron
  - nitrogen 8y ago
    Programmers often get this idea that programming has to be "hard" to be "programming". Perl vs. C++, Visual Basic vs C++, Ruby vs. Java, etc. Check out these: - Pure Data (http://puredata.info/ http://puredata.info/) - Max (https://cycling74.com/products/max-features https://cycling74.com/products/max-features) - My own (discontinued): http://www.nitrogenlogic.com/docs/palace/ http://www.nitrogenlogic.com/docs/palace/ My MO with technology is that easy things should be automated, and hard things should be made easier. Visual programming is one tool in the toolbox for leveling up technology and people's access to it.
    - dzhiurgis 8y ago
      It doesn’t but it is hard to do it right, see my comment here https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19350721 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19350721