3 ms·

Funny, for me it's the opposite. It's uniquely relaxing to be locked in with nothing but a book or some movies (I purposely avoid connecting to the internet dur

Funny, for me it's the opposite. It's uniquely relaxing to be locked in with nothing but a book or some movies (I purposely avoid connecting to the internet during a flight.) My biggest dilemma is whether to sit in the aisle or window. The former you can get up whenever you want but are bumped by passers by and neighbors exiting the row. Versus being the one doing the disturbing. And if you can afford business class - where supersonic would be priced - then I mean... The meals are restaurant quality and the full recline?! I hardly want to disembark! The biggest discomfort is the dry sinuses. But in getting to/from the plane you are cattle moving through a logistical labyrinth with countless possibilities for something to go wrong.

ghaff 10mo ago
I don't love being on a plane for a very long stretch, even in business class. And IMO food is very mid-tier restaurant. But I don't necessarily disagree with your comment. Even with transport and airport conveniences that a relatively modest amount of money can buy, there's plenty that can go wrong and you can avoid all the other people to only a certain degree.
hbosch 10mo ago
>And if you can afford business class [...] The meals are restaurant quality and the full recline?! I hardly want to disembark! Let's settle down. This kind of biz class experience is almost certainly unique to international travel. Flying "business class" from ATL to SFO might get you a plate of microwave slop and an extra 15deg of incline on almost all domestic jets. Once in a blue moon you'll get a modern plane with the diagonal seats. One less person in the row, though. Paying for business class domestically is almost always a sham by my experience.
- zamadatix 10mo ago
  ATL to SFO would almost certainly top out at first class, not business class. This is true of most all domestic routes. First class on international also just gets you the 15 degrees and 1 or 2 fewer chairs per row, it's business that gets you the lie downs and such. The food will probably still be worse than a first class international flight though. Not as many people paying as much and not enough air time to really force all of them to want to eat airplane food in the first place.
  - sokoloff 10mo ago
    > First class on international also just gets you the 15 degrees and 1 or 2 fewer chairs per row, it's business that gets you the lie downs and such. This is not my experience at all. First class is better than business class on international (and domestic, of course, though relatively few domestic routes have true three cabin service [counting all the slightly different economy levels as one cabin]).
    - zamadatix 10mo ago
      For ATL<->SFO the directs are Delta, Frontier, and United: Frontier doesn't have a business class nor long haul international flights (they are an ultra-low cost carrier). Delta calls their highest tier "Delta One" their business class offering. It's mostly available in mid & long haul international flights, though there are a few select domestic routes with it IIRC. A tier below is First, which is available for both domestic and international flights. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta_Air_Lines#Cabin:~:text=Delta%20One%20is%20the%20airline%27s%20premier%20business%20class%20product%2C%20available%20on%20long%2Dhaul%20international%20flights%2C%20as%20well%20as%20transcontinental%20service%20from%20New%20York%E2%80%93Kennedy%20to%20Los%20Angeles%20and%20San%20Francisco.%5B184%5D https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta_Air_Lines#Cabin:~:text=D... United's highest is called "Polaris", representing their international business class. Confusingly, they have "United First and United Business" as the next class. I.e. it's the same class but on domestic flights they call it "United First" and on international flights the same seat would be sold as "United Business" despite having Polaris for that already. Regardless of that oddity, the First class can't be higher than itself named Business class even compared directly instead of with the actual business class Polaris - it's the same seat. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Airlines#Cabins:~:text=United%20Polaris%20is%20the%20airline%27s%20international%20business%20class%20product https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Airlines#Cabins:~:text=.... Other airlines label and order things differently of course. E.g. American has Flagship First above Flagship Business above First/Business (shared much like United on that 3rd class) and maybe that's where your experience is. To my knowledge though, no such airlines operate the ATL<->SFO route originally described though.
      - 10mo ago
- anon84873628 10mo ago
  I was specifically thinking of my experience flying Emirates to the UAE :) Other threads are discussing what range is actually practical or worthwhile. The article is very optimistic saying Australia can be a weekend trip. For me it's much more beneficial to cut a 16 hour flight in half than a 6 hour one. I don't really mind an itinerary 9 hrs or less, which includes all US domestic travel. But of course it will be different for a business commuter vs the occasional getaway.
joshstrange 10mo ago
> And if you can afford business class - where supersonic would be priced - then I mean... The meals are restaurant quality and the full recline?! I hardly want to disembark! The biggest discomfort is the dry sinuses. Lay-flat chairs and business class are nice and a massive upgrade for long flights but better than being off the plane? Nope. > restaurant quality The food is mid-tier at best, I would not return to a restaurant that served food like what they serve in business class. It's only amazing when compared to the alternatives and the fact you get treated like half a human for a minute. > full recline Ehh, I find them claustrophobic and they only really "lay flat" if you aren't 6'+. They are approximately 1 billion times better than normal airplane chairs but you are still in an airplane.
TulliusCicero 10mo ago
100% agree with you. Actually being on the plane is fine, I don't have many complaints there. Yes, there are various compromises around space and comfort, but they're all understandable given the cost/efficiency concerns. Getting through the airport is just a huge pain in the ass though. At least some airports now let you keep your shoes on again, hopefully soon we'll have scanners that don't need you to remove electronics (I tend to bring too much of this and it's always a pain), or even let you keep liquids again (!).
- anon84873628 10mo ago
  Look for the "Smiths" brand scanners and go in that line if possible. Those don't have to remove items from the bag.

ghaff 10mo ago

I don't love being on a plane for a very long stretch, even in business class. And IMO food is very mid-tier restaurant. But I don't necessarily disagree with your comment. Even with transport and airport conveniences that a relatively modest amount of money can buy, there's plenty that can go wrong and you can avoid all the other people to only a certain degree.

hbosch 10mo ago

>And if you can afford business class [...] The meals are restaurant quality and the full recline?! I hardly want to disembark! Let's settle down. This kind of biz class experience is almost certainly unique to international travel. Flying "business class" from ATL to SFO might get you a plate of microwave slop and an extra 15deg of incline on almost all domestic jets. Once in a blue moon you'll get a modern plane with the diagonal seats. One less person in the row, though. Paying for business class domestically is almost always a sham by my experience.

zamadatix 10mo ago
ATL to SFO would almost certainly top out at first class, not business class. This is true of most all domestic routes. First class on international also just gets you the 15 degrees and 1 or 2 fewer chairs per row, it's business that gets you the lie downs and such. The food will probably still be worse than a first class international flight though. Not as many people paying as much and not enough air time to really force all of them to want to eat airplane food in the first place.
- sokoloff 10mo ago
  > First class on international also just gets you the 15 degrees and 1 or 2 fewer chairs per row, it's business that gets you the lie downs and such. This is not my experience at all. First class is better than business class on international (and domestic, of course, though relatively few domestic routes have true three cabin service [counting all the slightly different economy levels as one cabin]).
  - zamadatix 10mo ago
    For ATL<->SFO the directs are Delta, Frontier, and United: Frontier doesn't have a business class nor long haul international flights (they are an ultra-low cost carrier). Delta calls their highest tier "Delta One" their business class offering. It's mostly available in mid & long haul international flights, though there are a few select domestic routes with it IIRC. A tier below is First, which is available for both domestic and international flights. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta_Air_Lines#Cabin:~:text=Delta%20One%20is%20the%20airline%27s%20premier%20business%20class%20product%2C%20available%20on%20long%2Dhaul%20international%20flights%2C%20as%20well%20as%20transcontinental%20service%20from%20New%20York%E2%80%93Kennedy%20to%20Los%20Angeles%20and%20San%20Francisco.%5B184%5D https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta_Air_Lines#Cabin:~:text=D... United's highest is called "Polaris", representing their international business class. Confusingly, they have "United First and United Business" as the next class. I.e. it's the same class but on domestic flights they call it "United First" and on international flights the same seat would be sold as "United Business" despite having Polaris for that already. Regardless of that oddity, the First class can't be higher than itself named Business class even compared directly instead of with the actual business class Polaris - it's the same seat. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Airlines#Cabins:~:text=United%20Polaris%20is%20the%20airline%27s%20international%20business%20class%20product https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Airlines#Cabins:~:text=.... Other airlines label and order things differently of course. E.g. American has Flagship First above Flagship Business above First/Business (shared much like United on that 3rd class) and maybe that's where your experience is. To my knowledge though, no such airlines operate the ATL<->SFO route originally described though.
    - 10mo ago
anon84873628 10mo ago
I was specifically thinking of my experience flying Emirates to the UAE :) Other threads are discussing what range is actually practical or worthwhile. The article is very optimistic saying Australia can be a weekend trip. For me it's much more beneficial to cut a 16 hour flight in half than a 6 hour one. I don't really mind an itinerary 9 hrs or less, which includes all US domestic travel. But of course it will be different for a business commuter vs the occasional getaway.

joshstrange 10mo ago

> And if you can afford business class - where supersonic would be priced - then I mean... The meals are restaurant quality and the full recline?! I hardly want to disembark! The biggest discomfort is the dry sinuses. Lay-flat chairs and business class are nice and a massive upgrade for long flights but better than being off the plane? Nope. > restaurant quality The food is mid-tier at best, I would not return to a restaurant that served food like what they serve in business class. It's only amazing when compared to the alternatives and the fact you get treated like half a human for a minute. > full recline Ehh, I find them claustrophobic and they only really "lay flat" if you aren't 6'+. They are approximately 1 billion times better than normal airplane chairs but you are still in an airplane.

TulliusCicero 10mo ago

100% agree with you. Actually being on the plane is fine, I don't have many complaints there. Yes, there are various compromises around space and comfort, but they're all understandable given the cost/efficiency concerns. Getting through the airport is just a huge pain in the ass though. At least some airports now let you keep your shoes on again, hopefully soon we'll have scanners that don't need you to remove electronics (I tend to bring too much of this and it's always a pain), or even let you keep liquids again (!).

anon84873628 10mo ago
Look for the "Smiths" brand scanners and go in that line if possible. Those don't have to remove items from the bag.