I’m not the first person to say that expectation is the key to happiness, but it’s just so true. People with no expectation of business class find every inch of space, every ounce of champagne and every morsel of food to be indulgently blissful. People who experience various business class seats regularly become tougher customers, often with lofty demands. As someone who never tires of the incredible comforts of business class, while flying it constantly, there are a few things I find to be the most impressive, and a few things which just make it hardly worth it…
#1 Functional Airport Lounges With Hot Food…
Even the finest plane food rarely rivals a decent to good meal on the ground. Having the option to devour a hot, attractive meal on the ground before take off is essential. I don’t always go for the option on the ground, mainly for reviewing purposes, but if I’m traveling for leisure and value my sleep I often do.
#2 An Orderly Boarding Process…
It sounds simple enough, but there’s a reason airline’s constantly tinker with their boarding methods, and it’s because most flat out suck. Though it’s impossible for some airlines, I absolutely love airlines that call business class boarding from the lounge, coordinating with the gate to actually offer more time for relaxation while economy boards. I also love when an airline kindly instructs people to step away from the boarding area until their zone is called.
#3 Dynamic Entertainment And Charging Systems…
On the ground we live in a world of Netflix, iPads and all sorts of other connectivity. Even if a plane doesn’t offer wifi I highly value a state of the art entertainment system with extensive films and television series. The best systems tend to allow you to sync your own device via USB so that you can watch your own content as well. And of course, with all content watching and photo taking, having charging ports (yes, multiple) is essential. Believe it or not, many seats lack this sort of connectivity and charging ability…
#4 Dine On Demand Meal Service…
The first time someone came around to tell me that I could eat anything off the menu at any point during the flight my mind somewhat exploded. What?! I don’t have to wait up for an hour while you heat things up, wait another 45 minutes for you to clear the plate and then arrive fuzzy headed and tired? Dine on demand is a game changer. Want to sleep? Sleep, eat when you wake up. Want to eat immediately and not be disturbed? Go for it. Service is key.
#5 Prompt Priority Baggage Delivery…
As an economy passenger it must be a true joy to see your bag pop first off the carousel, knowing that all the smarmy looking business travelers are still waiting for their precious bags with priority tags. For a business passenger the experience is a whole lot less amusing. If you’re going to waste paper and load them separately, get them off the plane first and get them delivered. You pay the premium for business to maximize your time and waiting around is not maximizing time…
And I AVOID…
Unless traveling with a companion I do my best to avoid a seat where stepping over someone is necessary. If forced on to a plane without direct aisle access I choose the aisle. I avoid with all costs any seat that is not fully flat. In this competitive landscape it’s inexcusable and the easiest way to avoid them is to search for your flight or potential flight on Google Flights, which will mention where the seat is flat, angled flat or just a lazy boy style seat. Finally, for many it’s somewhat hard to fathom that there are quiet a few dry airlines out there. No, it’s not the end of the world to go dry for many of us, but it’s hard to beat that welcome drink.
