Have you ever flown Business Class or First Class?

Have you ever flown Business Class or First Class?

  • Yes - I paid for it myself

    Votes: 27 14.2%

  • Yes - I used frequent flyer miles to upgrade

    Votes: 12 6.3%

  • Yes - I got upgraded

    Votes: 43 22.6%

  • Yes - My employer/client paid for it

    Votes: 46 24.2%

  • No

    Votes: 89 46.8%
  • Total voters
    190
When I flew to the UK in December 1993, I flew in a British Airways B747-436 way back in Cattle Class - somewhere between Rows 53 & 60 - but when I flew back to SA in mid-January 1994, I noticed on the seating plan diagram in the BA travel office, when I went in to confirm my ticket for the return trip, that the upper deck was also divided into both Business & Economy Classes as well - so I reserved seat 75A - which was an 'Economy Class' window seat by the left-hand upper deck emergency exit - so unlimited legroom... and WAY better cabin crew service as well., as there were only 38 seats in total up there.. ;)

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Flying economy from jnb to jfk via lhr at the moment. All economy. They did give me an extra legroom seat for the final leg, and it’s definitely more comfortable, but I wouldn’t pay extra for business.
 
Yes, only on the work tab many years ago. They canned those luxuries not long after this during one of the recessions.
Best flight ever. Monumental waste of money. Absolutely no way I’d pay for a first class flight no matter how flush I were to become.
 
I fly a lot for work and have a Platinum status with Qatar so get quite a lot of upgrades with miles or credits. Also had business upgrades on Emirates a few times, SAA back in the day on the old 747, more recently Air France and Finnair once each.
 
Best private flight experience.

Was about 16, my dad did legal work for someone in the govt. and that got us a flight to Virginia airport in Durban on the minister of defense's private jet. Was specially arranged for him!

Amazing hardly describes it; steep takeoffs, and my seat was directly behind where a co-pilot would have sat, facing left. The cockpit was exposed to the cabin. G forces were supreme, the view incredible.

AI helped me try determine what jet it was, was too young to notice properly - very likely the Hawker Siddeley HS-125.
Apparently there were originally 4 of them in the SAAF, but 3 crashed in a practice run in Cape Town in 1971, so the one I was on was the only surviving one.
 
does boarding an El Al flight and not being X-rayed and having your entire luggage screened multiple times count as First class?

only other time was a mid flight upgrade on Lift when the E/Exit seat was broken, and there was a "business" seat free
 
primarily 1st or business class - simply because i was not shelling out on tickets.
as a kid, my family lived in mauritius for a few years - i was in boarding school in kzn.
i would fly back and forth each school holiday.
i was usually in seat 1b upstairs.
this flight i was in 7b downstairs
2026-08-05 at 16.40.50.jpg

Screen Shot 2026-08-05 at 16.35.52.jpg



then when working, in business class - company paid.
also flew on concorde as a kid with my parents - british airways concorde - london / new york.
highlight flight: airforce2 with al gore - durban to cape town, late 90s

i want to cry now, all these years later, never appreciated concorde flight as a kid.
memories of it are not good tho.
i remember looking at it prior to boarding - looked like a giant praying mantis on the ground.
cramped
tired leather on the seats
stank after take-off - like paraffin - something to do with the afterburners.
noisy as hell when taking off / landing, while the nose was down

airforce 2 was interesting.
obviously no tickets / boarding passes - seats and carpets are color coded for who sits where - alphas up front, epsilons at the back

me and al gore, under airforce2, about to board - a private joke going on there between us
Screen Shot 2026-08-05 at 16.55.12.jpg
 
A couple of times years ago, but only local flights to cpt. Got upgraded both times.

Both as solo flyer and both times work paid for the normal economy seats so don't know if that played a role in me being selected. I was in my 20s and it felt pretty awkward though like I didn't belong.

Don't work for a place that sends me on trips anymore :(
 
Last edited:
Grant said:
me and al gore, under airforce2, about to board - a private joke going on there between us
screen-shot-2026-08-05-at-16-55-12-jpg.1927493
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"private joke"...
Jet-set Grant, the sexy devil making a play for Al Gore? :unsure:
 
Flights that are 5+ hours I will fly business, otherwise I'm flying economy with extra legroom.

When the Iran thing kicked off my wife was going to be stuck in SA, so we had no choice but to fork out 100k for a one way business class flight back (nothing else was available), that really sucked, but was necessary.
 
Brian_G said:
Best private flight experience.

Was about 16, my dad did legal work for someone in the govt. and that got us a flight to Virginia airport in Durban on the minister of defense's private jet. Was specially arranged for him!

Amazing hardly describes it; steep takeoffs, and my seat was directly behind where a co-pilot would have sat, facing left. The cockpit was exposed to the cabin. G forces were supreme, the view incredible.

AI helped me try determine what jet it was, was too young to notice properly - very likely the Hawker Siddeley HS-125.
Apparently there were originally 4 of them in the SAAF, but 3 crashed in a practice run in Cape Town in 1971, so the one I was on was the only surviving one.
Click to expand...
AI Overview

The South African Air Force (SAAF) operated the Hawker Siddeley HS.125-400B twin-engine corporate jet, locally named the "Mercurius." Assigned primarily to based at Air Force Base Waterkloof in Pretoria, these aircraft were used for VIP transport and military liaison duties. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Operational History and Tragedy
    • Introduction: The SAAF acquired the versatile British-built HS-125 jets for high-speed executive and military transport. [1, 2]
    • The Devil's Peak Disaster: On May 26, 1971, tragedy struck when a three-ship formation of SAAF HS-125 Mercurius jets crashed into Devil's Peak near Table Mountain in Cape Town during poor weather while practicing for an upcoming Republic Day flypast. The crash claimed the lives of 11 people (officers and crewmen) and wiped out a core portion of the initial fleet. [1, 2]
    • Replacements: Replacement HS-125-400 aircraft were subsequently delivered from the United Kingdom in January 1972 to replenish 21 Squadron's VIP fleet. [1]
1785942820496.png

SAAF HS-125-400B Hawker Siddeley 'Mercurius' - number 04 sits on its own without the rest of its fleet in a tragic reminder to the loss of numbers 01, 02 and 03 had just been lost in a crash on Devils Peak.

This very dark day in SAAF history occurred on Devils Peak on 26 May 1971.

The South African Air Force

Privately run, unofficial website on the South African Air Force. It is maintained by myself during my (limited) spare time so please read the Disclaimer. I hope you enjoy the experience and visit again soon. All suggestions are welcome - Dean Wingrin
www.saairforce.co.za
 
neoprema said:
Depending on the airline I will either;

1. Book economy and upgrade to Business before flying or
2. Book Business upfront.
3. If its too full, sit in Economy.

Sometimes though, the plane is just too full and travel is too short-notice and Business is full, which leaves you in Economy or Premium Economy.

While i prefer to always be taking off with a glass of something bubbly in my hand, I'm not gonna cry if i'm in Economy. I usually would be able to board early anyway as I only book on the airlines i'm maintaining Gold or higher with.

My biggest and worst issue of all is not the class, its whether i'm in the vicinity of a crying baby or screaming child because regardless of ticket price that can completely and utterly ruin a flight. Its terrible.
Click to expand...
Yeah, those banshees and their parents should be put on no fly lists for 20 years.
 
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