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
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!
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back in the day my father had a company set up by the sff to manage all oil tankers in sa waters (to deliver oil) during the oil embargo.
there was a cape town office to handle saldhana and a durban office.
durban's port is to shallow to handle most tankers with a load - so just off the old durban airport is a discharge point call the sbm (single buoy mooring).
i used to go on joyrides from virginia airport in the sikorsky helicopter based there, to tankers moored at the sbm to discharge oil.
the pilot (vaughn) was phenomenal.
weather could change quickly - he could get that behemoth helicopter onto the tanker's landing pad & back off again - quickly, smoothly & safely, without effort

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Binary_Bark said:

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here - the most elegant aircraft known to mankind.

there was some "concorde tribute" video - was like attending a funeral, music was rather depressing.
so i figured the music needed changing - spent hours choosing a song ("shine" by aswad) then landed up stripping, cutting and reassembling the original video to bring it down to a bite sized 4mins.

unfortunately i only had the very rough draft after a hard drive crash - draft is pixelated etc - but still watchable.
at 02:47, you see the very last time concorde took to the skies and off to retirement.

 
Grant said:
here - the most elegant aircraft known to mankind.

there was some "concorde tribute" video - was like attending a funeral, music was rather depressing.
so i figured the music needed changing - spent hours choosing a song ("shine" by aswad) then landed up stripping, cutting and reassembling the original video to bring it down to a bite sized 4mins.

unfortunately i only had the very rough draft after a hard drive crash - draft is pixelated etc - but still watchable.
at 02:47, you see the very last time concorde took to the skies and off to retirement.

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/Surpressing the urge to nerd out...
 
I voted "No" but... does Lift Premium count? đź‘€

Got upgraded once from DUR to CPT. Was fantastic.
 
Used to fly business class to London on BA. Business purposes.

But in those days it was just a wider seat and more leg space, nothing special.

The fancy stuff only came later.

Nowadays it is all economy, would never pay for business class.

Worst flight ever was in a "Limited Comfort" seat on a SAA Airbus A330.

A couple of seats on those A330's had less leg space, and you didn't know about it until you sat down.

It was hidden on the flysaa website, but if you drilled down you could find the information.
 
Yes, on that horrible SAA 747 they painted for the USA Olympic games.. Flew jhbg to London and back. However the size and recline of the seat and the leg room and food and service made it worthwhile.
 
Deandbn said:
Yes, on that horrible SAA 747 they painted for the USA Olympic games.. Flew jhbg to London and back. However the size and recline of the seat and the leg room and food and service made it worthwhile.
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The South African Airways (SAA) Boeing 747-300 nicknamed "Ndizani" (registration ZS-SAJ) was a legendary aircraft celebrated globally for its vibrant, multicoloured Olympic livery representing the post-apartheid "Rainbow Nation". Unveiled on 27 May 1996, the aircraft's name translates from Zulu to mean "flying to new heights".
Key Historical Facts
  • The Olympic Mascot: The aircraft was specially commissioned to fly Team South Africa to the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. It carried iconic historical figures like Josiah Thugwane, the first Black South African athlete to win an Olympic gold medal. The paint scheme was later retained to support the country's bid and eventual celebration of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. [1, 2, 3]
  • Origin: The airframe (MSN 23027) was originally built in 1983 and operated by Singapore Airlines before being acquired by South African Airways in January 1996.
Retirement & Fate:
Ndizani operated its final commercial flight from SĂŁo Paulo, Brazil to Johannesburg on 26 April 2004. It was stored at O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB) and officially scrapped in November 2009.

Technical Specifications
  • Aircraft Model: Boeing 747-312 (Stretched Upper Deck)
  • Engines: 4 x Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7RG2
  • Cruising Speed: 895 km/h
  • Maximum Range: 12 400 km
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never ever felt the need to try it - to me air travel was around the same thing as jumping into a car to go to work ie a means of getting from place A to place B ..... it never bothered me to do it in style ..... the bigger seats don't really bother me - im short and small built albeit with a slight paunch so people could easily still call me fat for my height but that doesn't mean i need a big seat and the fancy meals don't help me (i'm vegetarian for religious reasons) and im old enough to doze off while watching the in flight movie and only waking up when i reach the destination - so i'm not going to spend 3 to 5 times more if i'm sleeping all the way to where i'm going ...... to me it is as stupid and illogical as buying a 10 bedroom house for a single person that is going to live alone

and the main reason why not is that i can do far more important things that are actually beneficial to my life with that same money rather than waste it on vanity usage
 
HAL 9000 said:
The South African Airways (SAA) Boeing 747-300 nicknamed "Ndizani" (registration ZS-SAJ) was a legendary aircraft celebrated globally for its vibrant, multicoloured Olympic livery representing the post-apartheid "Rainbow Nation". Unveiled on 27 May 1996, the aircraft's name translates from Zulu to mean "flying to new heights".
Key Historical Facts
  • The Olympic Mascot: The aircraft was specially commissioned to fly Team South Africa to the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. It carried iconic historical figures like Josiah Thugwane, the first Black South African athlete to win an Olympic gold medal. The paint scheme was later retained to support the country's bid and eventual celebration of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. [1, 2, 3]
  • Origin: The airframe (MSN 23027) was originally built in 1983 and operated by Singapore Airlines before being acquired by South African Airways in January 1996.
Retirement & Fate:
Ndizani operated its final commercial flight from SĂŁo Paulo, Brazil to Johannesburg on 26 April 2004. It was stored at O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB) and officially scrapped in November 2009.

Technical Specifications
  • Aircraft Model: Boeing 747-312 (Stretched Upper Deck)
  • Engines: 4 x Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7RG2
  • Cruising Speed: 895 km/h
  • Maximum Range: 12 400 km
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That must be the ugliest paint job I have ever seen on an aircraft….
 
BCoetzer said:
Have you ever flown Business Class or First Class?
Was it a local or international flight?
Do you think the cost is worth it?
What was the best part about it?
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Pfft all still second class unless you're flying the bird and not another passenger on the bus…
 
Is it worth it? Absolutely not, largely because it just shows up how ****ing greedy the airlines are and how terrible economy class really is.

However it’s pretty much the only time I ever sleep on a plane, purely because of the seat and ability to be comfortable and makes the entire experience almost a voluntary one.

Economy could be made infinitely better for everyone with just a few less seats crammed in and everyone just getting a nicer seat with more reclining.

That being said I’ve always had more fun in economy. Business class you always end up next to some stuck up snob who thinks they’ve made it, whereas in economy you all just suffer together.
 
Have flown business class to New York , I think in 2000, had a contact at SAA who upgraded us to BC. Was amazing.
Have flown numerous times on a LearJet for work, private with some VIP's. Flew to another African country on a Learjet I think a lear 45, me and 2 pilots, during the world cup, was incredible, went for work.
Flew multiple times after that around SA in a private Jet.
I am planning to go overseas December and will book premium economy or business, I will never fly Emirates economy again in my life, was the worst experience I have ever had, earphones didnt work for 2 of us, seats are designed for someone who weights 50kg's absolute sh!!!T experience.
 
I was upgraded once and it was amazing.

I was in Europe last week and had to fly economy and man there's so little space for your legs.
 
Travelled a locally lot a few years ago, was upgraded pretty often but on British Airways never on any other.

Local flights, you'd be mad to pay they 1st/Business class rates for such short flights.
 
Solitude said:
I was upgraded once and it was amazing.

I was in Europe last week and had to fly economy and man there's so little space for your legs.
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iu
 
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